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The Complete Guide to Conference Calls on Android


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Conference calls around a table at work are a thing of the past, thanks to modern technology. Now, you can make conference calls from the comfort of your Android device. 

If you don’t know how to make conference calls from your Android and want to learn, you’re in luck. We have put together this guide to show you everything you need to know about conducting conference calls right from the palm of your hand. 

From quick tips to long-term strategies, we are here to guide you through using your Android for conference calls.

Why Conference Calls on Android Are So Important

The modern-day world of work is very different than the days of the past. And this new idea of what work looks like got even further from the past in 2020 when many workers turned to working from home. 

While it is easy enough to write emails from home and even do your day-to-day work, it may still seem a little complicated when it comes to conference calls.

The way we used to take conference calls no longer works for many people, so it’s time to get with the times and learn how to conduct conference calls from your Android smartphone. 

Upwork estimated that 1 in 4 Americans will be working remotely through 2021, so that’s a large group of people who need to reinvent the conference call. 

Whether you’re working remotely or not, the ability to take a conference call from anywhere simply with the help of your Android makes your life a whole lot easier. 

This means that you can easily hop on a conference call from your bed or your travels in Hawaii. It also means that you won’t spend as much time trying to set up a meeting in person. 

We have all been there trying to coordinate a conference call in the office, and you likely remember that it was not always an easy feat. It is easier at home or wherever you are to schedule the meeting and have everyone call in from their Androids.  

Quick Tips to Improve Conference Calls on Android Today

It is a great skill to know how to conduct conference calls from your Android, so we are here to share with you some tips on how to master this art. 

It’s highly likely that your company will be moving to conference calls via smartphones (if they haven’t already), so you should hop on the train before it leaves the station, leaving you in the dust trying to figure out how to get on the call via a landline. 

Read on for some quick tips.

Implement a Conference Call Service

The amount of the American population working remotely is likely going to continue to rise.

The idea of remote work has become a more realistic option for many people over the last year. Over the last year, we have seen that it is possible to work from home, with some adjustments, of course. 

For one, chances are good your house became your office when things went remote. That means you created a new workspace complete with a desk, chair, and anything else you need to do your work. One thing that you won’t need, however, is a landline. 

Instead, you can use your Android to make all of the work calls and meetings you need, thanks to conference call services like GoToMeeting

GoToMeeting is the best conference call service for those looking to keep their remote teams as cohesive as possible. Company culture still exists even when you aren’t working from the office, and meetings are maybe even more important when working from home. 

You don’t have the chance to catch your colleague in the office kitchen to chat for a few minutes about a project. That’s why making conference calls as convenient and as simple as possible is so important.  

GoToMeeting is easy to use and only takes a few minutes to set up. Whether you are a small, medium, or large business, this service will provide you with all kinds of benefits. 

GoToMeeting allows you to host standard audio conference calls, video, and web-based meetings from your Android. With this service, you will also gain access to features such as: 

  • Unlimited cloud recording
  • SSO login and other advanced security features
  • 25 active webcams
  • Calendar integrations
  • Business messaging
  • Meeting transcription
  • Video to slide
  • Screenshare and drawing
  • Diagnostic reports
  • Mobile app
  • SSL encryption
  • Toll-free numbers
  • 24/7 customer care
  • Downloadable admin reports
  • Meeting diagnostic reports
  • Slack meeting launcher
  • Unlimited meeting time
  • Note-taking 

There are a few different pricing options for GoToMeeting, and all of them are more affordable than most of GoToMeeting’s competitors. 

The Professional plan is $12 per organizer per month, billed annually for up to 150 participants. The Business level is $16 per organizer per month, billed annually for 250 participants. The Enterprise tier pricing is not available but is for up to 3000 participants. Contact GoToMeeting for a customized quote.

You can also opt to throw in some add-ons such as toll-free numbers and Call Me (pay as you go, with no commitment), GoToWebinar Lite ($20/month), and GoToRoom.

If you aren’t sure whether you’re ready to dive into GoToMeeting, you can try it for free for 14 days. This provides you an opportunity to test out the different features, learn what you need and what you don’t need, and see how much more straightforward it makes communicating and getting things completed with your team.

Set the Agenda

Going into a meeting and improvising rarely ends well. A good meeting that knocks things off the to-do list and is worth everyone’s time is a meeting that is well-planned ahead of time. 

You should create an agenda before you start inviting people to your Android conference call. This agenda determines your objectives for the meeting and what you hope to accomplish as a result of the call. 

It helps to keep you on track and makes sure you keep your call to a decent length. If you go on and on talking to the other participants, you will lose their interest and motivation to be a part of the conversation. You may also be impacting their ability to get other work done.

Instead, break up the agenda and be sure to interject questions in between key points that open up the conversation so others can contribute.

Find a Quiet Space

Taking a conference call from your kitchen while someone else in your house makes lunch is less than ideal. 

Though companies understand that conditions of working from home are not as ideal as the office when it comes to quiet and personal space, you do need to try and make the best of the situation and find an area that you can conduct your conference call in peace. 

Even if you’re doing the majority of the talking during the meeting, mute your phone when you are not talking. This allows other people to be heard better without the background noise of you and other participants. 

And request that everyone in your meeting mute their Androids when they are not speaking. 

However, do be aware that sometimes by muting a call, the participants may find themselves drifting off into multitasking and end up looking at another app on the phone or doing something else on their computer. 

This is another reason why asking questions throughout the conference call to keep the participants engaged is critical. By inserting questions and interactions into your meeting, you bring the attention back in for any who may have gotten distracted.

Schedule With Wiggle Room

Even if you have a planned agenda, meetings don’t always go for the amount of time you thought they would. 

That’s why you need to schedule your conference calls with a bit of wiggle room. If the call goes longer than you expected, your participants aren’t chomping at the bit to get out simply because the meeting event technically ended 10 minutes ago, or they have another meeting to get to. 

A good rule of thumb is to schedule the conference call with an extra 15 to 30 minutes. That means you have some time to work with if a discussion needs to go deeper than you expected. 

You also want to leave a few minutes at the end of the call for the participants to ask questions or voice concerns.

Long-Term Strategies for Conference Calls on Android

Hopefully, those quick tips will come in handy when it comes time to make conference calls via your smartphone. 

In addition to implementing those into your meetings, we also have some long-term strategies that will help improve your conference call success while using your Android. It is possible to make things easier for yourself and your team if you use your smartphone to make conference calls.

Find a Conference Call Service That Fits Your Needs

Above, we shared one of our favorite conference call services, GoToMeeting. However, this service is geared primarily toward remote teams, which may not be the right fit for your company. 

Even if you’re working in the office, you still may find that Androids are the best means for taking conference calls. 

Regardless of where you are taking your calls from, having a conference call service that offers features and benefits specific to your company’s needs is key. To see the other top services that struck our fancy and may strike yours too, check out our reviews of the best conference call services here: 

  • RingCentral – Best conference call service for most
  • GoToMeeting – Best for keeping your remote team cohesive
  • Grasshopper – Best mobile virtual phone system
  • ClickMeeting – Best for webinars and conference calls
  • Vast Conference – Best for instant conference calls
  • Zoom – Best for hosting video conference calls
  • FreeConferenceCall.com – Best free conference call service 

One of these options may be a better fit for your team.

Provide Options For Call Access

Though you may find that you prefer using your Android to make conference calls, you must recognize that not everyone else in your company feels the same. 

Some people may have iPhones instead. 

Thus, you need to provide different options for call access and not just assume that what works for you works for everyone else. 

Some of your colleagues may prefer to call in from their laptop or their tablet. This is where using a conference call service comes in handy, again, as it makes it easy for everyone to access the call no matter what device they’re using. 

The calls will have a URL link and access code that can be used from any device for the duration of the scheduled meeting time.

Get Creative

You may find that your conference call participants aren’t very active and seem bored with your calls. That means it’s time for you to get creative and make the calls more engaging and more interactive. 

Consider inserting some fun games or trivia into your conference calls to keep everyone’s attention, especially if the call is a long one. Use these games to further expand on the topic of the call, not just random activities. You don’t want to waste peoples’ time and spend 20 minutes on a game, so get creative with things you can do to keep the attention and interest of everyone involved.

Wrap It Up

The art of wrapping up a conference call may take some practice, but we are here to give you some insight to make this a smooth process. 

First of all, you want to end the meeting by wrapping up the key points you discussed and the takeaways. 

Then, come the questions to make sure that everyone knows what they are responsible for following the call. 

You want to answer questions such as:

  • Who is responsible for each task we covered that needs to be done?
  • What projects are whose responsibility?
  • What questions still exist that we need to answer? 

Opening up the meeting to questions for the participants is a must, as it allows their voices to be heard, too.

Next Steps

Once you’ve completed the conference call with the wrap-up, it is time to send out a follow-up email.

This essentially serves as an outline of the meeting, the key points, takeaways, and what each person is responsible for and deadlines. If there are any slideshows, recordings, or other important documents that the participants may need, this is the time to send them. 

This email is not only important to show your team what needs to be done, but it is also a sign of respect. Thank the team for taking the time for the call, for engaging, and for their work. 

If a conference call service is of interest to you and you want to dive deeper into the one we suggested above, GoToMeeting, check out our full review of this service

And if you find that your Android won’t stop echoing during your conference calls, troubleshoot that issue with the help of this article that shows five easy steps to fix phone echoing.  

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