Depending on what kind of business you have and which countries you have clients or offices in, you might have the need for international conference calling services.
While most people are familiar with the concept of a regular, domestic conference call, you may be wondering how to make an international conference call.
Just because a conference call has participants from all over the world doesn’t mean it needs to be complicated; however, there are some significant differences between domestic and international conference calls that you should be aware of before you start hosting your own international conference calls.
In this post, we’ll go through six of the most common questions people have about how to make an international conference call and walk through the answers. It might seem like a simple endeavor, but the answers to these six questions could surprise you.
What Is an International Conference Call?
Simply put, international conference calls connect callers and call participants from two or more countries. Whereas a standard or domestic conference call connects callers from within the same country.
For example, let’s say that your main office is located in Los Angeles, your factory in China and your international shipping provider in Germany. If you need to make updates to your supply chain, the fastest way to get everyone on the same page is probably to get everyone onto a single conference call.
Emails, while useful, can result in long, circuitous chains and even inaction. With a conference call, everyone can come together in the same moment and nail down all the relevant details and action items.
Because each participant in the example would be calling in from different countries, the call itself would be an international conference call.
What Is an International Access Number?
Standard, a.k.a. domestic, conference calls are more common because there is only one country code in play (country codes are also known as an international access numbers). When making an international call, you must dial a specific one to three-digit code (like +1 for the US or +44 for the UK).
When you host a domestic conference call, you don’t have to worry about international access numbers because your phone and/or conference provider knows to use the same international access number.
With international conference calls, your conference call provider has to work behind the scenes to connect multiple calls all dialing out from different international access numbers.
How to Make an International Conference Call?
This is where things get a little more complicated — thanks to the fact that different conference call providers handle international conference calls in different ways. At Branded Bridge Line, we believe you shouldn’t have to think about the ins-and-outs of how to make an international conference call, so we’ve made it simple.
We have local numbers in more than 80 countries around the world. But what do local numbers have to do with making an international conference call? It’s a good question, but the answer will change your perspective on international conference calling for good.
When you dial long-distance, from one country to another, the charges and fees can be astronomical. Phone carriers typically charge per minute for international calls, so unless your conference call is going to be incredibly brief, this is not a viable solution for businesses.
Dedicated Lines for Your Business
Get a single, dedicated conference line and unique phone number for all your business meetings. Less complicated. More professional.
Since we provide our crystal clear conference calling service via VoIP, we are able to connect multiple, local calls onto a single, secure dedicated line for international toll-free conference calling.
To go back to the supply chain example: You would call a local California number (avoiding international calling fees), your factory manager in China would call a local Chinese number (also avoiding international calling fees), and your shipping provider in Germany would call a local German number, thereby avoiding international calling fees while Branded Bridge Line does the work of joining the calls together into a single international conference call.
With Branded Bridge Line’s easy-to-use international conference calling, you don’t have to worry about the “how” of how to make an international conference call. Simply let us know where your participants will be joining the call from and let us take care of the rest.
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Do I Need Special Equipment to Make International Conference Calls?
It’s 2019 and you might expect the answer to “how to make an international conference call?” to be “get an app.” But really, it’s up to you! As long as you choose a good international conference call provider like Branded Bridge Line, then making an international conference call doesn’t require any special equipment — it’s as easy as making any other conference call! (Full disclosure, we do offer an international conference call app, if that’s your thing.)
With our conference calling service, you can still use all the same equipment you use for other calls. Our service works with landlines, cellphones, and all other standard phones and speakerphone devices. Since the technology required to connect the international calls to a single line happens on the backend, all you have to worry about is placing a normal call.
Are International Conference Calls Secure?
When you place an international call with our platform, you get the benefit of a secure, dedicated conference call line. Plus, we don’t share conference lines or phone numbers between accounts.
We take international conference call security seriously, and only use Tier 1 carriers and encrypt all connections using secure SSL. By default, call recordings are turned off, and if you choose to record a call, only you have access to the recording through your secure account dashboard.
Do Conference Call Providers Support International Conference Calling?
Most modern conference call providers do offer a solution for international conference calling — though it’s not always free or included in their standard conferencing plans. For information about international conferencing calls from Branded Bridge Line, check out our international conferencing page.
If you are still using another provider, we recommend calling to ask them how to make an international conference call with your current plan (make sure to ask how much they charge and if they offer toll-free international calling).
How Much Does International Conferencing Cost?
This one really depends on your conference provider. Each conferencing solution is a little bit different. And, when it comes to making an international conference call, the answer varies from provider to provider.
Some offer a separate plan for international calls (typically not included with free plans), and others include international conferencing as part of a premium tier plan.
At Branded Bridge Line, all of our plans include international numbers, so you don’t have to pay extra for international conference calls. Check out our conference call pricing page to see how we compare to your current provider.
Bonjour, Hola, Guten Tag, Hello.
Now that you know how to make an international conference call, what are you waiting for? We answered the most common questions about international conference calling and provided some tips on how to find the best international conferencing service and pricing. Are you ready to start hosting better international conference calls today?
