How to Strategically Use Every Day Business Operations to Promote Fundability

The way you run your business, the day-to-day operations, affects everything. From your reputation with customers to even your ability to get funding, all of it can be affected by business operations. This is why you have to be strategic. 

Strategic Business Operations Can Promote Fundability

Most business owners do not realize this.  They know that how they run their business affects success. However, most don’t get that the details of day-to-day business operations can affect fundability. Things like: 

  • Licensing
  • Business bank accounts
  • Merchant accounts (or lack thereof)
  • Business website
  • Even tools used to manage money

All of these can affect the ability of your business to get funding. It’s not just whether your business is fundable or not. Certain aspects of how you run your business can actually promote the ability of your business to get funding, or fundability. 

Business Licenses

You may be thinking, ok, what’s the strategy here? Of course you need to have your business licenses. You may be surprised to know how many business owners never think to check licensing requirements.  That is,  until it is an issue. 

Contact state, county, and city government offices to see if there are any required licenses and permits to operate your type of business. Licensing requirements differ based on state, town, and industry. Always make sure you have the proper licensing for your corporation. You don’t want the first time you consider licensing to be when a lender brings it up. 

Business Bank Account

Some business owners start out trying to use one account for business and personal funds. But the best strategy is to have a bank account devoted strictly to your business from the beginning. If it’s too late to do it from the start, start now. 

First, the IRS wants to see business funds and personal funds separated. Having a separate, devoted business bank account makes that much easier. Also, your business banking history is important when it comes to fundability. Another reason this is important is one that few realize. The date you open your business bank account is the day that lenders consider your business to have started. 

Say you opened your business 10 years ago.  Then, 6 months ago you opened a business bank account.  If you try to get a loan today, the lender might consider you to have been in business for 6 months. The longer your business banking history, the better your borrowing potential is. Don’t wait to open a bank account just for your business. 

Here’s yet another way having a business bank account is a smart business operations strategy. Without one, you cannot get a business merchant account. Without that, you can’t accept credit card payments. Studies show people spend more when they can use a credit card. Even if you do not have a need for that now, you may one day. If you already have a business bank account, you’ll be ready. 

Web Domain and Professional Website

Yes, there is even a strategy for your business website and domain. First, you need a business website. Customers and lenders will be looking for one.  Then, pay for it to be professionally designed. It has to be user friendly, and you do not want it to look thrown together. If customers or lenders see an unprofessional business website, it will not help you. 

Next, pay for web hosting. A company like GoDaddy or HostGator is best. Try to avoid using free Weebly or Wix options. You want it to be your domain, not domain.wix.com. Your domain should be your business name, if possible. 

Lastly, you need a company email address for your business that is on the same domain as your website. Use a professional email address such as yourname@yoursite.com. A website domain provider such as GoDaddy will often provide this for you.  

Do not use Yahoo, AOL, Gmail, Hotmail or similar free email services. 

Business Money Management

Managing small business finances can be overwhelming. There are a number of tools that can help streamline the process. Options like Brex, Divvy, Expensify, Lola, and more are growing in popularity. Not only can they help you manage funds, but some of them can help you build business credit if needed. 

If you are a new business, it will be incredibly useful to choose a business money management tool that will also help you build business credit. There are not a lot that will do this, but there are a couple. 

Brex

Brex is a business money management system.  It works with your accounting software and allows you to track expenses. Depending on the level of service you choose, it can also help with paying bills and controlling spending. 

They offer a couple of options. The easiest way to use Brex for both managing finances and building business credit is to open a Brex Cash account. Note, this is not a bank, but rather a banking alternative. However, they do have a partnership with the FDIC and your funds are secure. 

Everyone that opens a Brex cash account gets a corporate card. It works just like a debit card, drawing from your Brex Cash balance daily. However, unlike a debit card, Brex reports these payments to Dun & Bradstreet, thus helping build your business credit score. That, in turn, helps to increase the fundability of your business. 

Since this card is secured by the balance in your Brex cash account, and limited to that balance, you do not have to worry about underwriting. They have other money management options as well for those who qualify.  

Divvy

Another business money management option that helps you build business credit is Divvy. It was formerly Bill.com. This company is very similar to Brex . In fact, in a direct comparison there are just a few differences. 

First, Brex charges $5 per card for additional cards to team members, unless you pay for the premium account.  Then you get unlimited cards. Divvy offers unlimited free cards. 

There are also differences in budgeting, reimbursement options, and software integrations. For example, Divvy integrates with Quickbooks Online and NetSuite currently. Meanwhile, Brex’s integrations with Quickbooks Desktop and Xero are said to be coming soon. 

Divvy also has an offline mode, and they do not currently offer the ability to trade in points for cryptocurrency. One other major difference is that Divvy reports to the Small Business Finance Exchange.

This is a data collection agency, not a credit reporting agency. Yet, they do provide data to their partners.  These partners include some business credit reporting agencies. By reporting payments to the SBFE, Divvy indirectly provides information to all SBFE partners. This can definitely help build business credit more quickly. 

You Can Strategically Use Business Operations to Promote Fundability

If you are careful in how you operate your business on a day to day basis, you can promote fundability. By handling certain business operations in an intentional and strategic way, you can increase your ability to get the business funding you need, when you need it. 

The post How to Strategically Use Every Day Business Operations to Promote Fundability appeared first on Credit Suite.

The Truth About Business Funding With No Personal Guarantee Credit

Does business funding with no personal guarantee credit exist? The simple answer is yes. How do you get it, and do you even need it? Those are harder questions to answer. 

What’s the Real Story Behind Business Business Funding With No Personal Guarantee Credit?

To some, it may seem like a mythical idea, a unicorn if you will.  Even if you have strong business credit, many lenders will ask for a personal guarantee on a business loan. So, what are companies talking about when they say you can fund a business with no personal guarantee credit?  Let’s find out. 

What is Business Credit?

Before we can talk about no personal guarantee credit for business funding,we need to define a few terms. 

First, we’ll define business credit. Business credit is credit, like a credit card or other type of credit account, in the name of your business rather than in your name personally. When you apply, you use your business name, your business contact information, and your EIN instead of your social security number. 

What frustrates you the most about funding your business? Check out how our free guide can help.

Then, the business is responsible for repayment. Sometimes, the account does not report to your personal credit report. Meaning, your personal credit scores will not be affected by your business credit accounts. 

Business Credit vs. Business Credit Report

Now, let’s talk about your business credit report. This is a report, like your personal credit report. Lenders use it to evaluate the creditworthiness of the business. It consists of the credit history of the business, the business credit score, and other data. The business credit score is made up of the payment history of those business credit accounts that actually report to the business credit reporting agencies

Not all business accounts will do that. But those that do, are the ones that make up the score on the business credit report. 

Personal Guarantee

To understand what no personal guarantee credit is, you have to know what a personal guarantee is. If you get a credit account with a personal guarantee, you are responsible for repayment. By definition, all personal credit accounts have a personal guarantee.

This could mean a hard pull on your personal credit, which can lower your personal credit score. However, in theory, if your business has an account in its own name and it is set up to be a separate entity from you, the owner, it is responsible for its own debt. 

Still, many companies require a personal guarantee from the business owner before extending business credit, especially small businesses. This is due to many factors, including data from the Bureau of Labor statistics that states 20% of new businesses fail within the first year, 45% within the first 5 years, and 65% in the first 10 years. In fact, only 25% of new businesses make it 15 years or more. 

It’s easy to see why lenders and credit card companies would ask for a personal guarantee from business owners when it comes to business credit.

What frustrates you the most about funding your business? Check out how our free guide can help.

Can You Get No Personal Guarantee Credit for Business Funding?

The short answer to this is yes, but it is not that simple. First, most business accounts that do not require a personal guarantee are designed for larger businesses or older businesses. 

There is very little out there when it comes to no personal guarantee credit for small, newer businesses. There are some vendors that will extend net terms without a personal guarantee if your business meets certain requirements.

Requirements may include a certain minimum time in business, a minimum average balance in a business bank account, specific annual revenue, and more. Other than that, there are a couple of business charge cards you can get without a personal guarantee.  For example, Brex and Divvy both offer this type of product.

The catch is, these are charge cards, not credit cards. So you have to pay the balance off each month. Basically, it’s like a card that you can use anywhere and you have net 3o terms on the balance. It’s similar to a vendor account, but more flexible.

There are also business credit cards available without a personal guarantee, but only if your business credit is strong enough. In general, your business needs to be earning millions in annual revenue to qualify for these cards.

What’s so Bad About a Personal Guarantee?

Why try to avoid a personal guarantee? No one likes risk. That’s why businesses require a personal guarantee and why business owners don’t love to give one. However, if you have true business credit that requires a personal guarantee, the business will have to pay first. You will be personally liable for anything that the business cannot cover. Still, you will not be first in line for all of it. 

A Personal Guarantee can Accelerate Your Business Growth

A better option is to realize that if your business is small and young, you are likely going to need a personal guarantee for much of the funding. Yet, you can work to reduce your liability in a number of ways. The first way to do that is to incorporate your business as a corporation, S-corp, or LLC. Your business attorney or accounting professional can help you with that. 

Next, you can look at funding options that do not require credit at all. Does this debt-free funding even exist? Sure it does.

Grants, Crowdfunding, Angel Investors, ROBS, and more can be used to get as much funding as possible without any repayment. 

Work on Building Business Credit

Then, you can work on building a strong business credit profile for your business, including a strong business credit score.  This will help you be able to get funding for your business without as much reliance on a personal guarantee. Basically, the stronger the business credit, the less the lender feels the need to rely on the owner’s creditworthiness.

The key to this is to look for creditors who will report positive payment history to your business credit profile. Even some lenders that require a personal guarantee may report payments to your business credit report and not your personal credit report.

Stop worrying about the personal guarantee and worry more about building business credit so you can reduce the amount of personal guarantee required to get the funding you need.

Get Funding While Building Business Credit

If you cannot get all of the funding you need for your business with non-debt options, and your business is young and small, you may very well have to use a personal guarantee to get the funding you need in the beginning. That is okay. 

What frustrates you the most about funding your business? Check out how our free guide can help.

The key is to know exactly what you are getting. Definitely make sure you apply with your business name, EIN, and contact information. Then find out what credit agencies they report to. If they report to the business credit agencies like Dun & Bradstreet, Experian Business, or Equifax (Business), that is a good thing.  It will help you reach your goal of building business credit faster.

If they report to personal credit, so be it. Just keep working through the process of building your business credit profile as quickly as possible.  Then, you can tip the scales away from your personal liability as much and as quickly as possible. 

Debt-Free Funding

If you really want to stay away from a personal guarantee, you can try one of these debt-free funding options. Just remember, debt-free doesn’t mean cost-free. There are always some costs associated with funding.

Rollover for Business Startups (ROBS)

This is a 401(k) Rollover for Working Capital program. It’s also known as a Rollover for Business Startups (ROBS).  Per the IRS, a ROBS qualified plan is a separate entity with its own set of requirements.  The plan owns the business through its company stock investments, rather than the individual. 

This type of financing isn’t a loan against your 401(k), so there’s no interest to pay. It does not use the 401(k) or stocks as collateral. Instead, this is simply a movement or change of custodian. The plan has to be a plan from an employer you no longer work for, and you can no longer be contributing. 

Crowdfunding 

Crowdfunding is a way of getting multiple smaller donations from a lot of individuals. Hence the term “crowd” in crowdfunding. There are many options for crowdfunding platforms, but be sure you know what you are getting into. Many crowdfunding platforms make you give all of the funding back if you do not make your goal by the end of the campaign.

They will take a percentage of the donations. That’s how they make their money. In addition, they may push to have you deliver on your promises. Crowdfunding tends to work best when donors can personally connect with a product or service . Straightforward businesses may not do so well. 

The kinds of businesses which do the best often associate with products not quite on the shelves yet or artistic endeavors.

Angel Investors

While there are “professional” angel investors out there, an angel investor can be pretty much anyone. It  could be a friend or family member sitting on home equity, or local professionals who are looking to invest. Consider people you know well and people you may not know so well. 

What frustrates you the most about funding your business? Check out how our free guide can help.

Grants

There are some grant options available, and of course those do not have to be repaid. However, they are highly competitive, and it is unlikely it will be enough to fully fund your business. Also, grants will require time on your part to prepare all necessary paperwork.  Some even require an application fee. 

Other Funding Options

No personal guarantee credit for business funding is great to have.  Still, chances are you are going to need a personal guarantee to get funding at some point. There are a lot of good options out there. In fact, SBA loans are a great option. You can also look into alternative lenders like Fundbox and OnDeck or Accion

Using a personal guarantee to get the ball rolling while you work on building your business credit profile is a valid option. It is what most business owners have to do. But, you need to build a strong business credit score so lenders can start to rely more on the credit worthiness of your business than you personally. Credit Suite has a whole program designed to help do just that. Find out more about the Business Credit Builder now. 

The post The Truth About Business Funding With No Personal Guarantee Credit appeared first on Credit Suite.

How to Create Evergreen Content Right From the Start

Evergreen content engages and educates readers for longer without a huge amount of effort. Once you master the art of writing “timeless” content, you can ensure your articles, e-books, and tutorials stay relevant for years to come.  Below, I’m going to show you exactly why evergreen content should be part of every marketer’s content strategy, …

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The Best Conference Call Services (In-Depth Review)

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Just a decade ago, conference calls were challenging to set up and manage.  

But today, I can click a few buttons and hop on a call with my entire team in a matter of seconds from the comfort of my home while my teammates stay safely in theirs. 

However, the best conference call services go beyond basic phone calls. 

They also offer a suite of collaboration and connectivity tools that make our current situation easier to navigate… together. 

As the demand for remote connectivity rises, new services are popping up left and right. 

Plus, there are already hundreds of options to choose from, making it feel impossible to choose the right conference call services for your team. 

So to help make your life a bit easier, I looked at dozens of options and narrowed it down to my top eight recommendations.

The 8 top options for conference call services

  1. GoToMeeting – Easiest conference call software
  2. RingCentral – Best all-inclusive communication software
  3. ClickMeeting – Best for hosting webinars
  4. Grasshopper – Best virtual business phone system
  5. Zoom – Best for video conference calls
  6. Google Meet – Best for G Suite users
  7. Vast Conference – Best for instant conference calling
  8. Bluejeans Meetings – Best for video and sound quality

How to choose the best conference call service for you

The best conference call service for you and your team depends on various factors, including the size of your business, the level of security you need, and extra features you’re interested in. 

It may help to start with a comprehensive list of everything you need. Then, you can use that as you go through the decision-making process. 

And as you create your list, don’t forget to include the following considerations. 

Number of participants

A conference call with ten people is vastly different than a conference call with hundreds of participants. 

So, it’s essential to consider your team’s size and the number of participants you expect for any given meeting. Some service providers include low limits, while others allow thousands of participants depending on the plan you choose. 

Security

Whether your meetings are confidential or not, security is an important feature to consider. Furthermore, it should be a priority rather than an afterthought. 

So, make sure you consider:

  • The level of control over who can join the call
  • 256-bit TLS encryption to make sure the line is secure
  • Security policies of the service provider

Furthermore, pay attention to how the provider stores your data and what they’re allowed to do with it if you use their services. 

Mobile access

The world is more mobile and more distant than ever before. That said, mobile access is a crucial factor to consider when choosing a conference call service. 

Giving employees and other meeting attendees the ability to join using their mobile device is convenient for everyone involved. And it may mean fewer cancellations plus more of the right participants joining in, even if they’re not at their desk. 

So, ensure the service provider you choose includes mobile access. 

Audio and video quality

A conference call with low audio and video can be incredibly frustrating. So, it’s crucial to choose a service provider with top-notch video and audio quality. 

Of course, your internet connection plays a role. But you should carefully consider choosing a conference call service with HD video and audio capabilities for a smoother experience all around. 

Additional features

If you need other features, like a virtual phone system or the ability to host webinars, you can bundle conference calling services with software specializing in something else. 

You may also want to consider other features, like:

  • Call recording
  • Hold music
  • Auto-assistant
  • Internal communication
  • Call forwarding
  • Extension numbers
  • Custom greetings
  • Text messaging
  • Internet faxing

Hardware requirements

It’s also important to consider if you need to buy new equipment to handle a conference call service you’re considering. Some software integrates directly with the hardware you already have, making setup and everyday use a breeze. 

However, others may require special equipment or something newer than what you currently use. And they may require professional installation, as well, depending on the number of users you need. 

Some may work with your employees’ personal phones, mitigating the need for separate business phones. 

The different types of conference call services 

There are two main types of conference call services: assisted and reservationless. 

The one you’re probably most familiar with is reservationless. It’s the most common and easiest to use because you can do everything on your own. All you have to do is create a bridge and then share the link with anyone you want to join. 

It’s perfect for small, informal meetings and regular conference calls. 

Assisted conference calls are much more formal. However, they require you to rely on someone else to organize. Assisted calls are most commonly used for large events with attendees all over the world. 

The operator organizes the call and may even help invite the right people. Plus, they usually greet attendees when they join and help manage the flow of your meetings. 

While an actual human being traditionally does this, today’s technology has helped automate the process. 

As such, many conference call services offer an auto-assistant to greet callers, create custom joining experiences, gather caller contact information, store it, highlight action items, and more.  

#1 – GoToMeeting Review — The easiest conference call software

If you’re looking for an easy-to-use online conference call software, go with GoToMeeting. It’s an excellent option for both small and large businesses alike. Plus, it’s incredibly simple to set up. 

In fact, you can host or join meetings in one click from your phone, your laptop, a conference room, or any remote location. 

Furthermore, you can easily host and join audio, video, and web meetings as well. So, whether you’re the administrator or an attendee, it’s a smooth and seamless process for everyone involved. 

With GoToMeeting, you get a ton of influential conference calling features, including:

  • Screen sharing of your desktop, laptop, smartphone, or tablet
  • VoIP conference calling 
  • Face-to-face HD video conferencing
  • Intuitive, yet powerful, mobile access
  • Meeting recording and transcription
  • Internal and external instant messaging
  • Smart meeting assistant
  • Toll-free conferencing
  • 25 video feeds per meeting
  • Drawing tools

Plus, meeting participants can join using commuter mode, which helps them save mobile data and provides a distraction-free experience on their mobile devices. 

Unlike most of the other options on this list, GoToMeeting doesn’t offer a free plan. 

But their paid plans are incredibly affordable and accessible for businesses of all sizes. Those premium plans include:

  1. Professional — $12 per organizer per month (up to 150 participants)
  2. Business — $16 per organizer per month (up to 250 participants)
  3. Enterprise — Custom pricing only (up to 3,000 participants)

Start your 14-day free trial to see if GoToMeeting is right for you!

#2 – RingCentral Review — The best all-inclusive communications tool

RingCentral is an all-in-one business communications platform encompassing instant messaging, video, and phone. So, it’s an excellent choice if you’re looking for a comprehensive communication tool. 

Furthermore, it’s secure, easy to use, reliable, and accessible on any device. 

Plus, you’re in excellent company with more than 400,000 customers worldwide. 

And the best part? They offer an incredibly robust free plan for video conferencing. With it, you can meet with up to 100 participants (for up to 40 minutes) anytime from anywhere on any device.

The free plan also comes with incredible features, including:

  • Simultaneous screen sharing
  • Host controls and user management
  • Custom meeting IDs
  • HD voice and video
  • Whiteboarding and annotations
  • In-meeting chat capabilities
  • Unlimited file sharing 
  • Meeting recordings

And their premium plans include advanced features like phone support, reporting, single sign on, and advanced team messaging tools. 

RingCentral’s all-in-one office pricing is a bit expensive, with plans starting at $19.99 per user per month. However, those plans come with a ton of extra features, including everything you need to streamline business communications. 

So, it’s an excellent choice if you need everything from SMS messaging and video conferencing to business phones and internet faxing for your entire team. 

Alternatively, you can upgrade to a paid conferencing-only plan with RingCentral Meetings. Their Meetings plans include:

  1. Essentials — $14.99 per organizer per month (for small businesses)
  2. Advanced — $19.99 per organizer per month (for enterprise businesses)

Sign up for a free forever plan to get started with RingCentral today!

#3 – ClickMeeting Review — The best conference call service for hosting webinars

Webinars are an excellent way to demo products, deliver online training, and host online events. They’re useful for everything from marketing and sales to education and large meetings. 

So, if you’re looking for a tool that offers webinar capabilities and conference call features, ClickMeeting is your best option. 

However, it’s a bit expensive, so I only recommend it if you plan to use it for both purposes. 

The software comes with a ton of excellent features for both conference calls and webinars, including things like:

  • Paid and automated webinar sequences
  • Webinar timeline views
  • Independent subaccounts
  • Custom branding
  • Customized invitations
  • Registration pages
  • Waiting room with agenda
  • Whiteboarding and screen sharing
  • Chat translation
  • Advanced analytics

Furthermore, they offer an extensive knowledge base so you can learn everything to make the most of your new software without calling customer service. 

However, keep in mind that all plans cap conference calls to 25 participants. 

ClickMeeting offers a free 30-day trial, but there isn’t a free forever plan. There are three options to choose from, including:

  1. Live — $25 per month
  2. Automated — $40 per month
  3. Enterprise — Custom pricing only

Start your 30-day free trial to take ClickMeeting for a test drive today!

#4 – Grasshopper Review — The best virtual business phone system

Grasshopper is a bit different than the other options on this list. Their software is a simple way to turn your personal phone into a business phone without worrying about buying new hardware. 

So, if you’re a solopreneur or small team looking for an easy way to set up business phones for your team, Grasshopper is an excellent choice. 

However, I don’t recommend going this route unless you actually need a virtual business phone system. 

The software is incredibly easy to set up. All you have to do is select your phone number, choose a pricing plan, download the app, configure your settings, and you’re good to go. 

It seriously takes just a few minutes and is incredibly easy to use. Aside from conference calling, you also get access to powerful features, including:

  • Toll-free, local, and vanity numbers
  • Custom greetings
  • Personal extensions
  • Call routing
  • Multi-call handling
  • Instant response text messages
  • SMS messaging
  • Internet faxing
  • Voicemail transcription
  • Auto-receptionist

While most of the app features are incredibly easy to use, conference calling is a bit less traditional than the other options listed here. Rather than participants joining your call, you have to call them, making it more aligned with old-school conference calls. 

But you get unlimited conference calls with up to ten participants and the added business-phone functionality all for an extremely affordable price. 

Grasshopper’s paid plans include:

  • Solo — $26 per month for one phone number and three extensions
  • Partner — $44 per month for three phone numbers and six extensions
  • Small Business — $80 per month for five numbers and unlimited extensions

Sign up for a free 7-day trial to see if it’s right for you today!

#5 – Zoom Review — The best for free video conference calls

As more people shift to remote work, Zoom has become a household name. 

It’s one of the most popular video conferencing tools on the market—and for a good reason. 

Their robust free plan is more than enough for most users, making it an excellent and budget-friendly option for individuals and small businesses alike. 

Their free plan includes unlimited meetings with up to 100 participants for up to 40 minutes and unlimited 1:1 meetings with a 24-hour time cap. Furthermore, you also get free access to features like:

  • Automatic calendar syncing
  • Robust security encryption
  • Role-based user access
  • Waiting rooms and password protection
  • HD audio and video
  • Up to 49 videos on the screen
  • Screen sharing and recording
  • Hand raising and in-meeting chat
  • Video and audio settings
  • Dedicated dial-in numbers

All for free. So, if you’re looking for a robust and intuitive conference call service without paying a penny, Zoom is definitely one of the best options on the market today. 

However, if you outgrow the free plan and need something more advanced, you can upgrade to one of their paid plans, including:

  1. Pro — $14.99/month or $149.90/license per year (up to nine licenses)
  2. Business — $19.99/month or $199.90/license per year (minimum of 10 licenses)
  3. Enterprise — $19.99/month or $199.90/license per year (minimum of 100 licenses)

Sign up for a free forever plan to see if Zoom is right for you and your team today!

#6 – Google Meet Review — The best conference call service for G Suite users

Google Meet is the upgraded version (and replacement) of Google Hangouts. 

And if you’re an avid Google fan and already use G Suite, Google Meet is entirely free for you to use, making it an excellent and affordable option for businesses of all sizes. 

Furthermore, you don’t have to do anything to sign up if you already have a G Suite or Gmail account. All you have to do is head to the Google Meet page to open up a meeting room.

Doing so automatically pulls in your contacts and information, too. 

The best part is that all of Google’s tools and software integrate seamlessly. So, you can quickly and easily jump straight into a video chat from their Chat tool, your calendar, or even your mobile device. 

Plus, the free Google Meet tool includes intuitive features like:

  • US and international dial-in numbers
  • Secure Google global infrastructure
  • Encrypted video conferencing
  • No third-party plugins or software required
  • Live captioning
  • Low-light mode
  • Built-in noise cancellation

On the Basic G Suite plan, you can host calls with up to 100 participants. If you need more than that, you’ll need to upgrade to the Business or Enterprise plan, which supports 150 and 250 participants, respectively. 

If you already use G Suite, head over to Google Meet to get started!

#7 – Vast Conference — The best for assisted conference calls

If you’re interested in hosting formal, assisted conference calls, Vast Conference is the way to go. While they also offer reservationless meetings, their assisted conference call features are where they shine. 

Operator-assisted calls require a bit more planning in advance. However, all you need to do is call their reservation desk to set up a time and date. 

From there, you can choose the level of assistance you need for your event. 

Operators can help with the planning of your event, show up live during your event for technical assistance and call quality, and deliver call recordings and participant lists afterward. 

It’s like hiring the assistant you never knew you needed. On top of that, operator-assisted calls may also include:

  • Welcoming and identifying callers
  • Continuous assistance from staff
  • Up to 6,000 participants
  • A pre-conference room meeting
  • Triple-checked event transcriptions

These types of conference calls start at $0.16 per minute per line for a standard event and $0.19 per minute per line for premium events. Plus, there are no contracts or obligations as these are managed separately from their reservationless meeting services. 

Vast’s reservationless plans are quite expensive compared to other options on this list. So, I don’t recommend it unless you’re using their operator-assisted services. 

Choose your plan to start planning your operator-assisted event today!

#8 – Bluejeans Meetings Review — The best conference call service for sound quality 

If you need meetings with crystal clear sound quality, Bluejeans Meetings is definitely the way to go. Every plan includes Dolby voice audio with built-in noise reduction, spatial audio, and dynamic leveling. 

Plus, you also get HD video, so you never have to worry about low quality.

Besides excellent sound and video quality, you also get access to a ton of influential conference calling features, even on the lowest-tier, including:

  • Unlimited 1:1 and group meetings
  • No time caps whatsoever
  • 5 hours of hosted meeting recordings
  • Meeting highlight reels and action item tagging
  • Outlook and Google calendar integrations
  • Video pinning and content slider
  • Desktop and application sharing
  • Remote desktop control
  • Whiteboarding and annotations
  • Advanced host controls
  • Safe driving mode

Bluejeans is one of the most feature-rich options on this list. However, that comes with a steeper price point and fewer meeting participants allowed on each plan. 

Plus, keep in mind you get excellent crystal-clear audio and video quality, making it feel like everyone’s in the same room. It also helps reduce dialog delays and ensures everyone speaks at the same level. 

So if that’s something you need, the extra price is well worth it. Their pricing plans include:

  1. Standard — $9.99 per month billed annually (for up to 50 participants)
  2. Pro — $13.99 per month billed annually (for up to 75 participants)
  3. Enterprise — Custom pricing only (for up to 100 participants)

Try it free for seven days to see if Bluejeans is right for you!

Wrapping things up

GoToMeeting and RingCentral are my top recommendations for most people because they’re simple, affordable, and effortless to use. 

Plus, they include a ton of intuitive and powerful features that make connecting with coworkers and colleagues more straightforward than ever. 

But that doesn’t mean they’re the perfect choice for you. 

So, don’t forget to consider the features and must-haves we talked about as you go about finding the best conference call services for you and your team. 

Which conference call software do you prefer?

The post The Best Conference Call Services (In-Depth Review) appeared first on Neil Patel.