Choosing the Right Web Conferencing Package

Choosing the Right Web Conferencing Package

The web conferencing technology is making business lives easier. With web conferencing: file sharing, document sharing, application sharing, instant messages, recording, VoIP, desktop sharing, etc. are parts or features of the web conference system sold on the market.

Compared with the prices when web conferencing started, you can say that the price went down considerably. Before, web conferencing is only available for big companies. But right now, there are providers catering to small scale businesses or little people.

There are several options to get the web conferencing service. Service providers have several options you can choose from. Pay as you go is the most common set-up of web conferences. It is commonly used by people who do not use web conferencing technology often. Price ranges from $0.08 -$0.40 per minute per participant for the web portion. Another $0.08-$0.25 per minute is being charged for the audio.

Another option for the web conference service is getting a plan where there is already a fixed number of seats that can be used for a certain amount of time. This costs a monthly fee of around $50 -$200 per seat. Taken into consideration about the prices would be the overage charges, additional seats and minutes. There can also be an extra set-up charge which can be around $0-$100.

If web conferencing is always being done in the company, the best way is to get a package for unlimited web conferencing for the month. Prices range from $150 per month and can reach until $3,000 per month.

There are companies that purchase licensed software that can hold their entire company and use it internally. These companies would normally have in-house web conferences. Purchasing the conferencing software, the price may be at $5000 dollars or tens of thousands dollars. This does not include the annual maintenance and other service fees.

To further contribute and enhance your web conferencing experience, there are add-ons or additional features that you can avail for extra price of course. Web cameras are very important part of web conferencing. A web camera normally costs at around $50 - $100.

Other features include confirming reservations, assisting with interactive features and speaking with the moderator through a private line. An operator-assisted web conference costs $1000- $5000, depending on the participation of the operator in the project.

Recording and archiving- another great web conferencing feature- is also available for additional fees. Recording and archiving is a great way of storing documentation of the meeting for future reference. This feature is available for $50 -$250 per meeting.

Aside from comparing prices, there are also several pointers to identify the best web conferencing program suitable for your needs. Reviewing the pricing plans is also an important factor, there are providers that required to be paid on a rate-per-person. However, there are providers that gives an option of paying a flat rate monthly for unlimited web conference service.

Keep in mind the possible locations of people who are going to be included in the web conferencing group. If the service provider limits or is unable to ensure that these locations will be tapped by web conferencing, then it is not for you.

To get the best service fit for your needs, make sure that you are armed with relevant and detailed questions about the service these providers are offering. Don’t get overexcited and join a provider just because they are the most popular in the market.
There are many web conferencing service providers out there, all you need is patience to get what you need for a reasonable price.