Conference calls are one of the ways businesses communicate with their remote staff. Important details, specifications, instructions, etc., are passed on, which is why conference call transcription is a widely outsourced task.
Conference Call Transcription Essential for Remote Offices
Remote workplaces are a reality in the present corporate circumstances, and the arrangement needs to be fine-tuned for better results. These remote meetings are a vital ingredient of the arrangement. Businesses need to have transcripts of these meetings for future reference and archiving. Recorded conference calls can be transcribed accurately by experienced transcription companies, while some also offer live transcription.
Understanding Nuances of Conference Calling
Working in remote settings requires employees to be well aware of handling and participating in conference calling. And this is more difficult than it sounds. You need to make your presence felt, acknowledge the presence of others joining remotely, listen to their inputs, and make others see your perspective so you can make your point without sounding intrusive. Beyond all this, technology could sometimes cause interruptions such as sound delays or bad connections. It is a balancing act which employees working remotely need to get right.
Being Attentive
The first step is to do your part well, which is paying attention to what’s going on. Even if you wouldn’t be noticed doing something else during an audio-only conference call, your inattentiveness would show when you’re asked for your inputs and you take time to respond, answer inadequately, or perhaps inadvertently make a point someone else has already made. To ensure you keep paying attention, it is wise to take down notes so that you will naturally be paying attention. It is also important to make others know you’re there by asking any relevant questions or commenting on other participants’ opinion. That’s not to say you keep talking when not needed and waste others’ time and the whole purpose of the call, but it is healthy to break your silence in between.
Speaking Sans Hesitation When You Need To
Breaking your silence is doubly essential when you have a valid point to make. And since you’re in a meeting where you cannot see the other participants it is best to start speaking immediately after someone else stops, or you may not get the opportunity to contribute and get your point across. Being overly polite would not help here, and you might be later plagued by regrets for not expressing your opinion. It could sometimes happen that when you start speaking, someone else does too. In that case you only need to go ahead and finish your point before you hand it over to them. If someone else has started talking seconds before you wanted to say something, wait for the person to finish before saying you’d like to add something and then presenting your view.
Sometimes you need to be assertive in a conference call, since your inputs and participation would only serve the purpose of the meeting and help fulfill its objectives. Remaining quiet would perhaps not do justice to the others who have set apart their time. They need your suggestions and contributions and so, if there are issues such as not being able to hear what someone else is saying, you should speak up and ask that person to repeat what they said. You can clarify statements and also interject someone’s speech politely to tell them to adjust their microphone or sit closer to it so you can hear well. You don’t have to be the leader of the meeting to suggest improvements to how the calls are run. You could give your suggestions for that.
Joining in From a Quiet Place
Make sure you’ve done your part as well in making the call better. This goes without saying, but don’t join in from a noisy location because even if you may be mute you may never know when your input is needed and you’ll have to un-mute and give your opinion. You cannot be suddenly running to find a quiet place then. So when you’re joining in a conference call, make sure you’re doing so from a place free from disturbances and background noise.
Ensuring Technical Soundness
You need to ensure the technical factors are dialed in. Make sure you join the meeting on time, and for that you need to ensure that:
- You have the required passwords
- Your headphones are working fine
- The required software is installed, and
- The entire arrangement has been tested well in advance
This will ensure that any niggling issues can be dealt with by the concerned technical professionals and you won’t have to figure all this out when you’re in the middle of a conference call.
Analog Phone and Mobile Conference Calling
With analog phones you need to establish the phone connection, add another individual, and then other participants. However, apps are around for efficient mobile conference calling. Apps that do not require passwords, pins or phone numbers to begin a call make the process more convenient. All you would need to do is:
- Sign up and create your URL
- People can be invited to the call with that URL
- When recipients enter their phone numbers, they get connected
So make sure you have done your research on matters such as these well in advance, if you’re the one who is initiating or leading conference calls. As you know, there are free and paid plans, with the free services usually limited to a specific number of participants and paid services for calls involving more participants. They also offer recording options which are very useful for conference call transcription.
Getting the hang of conference calling could be initially tough, but once mastered, it could be quite effective at communicating ideas, instructions and even technical details. Accurate and reliable conference call transcription services can ensure the information is available for future reference and use.
