Another feature available on all of AccuConference’s services is automatic or manually activated call recording, which came in handy with QSR’s interview with AccuConference’s Black. Black provided an easy to use web link to a WAV file containing the entire interview, which was recorded automatically. AccuConference customers can use this feature for a variety of purposes, like allowing absent parties to listen to a conference call or presentation that they missed.

Black says his company focuses its services around the individual customer, which he calls customer driven technology.

“We listen to our customers, and whatever they want, we can probably build it. So, we can fine-tune for whatever they need. And most of our features are built by our customers. They didn’t build it, but they asked us what they wanted and we built it for them,” Black says.

Super Suppers, a company that makes homemade-style meals to save time for busy families, used AccuConference’s customization-friendly service to keep track of call attendance. AccuConference made and mailed custom identification cards to Super Supper employees to help them stay organized with their conference calls.

AccuConference’s customer service is similarly tailor-made. While IT professionals like Labatte can use Meeting Central’s tools to see the entire breakdown of his corporate account via the web tools, customers can also communicate with customer-service representatives via email or phone.

“One of the things Alan likes is that we give him total control over his account,” Black says. AccuConference customers with the highest level of access can log in and see, in real time, what conference calls are being made, how many are on each call, and who is on each call. Labatte or other account managers can also set their account so that company accountants can only access the bill section of the account, while everything else is off limits, Black says.

“Customer service is what gets us these big accounts,” he says. “We give everyone the service that they want. If they want to call us, that’s great, but you can click the ‘billing’ tab on the admin site as well.”

AccuConference assigns users an 800- number that is their designated conference call number. As Black described it, this number acts as your AccuConference number, but one can use any phone as a conference phone. By either calling your assigned number using another number or setting it up via web tools, customers can assign a cell phone or work phone to receive the AccuConference 800-number calls. When that call is connected, other callers can be brought into the call using a simple menu. Using this setup, a conference call can be easily set up, and automatically recorded. In addition, the sound quality does not falter with added callers.

These web-based tools really demolish the old idea of an audio conference. It is now cheaper and easier to assemble huge groups, as well as small meetings, using web-based tools that compliment quality audio meetings with computer sharing, digital recording, and live video. The future should hold even more opportunities for employees and management to communicate faster, easier, and more effectively over the internet.