Great America Networks Conferencing Blog

How do you measure the intangiables?

Here at the blog you have read my mentioning of the concierge level of service and support that you get with Great America Networks Conferencing. With the growing options of Audio & WebConference providers available, why should this be such an important factor? As long as the service works, there shouldn't need to be any support or help!

Well in a perfect world, that would be a valid point to make, but of course as we all live in the real world, things don't always go according to plan. We are talking about technology here, and technology is never going to be perfect. Anyone that sells me technology that says it will always be 100% perfect instantly raises a red flag to me. Lets face it, my cell phone still drops calls, my TV sometimes loses satellite signal, and a host of other things can, and will happen sometimes.

Good Great WebConferencing is the joining of many technologies in the correct way. We have done that for you and have a system that is more reliable and better than just about any that is available today. What we cannot control always though is the end user, and their computer or connection, as well as possible user error.

These are the times when our service and support really shine. when a user is trying to access a conference, but his Internet connection fails, or his cell phone loses signal, or someone told him the wrong information to join. It is imperative that they are able to get instant help by our Live Operator monitoring our conferencing bridge at all times.

This alone can save a conference. If this conference is with a prospective client, or some other mission critical meeting, think of what that can save? It can mean the closing of a sale, or the reputation of your company. Some things can be immeasurable, but so very important.

Let us hold your hand, and the hand of all your attendees. When we claim to have the best customer support in the industry, we mean it! And you can count on it!

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
http://blog.ganconference.com/
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso

Question & Answer tips during a Webinar

Great America Networks Conferencing offers hold-your-hand kind of service and support for our clients as you have heard me mention a few times before. It is important because the chance to learn, prepare, and practice before a webinar is important for insuring a good event. We take your events seriously and do all that we can to make sure they run the way you envision them.

One of the ways we try to do that is to assist in the first time or two that you might be having a webinar with our service. This means I have sat in on a lot of webinars, and have seen some that run better than others in the "presenter skills" department.

One section that can be a challenge to some is the inclusion of a live Question and Answer session in the their webinar. At Great America Networks Conferencing we make it easy to have a professional, and efficient Q & A with our QuickAssist Live Operator service. What we cannot do though is predict the questions your audience might have and ask, or worse...not ask.

In reading a post from Ken Molay over at The Webinar Blog, he addresses some very good tips that can help you make sure that the your Webinar Q & A session runs as smoothly as possible. Give the post a read as it offers some good insight, but I'll list the tips here as well:

1) Get people used to typing in their console early and often. Ask a question or two that is easy and fun. Ask people to type their first name, or identify a picture taken from a TV show or movie. You want them to learn that interaction is expected, natural, and non-threatening.

 

2) Refer to questions and comments throughout your presentation if you can. Just a quick offhanded remark can let people know that their contributions are being noticed. "Karen says she agrees with that. Thanks, Karen!"

 

3) When possible, refer to questioners by first name only. This builds a personal connection, but doesn't identify them to the public. It's the perfect match between recognition and privacy.

 

4) Avoid the phrase "That's a good question." If you overuse it you sound insincere. If you use it on some and not others, you imply that some questions aren't as "good."  Try alternate phrases such as "I'm glad you asked this question, because it gives me a chance to…" "Interesting… Let's take a look at that."

 

5) ALWAYS have seed questions ready to cover slow spots. Read them as if they came from the audience (announce a fake first name). People tend to start asking questions when they hear other people asking questions.

 

6) Keep your energy up, up, up! If you give a big sigh at the end of your presentation and read off questions in a bored tone of voice because you've heard them all before, nobody is going to want to play with you. Be enthusiastic about the opportunity to interact with your audience. Make them believe you LOVE doing Q&A!

If you give webinars on a regular basis, I definitely recommend subscribing to Ken's blog as he gives informative posts that can help you in a multitude of ways, and from a platform independent perspective as well.

In the end, good presentation skills in webinars come from the same place people earn them in live in-person events. Practice, practice, practice. Having a company that will work with you on that practice can make all the difference between a webinar... and a memorable webinar.

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
http://blog.ganconference.com/
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso

How to know it's time to add Web to your TeleConferencing

Many companies see the immediate need for TeleConferencing today. People are always on the go and rarely in the same place for very long. When you have to talk to a group, there is no better way than a TeleConference to get everyone together quickly for a discussion.

There are some signs though that it might be time to organize a WebConference in addition to that TeleConference. Here are some questions to ask yourself to see if it's time for your company to implement WebConferencing:

• Are there documents or items being discussed that are visual?
• Does someone often say "Do you see that part...?" during the conversation?
• Is the phrase "I'll e-mail it to you after the call" said a lot?
• Is there usually a member who is not prepared with all the information available?
• Do you spend a good portion of the call re-hashing previous calls and points made?
• Would it just be more efficient if people could see what you are talking about instead of explaining?

A WebConference can alleviate these issues that are common to conference calls, and QuickVisuals from Great America Networks Conferencing is the industry leading simplest WebConference to implement. The visual element of a WebConference encourages 70% more retention than just hearing something. Your calls will be more efficient and more productive with less questioning what everyone is looking at, and confidence that the goals of the call have been addressed.

Allow a Dedicated Conferencing Consultant show you today what benefits WebConferencing will have to your business and productivity. Contact us today!

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
http://blog.ganconference.com/
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso

Bringing the right ingredients together

My grandmother was a great cook. My sister is a great cook. My mother on the other hand...you know how they say things can skip a generation? That's my mom's cooking. She has always been a wonderful mother and provider, and she can follow a laid out recipe just fine, but there was that something that my grandmother and sister can do, that just eluded her in the kitchen.

Some call it instinct, talent, or skill. What I think it comes down to is just bringing the right ingredients together in the right way, and doing the little extras that make the difference. It goes for more than just cooking. It applies in business as well.

There are many companies that provide similar services, as in the Conferencing industry. All are following pretty much the same basic recipe also. Take a conferencing bridge, software, infrastructure, plus a few more things. Mix it all together with good customer service, and sprinkle some smart business management in the mix and you have a company providing a conferencing service. Some just stand out more than others.

What could be the difference? Better ingredients make for a better result. Using only top quality hardware and cutting edge software ensures the right experience when a presenter is moving through a conferencing presentation. Proper training and support gives that person confidence in the outcome they will have. A smooth experience bringing all of your guests to the table ensures they will be the most receptive to your offering as well.

Great America Networks Conferencing strives to put everything in place from the hardware, software, training, support, and pricing to make sure that you get the best possible product and your event, whether its the daily meal or holiday special, is going to be a memorable one for all that were involved.

Contact us today and we will take the care to make sure that your company is going to have it's audience leaving the meeting stuffed full of information, and impressed with your presentation of it. We'll take care of the kitchen.

Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
arusso@ganconference.com
www.ganconference.com
http://blog.ganconference.com/
Skype: anth.russo
Twitter: @AnthonyRusso