Setting up a conference call bridge is easy, and can be accomplished in a matter of clicks with your Telzio phone service.
There are a number of reasons why hosting a dial-in conference would work better at times than video conferencing, such as the convenience to be able to call in from anywhere using just a phone. It makes it easy for remote teams that work from home, or partners and clients that are on the road, to quickly dial in for a conference.
In this article, you’ll learn how to set up a conference call bridge and start hosting conference calls. If you’ve never set up a conference call service before, don’t worry. You don’t need any technical skills. All you need is a computer and an internet connection.
What is a Conference Bridge?
A conference bridge is a phone line that enables multiple callers to dial in and join a conference call by entering a PIN code. You can think of a conference bridge as a virtual meeting room where people can call in and participate in a phone conference anytime.
How to Create a Conference Call Bridge
Once you create a conference call bridge, you can immediately start using it for conference calls and inviting dial-in participants. Here’s how it’s done.
- Log into Telzio and add a Conference to your Call Flow.
- Review the default greeting and update if desired.
- Provide participants with the dial-in number and PIN.
Further down in this article, you’ll find a few of the different useful ways you can configure your phone number with a conference bridge.
Free Internal Conference Calling for Employees
With Telzio, internal calling (extension to extension) is always free, and that includes calling into company conference lines. To set up free teleconferencing for internal use, just give your conference bridge an extension.
How to Set up a Conference Call Bridge for Internal Use
Instead of dialing the phone number to be connected to the conference call, users can call the extension of the conference bridge directly.
To give your conference bridge an extension, go to the Call Flow where your bridge lives, and click on the settings where you can enter an extension.
Then, have your employees dial that extension from any Telzio phone to join the teleconference. Employees in any location can dial in from their IP phone, the Telzio Webphone and/or the Telzio Mobile App.
Keep in mind that call recording is included at no additional cost with your Telzio service, and you can enable call recording for any of your users. This enables hosts to record and store a recording of the conference call, which can then be shared with other employees.
Related: Call Recording - How to record calls and stay compliant
3 Ways to Add a Conference Bridge to Your Phone Number
Telzio offers maximum flexibility when it comes to setting up your phone system with conferencing features. Here are a few different ways you can implement telephone conferencing.
Set a dedicated phone number for dial-in conferencing
If you frequently host dial-in conferences for large groups, you may want to dedicate a phone number specifically for this purpose. You get a special conference number that can be shared with others, along with a PIN to gain access into the “virtual conference room”.
Follow these steps to set up a dedicated conference line:
- Browse Telzio for a new phone number, or port an existing one.
- Create a Call Flow, and add a Conference. Give your Call Flow an easy name to remember, like “Conference Line”.
- Assign the Call Flow to the phone number.
Create an option in the main phone menu to join a conference call
If your incoming calls are being routed to a phone menu, you can create an option in the phone menu for callers to connect to a conference call. For example “Press 1 for sales, press 2 for support, or press 3 to join a conference call.”
Follow these steps to add a conference bridge to your phone menu:
- Navigate to your Call Flow.
- Open the phone menu, and mark the appropriate number on the dial pad.
- Once you update, you’ll see a new route for the option you just created. Add a Conference there.
Related: How to set up a phone menu for small business
Add multiple conference bridges on a single phone number
If you need to create multiple conference bridges for different teams, you can do that all on the same phone number. Participants will all call into the same phone number and be routed to different conference rooms depending on the PIN they enter.
Follow these steps to create multiple conference bridges on a phone number:
- Create a Call Flow, and add a Conference.
- In the Conference settings, click Add Room.
- Edit the PIN and room names if desired.
VoIP Conference Call Services
There are several benefits to using VoIP for conference calls.
From the callers’ perspective, it’s no different than dialing into a traditional teleconference. They simply dial the phone number, and enter the PIN code to gain access into the call.
From the host’s perspective, it’s quick and easy to set up a conference bridge. You can go to the Telzio website and create a conference bridge in a matter of seconds. This is quite a contrast to traditional phone systems, which requires a technician to make any kind of change to the system, let alone add a conference bridge.
From the business owner’s perspective, these capabilities provide substantial cost savings, and enable employees to be more productive. Technically, every employee could have their own dedicated conference bridge, and it would not increase the cost of your phone service.
Explore 50+ Business VoIP Features Included with Telzio
Benefits of Hosting a Conference Call with Telzio
With Telzio you can host separate ongoing conference calls on a single phone number at the same time. Since there’s no limit to the number of simultaneous calls that can be going on a single phone number, you can host teleconferences without affecting the rest of your calls.
- High quality audio
- Free internal conferencing
- Easy set up - no hardware or software needed
- Unlimited conference bridges included
- Free call recording included
- Flexibility to add, modify, and remove conference bridges
- No hard limit to the number of participants
- Local and toll free numbers from 60+ countries
- Encrypted calls and recordings
If you have an existing phone number, you can port it to Telzio with no downtime. You can also get a new phone number from Telzio and start using it for conference calls instantly.