Free Conference USA User Guide

Transcription

1 100% FR EE There s never a charge to use Free Conference USA or any of our powerful features. NO A DV ERTISING We don t promote our service to your callers, nor will you or your callers ever be subjected to sales pitches, advertisements, or marketing. 100% R ELIA BL E Unlike other free conference providers, we don t use dialin numbers from rural phone companies, which are subject to blocking and congestion. POWERFU L FEA TURES Connect up to 250 callers to your conferences, with access to a complete set of live conference features and online conference controls, including FREE recording of your conference calls. Quick Reference Dial-in Number: Conference ID: Host PIN: To join as Host: After welcome prompt, enter your Conference ID, followed by the star key (*) instead of the pound sign. You will be then be prompted Your Account Information When you sign up for Free Conference USA, you are assigned a Conference ID and a Host PIN (Personal Identification Number). The Conference ID represents your unique conference room, and will be used by all parties to access your personal conference bridge. You will use the Host PIN to log into the Online Conference Manager and to designate yourself as a conference host when dialing into your conference bridge. Free Conference USA maintains no personal identity information. While you may request an containing your Conference ID and Host PIN for your records, we do not store your address Reservationless Conferencing. Your conference bridge is always ready for use, with no advance scheduling required. Just call into your conference bridge, and your call begins as soon as your other parties arrive. Custom Feature Control. You can change the default feature settings at any time, through the Online Conference Manager. Control how your conference starts, specify alerts when callers arrive or depart, record calls, and much more. Live Conference Features. All the capabilities you need for productive conference calls, through easy Keypad Commands or the Online Conference Manager. for future use. If you forget your Conference ID or Host PIN, you will need to sign up for a new free account. (There is no means for us to verify that you are the legitimate owner of a conference bridge, since we do not require or maintain any personal information for account users. Table of Contents Your Account Information 1 Conference Instructions 2 About Conference Hosts 2 Conference Modes 3 Live Conference Features 3 Keypad Commands 5 Online Conference Manager 6 v1.5

2 Conference Instructions All Free Conference USA conference bridges are reservationless, which means they require no advance scheduling, and are instantly activated whenever a caller enters the bridge. Arrange the Call. Provide your participants with the information they need to participate in the conference call: Date and time of the conference (with time zone). The Dial-in Number assigned to your account when you enrolled. (Alternatively, you may use any of the alternative dial-in numbers listed on the Features page on the website.) Your Conference ID, which is a 5-to-10 digit number that was assigned for your personal use. Conference Mode and Settings. You should review the default feature settings via the Online Conference Manager, which you access by entering your Conference ID and Host PIN at the top of the Free Conference USA website. Conference modes and feature settings are described in a subsequent section. Default features settings can be changed at any time; those changes remain in effect until subsequently changed via the Online Conference Manager. Every conference call begins with the default settings. Changes to feature settings made during active calls do not affect the default settings. Note: The most critical setting to verify is the Conference Start setting. The original system default setting is to start the conference when the second caller joins the conference bridge. If you change this default setting to either when Host joins or when Host confirms, the conference cannot begin without a Host, identified by entering the Host PIN when joining the conference. Start Your Conference. When you are ready to begin your conference, follow these steps: be prompted to enter the Conference ID, followed by the pound sign (#). NOTE: To join as a conference Host, press the star key (*) instead of the pound sign. You will then be prompted to enter your 4-digit Host PIN. Depending on the conference feature settings, callers may be asked to record their name, prior to being placed into the conference. 3. The conference will begin based on the Conference Start setting. The system default setting is to begin the conference when the second caller joins. Pending the start of the conference, callers are placed on hold. Callers will hear an announcement prior to being placed into the conference. Ending the Conference. Your conference will end automatically when the last caller disconnects from the conference bridge, unless specifically terminated by a conference Host (see the Live Conference Features section). Conference Capacity Your conference bridge can support up to 250 participants. About Conference Hosts Hosts have access to commands to manage a conference call, including the ability to modify feature settings, mute or drop participants, and access reports and conference recordings. A Host is anybody who identifies herself as a Host by entering the Host PIN. You were assigned a Host PIN when your conference bridge was created. (There is no way to recover your forgotten Host PIN, since Free Conference USA does not maintain any personal 1. All parties (both Hosts and Participants) call your assigned dial-in number. 2. Following a generic welcome greeting, callers will 2

3 identity information that would be required to verify proper ownership of the conference bridge. If you forget your Host PIN, you will need to create a new conference bridge with a different Conference ID.) You can log into the Online Conference Manager by entering your Conference ID and Host PIN into the input boxes at the top of the Free Conference USA website. The Online Conference Manager allows you to view and modify default feature settings, change your Host PIN, view activity reports and access conference recordings. During live conference calls, Hosts have access to the Host Keypad Commands as described in the Live Conference Features section. Hosts can also manage live calls via the Online Conference Manager. Multiple Hosts. There is no limit to the number of people who can join the conference using the Host PIN. This may be desired if there are multiple conference leaders for calls in Presentation Mode or Question & Answer Mode, during which non-hosts are muted and only Hosts have speaking privileges. Conference Modes Free Conference USA supports three different modes, distinguished by the speaking privileges of Hosts and participants. 1. Conversation Mode All Hosts and participants are un-muted. 2. Presentation Mode All participants (non-hosts) are muted. Note that since multiple Hosts are allowed, multiple conference leaders can have speaking privileges if they join the conference using the Host PIN. 3. Question & Answer Mode All participants (non-hosts) are initially muted. They can selectively un-mute themselves by pressing *6(star-six) to speak. Any Host can mute all participants at any time to silence the questioners. 4. Private Host Mode All participants (non-hosts) are placed on hold, while Hosts engage in a private conversation. This can be helpful if a group of speakers (hosts) wish to coordinate prior to commencing the general conference. The Conference Mode can be changed at any time by a Host during a live conference call, via the Online Conference Manager or a Keypad Command. Raise Your Hand Feature. An extra feature for Hosts using the Online Conference Manager is the Raise Your Hand feature. In lieu of asking participants to selectively un-mute themselves, the Host could request that participants who wish to speak press the Raise Your Hand keypad command (*5), which displays a flag on the participant list associated with the live conference call in the Online Conference Manager. The Host can then unmute the participant by clicking on that participant to extend speaking privileges. Live Conference Features Free Conference USA provides all the features you re looking for in a conferencing service. Default feature settings (which apply each time a conference call is initiated, regardless of whether the settings were modified during the previous live conference) can be modified via the Online Conference Manager accessed by logging in with your Conference ID and Host PIN via the input boxes at the top of Free Conference USA website. Most features can be accessed or configured during live conference calls by using a telephone keypad or via the Online Conference Manager. Conference Start Your reservationless conference bridge is available for use at all times, without advance scheduling. Hosts can control when callers are placed into a live 3

4 conference: 1. Upon the entry of the second caller, regardless of whether a Host has arrived. (This the original system default setting.) 2. When a Host joins the conference. All parties who arrive before the first Host joins will be placed on hold until the Host arrives. The parties will be instantly placed into the live conference upon the Host arrival, without further action by the Host. 3. When a Host manually initiates the conference start via the Online Conference Manager or Keypad Command. All parties will remain on hold until the Host triggers the conference start. A Host may wish to delay the start of a conference until a certain number of participants have arrived. Conference Recording Digital recording of the call, which can be subsequently downloaded from the Online Conference Manager. Hosts can toggle the recording on and off during a call, using a Keypad Command or the Online Conference Manager. Conference recordings are stored online (for at least six months); once they are deleted from the website, they cannot be recovered. It is recommended that you download any recordings that you wish to save upon the conclusion of a conference call. Entry/Exit Notice Participants can be announced upon joining or leaving the call, using chimes or recorded names. Record Name Callers joining a call can be asked to record their name, which may be announced upon entry or exit to the call, or replayed privately via the Roll Call feature. Participant Muting Via the Online Conference Manager, a Host may mute specific participants to reduce background noise. (Hosts can identify participants based on Caller ID Number in the participant list.) Command, a Host may silence all participants (nonhosts) on the call. (This is the same as placing the conference in Presentation Mode, where all non- Hosts are muted.) Self-Muting Hosts and participants can mute themselves by pressing the *6(star-six) keypad code. Raise Your Hand Participants can enter the Raise Your Hand keypad feature code (*5) to indicate to the Host that they would like to be called upon by the Host for a question or comment. Entering the code triggers an indicator flag next to the participant s listing in the active call list in the Online Conference Manager. If the call is in Presentation or Q&A mode, the Host can un-mute that participant, by clicking on the participant. (This feature is only active if a Host is logged into the Online Conference Manager.) To solicit questions or comments, the Host should announce that callers should press *5(star-five) to indicate their request. Note that in Q&A mode, all participants can selectively un-mute themselves (by pressing *6) without acknowledgement by the Host. However, in Presentation mode, no participant can selectively un-mute himself use of the Raise Your Hand feature in Presentation mode gives the Host more complete control of participant speaking privileges. Via the Online Conference Manager, a Host can un-mute any participant while the conference is in Presentation mode. Security Lock A Host can lock access to the conference bridge, preventing new callers from joining the active call. Conference Termination A Host can force the termination of the conference call by disconnecting all participants, by pressing a Keypad Command (*91). This feature is useful when you have scheduled back-to-back conference calls. Group Muting Via the Online Conference Manager or Keypad 4

5 Participant Count Free Conference USA User Guide Callers joining a call can hear a private announcement of the number of active participants. Private Roll Call Any party can press the *#(star-pound) Roll Call Keypad Command to hear a private playback of the recorded names for the active participants on the conference call. Touchtone (DTMF) Suppression Filters out the tones produced by phone keypads, so that other participants on the call do not hear the tones. Default Feature Settings Default feature settings are established when you create your account. These default settings can be modified at any time by logging into the Online Conference Manager. In the table at right, the original system default is indicated in *red*. Feature Conference Mode Conference Start Entry Notice Exit Notice Music on Hold Record Caller Name Announce Caller Count Record Calls Time Zone Options *Conversation* Presentation Question & Answer Hosts Only *When 2nd caller joins* When host joins When host confirms None *Chimes* Chimes with Name None *Chimes* Chimes with Name *Yes*/No Yes/*No* Yes/*No* Yes/*No* Select (*U.S. Eastern Time*) Keypad Commands During a live conference call, a Host can modify a variety of feature settings by pressing combination of keys on the telephone keypad. Non-hosts (participants) have limited keypad controls. The Conference Mode is controlled by the 4 key *41 puts the conference in Presentation Mode, *42 invokes the Conversation Mode, and *43 invokes the Question & Answer Mode. In the diagram below, the keys shown in black are accessible by both Hosts and participants (non-hosts); the other commands are only accessible by Hosts. 5

6 Online Conference Manager You can manage your conference bridge with the Online Conference Manager, accessed by logging in at the top of the website, using your Conference ID and Host PIN. The Online Conference Manager contains the following capabilities. View/Edit Default Settings. View and modify the default feature settings, prior to starting the next conference call, by clicking the Edit Settings button. Edit the Host PIN. You can edit the Host PIN by clicking the Edit Settings button. Request . You can request an containing your conference information, including a quick reference guide for using your bridge. Print Wallet Cards. Prints a tri-fold wallet-size guide containing your conference information and keypad commands. Feature Control Panel. While a conference call is active, the Online Conference Manager will display a Control Panel which allows the Host to modify features during the call: Conference Mode Entry Notice Exit Notice Feature controls for active call Click to assign name Click to edit default feature settings Click to download or play recording 6

7 Security Lock Recording Participants List. A list of participants (indicated by Caller ID number) will display. For convenience, a Host can enter a name associated with the Caller ID (these names are not recorded or stored). Via the Online Conference Manager, a Host can mute a particular participant, drop a participant (i.e., force disconnect from the call), or designate a participant as a Host (to extend the Host privileges to that caller). Raise Your Hand Feature. Use of the Raise Your Hand feature is controlled by the Online Conference Manager. When a participant presses the star-five (*5) keypad command, a visible alert will be displayed, as shown below. The number next to the hand flag indicates the order in which the participants pressed the *5 keypad command. Pressing the NEXT button will un-mute the caller indicated in the drop-down box. In the example shown, Susan would be un-muted, allowing her to ask a question, while "lowering" her hand (i.e., removing the hand alert icon) and muting all other non-hosts. Pressing the SKIP button would lower the hand of the indicated participant, without unmuting that caller, and move to next caller. The SKIP ALL button lowers all the hands without unmuting any of the callers. Alternatively, the Host could click on any of the hand flags, which would bring up a pop-up box, providing the option to SKIP (which"lowers" the hand without un-muting that caller) or to SELECT (which unmutes that caller, while "lowering" that hand and muting all other non-hosts). Simple Private Polling. The Raise Your Hand feature can be used to privately poll participants, simply by asking them to press *5 to indicate agreement (e.g.,"press star-five on your keypad if you prefer option two"). Only Hosts logged into the Online Conference Manager would be able to see the results. The number of raised hands will be indicated at the top ("3 Raised Hands" in the example shown). You can then press the SKIP ALL button to Raise Your Hand Alert 7

8 lower all the hands, and ask another poll question. Using the Raise Your Hand Feature. The Raise Your Hand feature can be used regardless of Conference Mode, but generally would be most useful when the conference is in Presentation Mode, with all non-hosts muted. In that mode, the only way to un-mute a participant is via the Online Conference Manager, and the Raise Your Hand feature allows a participant to indicate a request to speak. Note that in Question & Answer Mode, any non-host can un-mute herself at any time by pressing the *6 command, without requesting Host permission via the Raise Your Hand command. Call Termination. Any Host can instantly terminate a live conference by pressing the End Conference button (equivalent to pressing the Keypad Command *91). Recent Activity. The Live Conference Manager contains a list of recent calls. Hosts can click on the Detail link for a specific conference call to see additional details about that call, including a list of participants. The recent activity list also indicates whether a conference recording is available for that call. more addresses (separated by commas) into the box labeled Notification List, then click on the Save Changes button at the bottom. Customer Support An online version of this Host Guide is available at all times via the Help link at the top of the website. Additional information can be found by clicking the FAQ link, which contains answers to common frequently-asked questions. Options to contact us are listed on the website via the Contact Us link at the bottom of the page. You can submit inquiries to support@freeconferenceusa.com. Conference Recordings. If a recording was made on a conference call, the Host can click on the associated Recording link to download the recording (in mp3 format) to the Host s computer. Recordings are stored for a limited time (at least six months). If you would like to save the recordings for a longer period, download the recordings and save them on your computer. (There is no dial-in playback feature at this time; that feature may be introduced in a future release.) Conference Reports. You can receive an conference report at the conclusion of each conference call, listing the participants (Caller ID and Caller Name, if available) and other details regarding the conference, including a link to the conference recording (if it was recorded). To receive reports, log into your account and click on the Edit Settings button in the left panel. Type one or 8