How Audio Conferencing can Benefit your Organisation:

From an intimate business meeting to a large-scale corporate announcement, we know how to make audio conferencing a complete success.

Communication is critical to all business. But at what point does the cost outstrip the benefits? The increasing costs of flights, hotels, as well as the increased travel risks and lost productivity when travelling have made regular in-person meetings far too expensive for many companies. Before your next meeting, consider the costs in involved.

Whether its to hold remote departmental meetings, executive board meetings, receive updates from your field sales force, manage the dissemination of corporate news, or announce and discuss new company policies, implement internal training at a distance - whenever you need to meet with several people at once, but a physical meeting isn't possible, then you should consider Chelston's audio conferencing bridge.

There are competitive and cost-effective communication technologies available through Chelston, and their in-house, easy to use Audio-Conferencing Bridge. If your organisation spends regular amounts of money each month with a service bureau or hosts around 10 to 25 conference calls per week (or more), Chelston's Audio Conferencing bridge is the ideal solution for your company.

Whether your conference call has 3 or many thousands of participants, with simultaneous conferences taking place, we can offer you a superior 'plug and go' audio conferencing solution so you can quickly and easily discuss your most critical and complex business information within your company, regardless of physical distance.

Audio Conference Bridges by Chelston

1. Simple Operation: (Self Maintaining by Users) - Dial In Only: Conferences are booked using a browser-based booking diary, which also allocates conference passwords. Users then dial-in and enter a password via an interactive voice response system to join a conference. This system can be supplied with either fixed or variable conference sizes. Email us for Leaflet, or Request access to our Web-based Demo site
2. Ad-Hoc Operation: - In this type of Conference Bridge Configuration, the bridge simply acts as an audio conference resource to anyone who dials into it. There is no password entry, or access limits imposed. Pre-determined conference sizes are used. It can be configured to provide a single fixed conference, or multiple fixed conferences that a user simple dials into without any prior booking. There is no diary system associated with this type of bridge. So, for example, a 48-line system could be configured to provide 4 fixed conferences of 12 lines each. Each conference would have a separate Telephone Number associated with it. Users dial in, via the relevant external number, or via an internal PBX extension number, to automatically join the conference, or even via a Voice Over IP Link. New entrants hear an engaged tone when trying to enter a full conference. The Bridge can be configured to provide a combination of fixed size Ad-Hoc Conferences and variable sized Diary-based booking conferences.
3. Operator Controlled via Local or Wide Area Network: - A controller dials members, using a LAN/WAN based control screen linked to a database of participants. Participants can also dial-in and enter a conference depending upon the telephone number they use, or some other special requirement that you define Conference Bridge Leaflet
4. Custom Versions: - A combination of types 1, 2 and 3 above that are customised to suit special user needs.

Conference Bridge Main Components

1. NT Based Computer - Chelston or Customer Supplied to any specification
2. Conference Bridge Telephony Hardware - Chelston Supply
3. CallHandler CT Software and CallHandler Audio Conference SystemBridge Software - Chelston Supply

Conference Bridge Features Summary

• Matrix Conferencing for groups from 2 -10 participants in basic configuration, customisable up to 2,400 connections per chassis. e.g As standard, three simultaneous groups of 10 participants for 30 line system.
• Conferences can be graphically created and managed from anywhere on a corporate LAN/WAN, but separate from existing telephone system.
• Connects to public telephone service to allow home or office based conferencing.
• Suitable for office or home setup and control, reducing operating costs.
• Conferences can have Controllers and Facilitators, to manage the conference.
• Groups can be compiled from inbuilt personnel database or optional links to corporate database.
• Conferences can be pre-booked in advance using diary facility.
• Automatic or manual dialling of participants, plus dial-in to conference.
• Any participants can be moved from main conference to side area for one-to-one conversation.
• Voting option available during conferences for referendums - recorded in database via key presses, for later analysis.
• Graphical interface displays in real-time participant's key presses and speech activity levels during conference sessions.
• Full volume control and muting capability for the conference controller. Local database connection i.e. Access, SQL etc. for retrieval of data and storage of statistics.
• Reporting function available for analysis of statistics.
• Optional recording of conferences available for security and/or analysis, using CallHandler Voice Record.
• The conference can be controlled from an .exe client program or optionally via web browser.
• The interface is a simple open text TCP/IP packet interface so could operate from any platform UNIX/Linux/Apple Mac etc.
• Voice over IP connectivity available as an option for single telephone line operation of both control and speech See: Application example incorporating Voice Over IP
• The system has well defined API's so developers can quickly produce customised solutions

• Charities - for self-help group conference calls
• Long Distance Learning
• Corporate Organisations (small and large)
• Auctions via telephone
• Organisations that take regular referendums/votes
• Political Party Referendums
• Inter-company, worldwide training