As the host you can start and stop recording your call via the telephone keypad. *7 starts the recording and *8 pauses and stops the recording. You download your recordings from your web interface.

Transcription Request Process

The complete document (with screenshots) is available at: http://www.attorney-conference.com/Transcription.pdf

This is controlled completely from your Host interface. Under the “Recordings” tab you will see three tabs: Conference, Rollcall Names, and Transcription. Recordings show up on the Transcription page after they have been converted to MP3.

The icons to the left of the filename represent “Play”, “Download”, “Delete” and “Request transcription”. Each field has a popup description when you hover the mouse over it.

]]> http://www.attorney-conference.com/blog/business-conference/how-to-do-transcriptions/feed/ http://www.attorney-conference.com/blog/business-conference/transcription-basic-information/ http://www.attorney-conference.com/blog/business-conference/transcription-basic-information/#comments Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:37:58 +0000 admin http://www.attorney-conference.com/blog/?p=59

1. Create an account (how to sign up)
2. List of features
3. Keypad controls (Star Commands)
4. Conference Call Recording
5. Web Based Controls

Conference Phones

There are so many types of phones in use today. The types range from speaker phones, hand held, headset, bluetooth, VoIP, and many others. The following survey details the good and the bad of each major type.

Wireless Bluetooth

Yea, those strange looking devices growing out of people’s ears. The bluetooth headset has many advantages including the wireless capability and good distance from the phone. The major disadvantage is the background noise that these bugs pickup, and relay to the conference call. Some models are so loud that the microphone picks up the earpiece audio, thus resulting in feedback.

Bluetooth: use a mute function as part of the phone or earpiece to mute yourself on the conference call.

Headset or Headphones

This accessory has the advantage of hands free operation like bluetooth but offers better audio quality. The microphone can be adjusted to fit closely to the mouth. Look for a model that has a built in mute switch (sometimes labeled as an On/Off switch).

Speaker Phone

Speaker phones are a mixed bag. While they may serve many people in a room, they often introduce too much noise into a conference call. Look for models with remote microphones that can be stationed around a conference table. Polycom manufactures several nice models.

Mobile Phone

Cell and digital phones can be used in conference calls with good results provided that the signal is strong and the carrier is reliable (i.e. no dropped calls).

Regular Handset Phone

Handset phones offer a strong reliable signal and low signal to noise ratio. If you’re in a corporate environment using a PBX, be careful that your phone’s mute does not send hold music to the conference call.

1. Inexpensive: compared with travel expenses,
2. Convenient: especially with reservationless, anywhere, anytime conferencing.
3. Record: recording allows for an instant record of the meeting and can be replayed for absent attendees,
4. Schedules: are minimally impacted,
5. Facilities: usage is reduced (no need for a conference room).

The single largest disadvantage (which is made up for in Video Conferencing) is you don’t see the faces of the participants.

Business Conference Features

Some of the more important business conference features include:

1. Reservationless (No Scheduling Required)
   
2. International Calling Access
3. Toll-Free Customer Support
4. Conference Call Recording
5. Custom Messages, Dedicated Number

Teleconference

Here’s a quick list of teleconference features:

Dial in Numbers

International Caller Access

Size of Conference

Features by Category

Service Comparison Chart

1. Audio Conferencing: where more than two calling parties wish to talk and listen to each other in a bridged telephone call.
2. Web Conferencing: where multiple parties wish to communicate with each other using a variety of internet based technologies such as audio, video, text chat, and slide show type technologies.
3. Video Conferencing: where multiple parties use video cameras, microphones, speakers, and video displays for communications.

Our conference communications service is about as green as green technology gets. We use low power consumption computers, keep the lights off at the data centers as much as possible.

A conference calling service in itself helps to promote the “green concept” by encouraging telecommuting, and discouraging long distance travel by car and airplanes.

Whether you are using audio conferencing, web conferencing, or video conferencing, you are helping to be a little more green in your everyday work.

The following basic information is displayed:

1. Called number: the phone number the user dialed to access the conference.
2. Calling number: the phone number of the participant.
3. Sequence number: the number of times this phone number dialed into the conference for the given month.
4. Time/Date: the call took place.
5. Duration: in minutes.

Reporting Options

The reporting options section allows the host to select a month and type of report to run.

Month: six month’s worth of call details are available.

Report Options (call type):

• All
• Conference
• Operator
• Record
• Playback
• Bridged
• Dial out
• Inbound

You can track your conference call participants in real time with a geographic tracking map. attorney-conference.com has integrated Google Maps with their conference calling service to provide a tracking map of conference participants in real time.

Conference Tracking Map

A screen shot of the tracking map is shown below.

Once the conference call has started, the host may log into the Conference Control Center. Clicking on the “Map” tab at the top takes the host to the geographic tracking screen as shown. All conference participants are displayed on the Google Map. CallerID and geographic location information is provided.

The details provided by Google depend upon the ANI (Automatic Number Identification) received by the conference provider. No information is displayed for those calling parties that do not send ANI.

1. Toll free dial in number
2. Conference ID
3. Host Passcode

Keep the host passcode confidential. It is only for the host. Do not distribute the host passcode.

The toll-free number is good for the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada (at a slightly higher rate.) Contact your sales representative if you need an international access number.

Setting up a conference call

Send out the following information to all participants:

1. Toll free dial in number
2. Conference ID

Most of our customers use their email to notify participants of an upcoming call.

Call Experience

1. Everyone dials the toll free number (except from international locations),
2. “Welcome to the conferencing service. Please enter your conference ID”.
3. All callers (including the host) will enter the six digit conference ID.
4. If the host has already entered the conference, then all callers will be placed into the conference. Otherwise, callers will hear music on hold until the host arrives.
5. If the host has not yet arrived, all callers will hear the prompt: “If you are the host, please press one, otherwise please press two to join your conference”.
6. The host will press one, then will be prompted to enter the host passcode.
7. If you are the first caller, you will hear: “You are the first caller to join the conference”.

If you prefer to not use the host passcode feature (everyone can conference without the host). Contact your sales representative if you need it changed.

You can use any of our conference calling features via the telephone keypad or via our web controls.

Through the Conference Control Center, hosts of a conference call can control a variety of call functions on all individual lines, as well as the conference call as a whole.

These individual functions include:

• VOLUME: Listen and Talk Volume Adjustments.
• DISCONNECT: Disconnecting or dropping callers.
• PRIVACY: Conference Call Security Lock.

Volume Adjustments

The volume adjustment has three levels available (High, Medium, Low). Clicking the adjustment button will toggle through those levels.

Drop a Caller (Disconnect)

Disconnecting a caller (or dropping a line) is simply a matter of clicking on the “Hangup” button. The caller is immediately disconnected from the conference call and the screen is refreshed with the latest status.

Tutorial

An on-line tutorial on call control is available for viewing.

A list of recorded names are displayed on the control panel as shown.

Recorded names may be downloaded or played back in the browser from this control panel. A web based tutorial on recorded names is available.

Each recording has four specific functions:

• Play
• Download
• Delete
• Convert to MP3

Play

The play button opens the appropriate browser plug-in to play the recording within the browser (i.e. Quicktime). To return to the previous control panel, click the back button on your web browser.

Download

The download button opens your browser’s download window. For here, you may select a location to download your recording to.

Delete

The delete button will immediately delete your recording. There are no additional dialogs or questions regarding your recording. Pressing this button once will delete your recording forever.

Convert to MP3

The “Convert to MP3″ button will queue your recording for conversion to the MP3 format. The conversion takes place in a few minutes (depending on the size of the recording) and may be accessed by clicking the “Recordings” tab at the top of the page.

Tutorial

A web based tutorial on conference recording playback is available for viewing.