SKYPE conference calling....

[MissMarplesBloomers]

anyone had any experience with this?

Am part of a small group of friends who want to use skype for a group chat for a business project we are starting. Although we all use it successfully as individuals we are struggling to get all of us on Skype at one time (7 of us)

I thought maybe if we all turned our webcams off & just did audio chat, although not entirely satisfactory we might have a better chance, or am I barking up the wrong tree?

Any advice welcome!

What happens when you try?

Hi PRH

We find people keep dropping their connections randomly & the pictures denoting who is online come & go (not that the visuals are quite so important) Not all of us are in good broadband speed areas.

I wondered if we all sit as close to our WiFi hubs as possible,(ie same room at least) no other windows open & audio chat only would that help connections.

Also does the fact that we have an assortment of Ipads,Macs &PC's make a difference?

I've tried several times unsuccessfully at work. I generally use powwownow for an audio conference call. One of you registers and gets a code, and gives code to others. At a pre-arranged time, all dial in, using the code.

Basic, but more reliable than Skype.

Aha thanks Agent sounds what we need, I'll have a look. Bit frustrating trying to get us all online at once!

Silly question is it like a phone call via the PC, or do you all have to be on a phone.

It's all on the phone. It's something like 4p a minute from a landline, and a bit more from a mobile.

OK thanks have found it, confused as it says it's free? Is it 4p a minute for each participant or just the "Host" ?

I thought it was free to get the code, but you all paid for calls. I'm not sure - I use it at work, so don't really look at the costs. Maybe it is free...

Thanks Agent

I've found a chat tech support service on the website that is helpful.

Will give it a go.

Hi, we've used powwownow in the past, but it can get quite expensive! Just be aware that it is NOT free as they claim

Skype calls work fine for us, but we all seem to be in pretty decent broadband areas.

Have you tried google hangout? (I haven't, but techy people I know talk about it)

Hi Pippi yes when I pinned her down to details,( the tech support ) it would be £2.58 per person for up to an hour which would work out expensive in the long run.

I'll have a look at google hangout thanks.

I'm sure the broadband service quality or lack of around some of us is the culprit, we shall persevere!

I am sure one of my colleagues mentioned a 1.5 hour conference call with powwownow costing her £20 something, but she might have used her mobile for it. Not sure if that makes a difference.

08xx numbers are not classed among the "included minutes" so a lot depends on what each network charges. While I can see it appearing misleading to call it "free", they are meaning that (unlike some commercial services) you don't get a bill from the company providing the 'conference' facility, and in that respect it is free, you're just paying for the call to their number.

Remember that 0800, 0808, 0500 are free (from landlines) but mobile networks can charge up to 40p a minute (at least until the Summer when all UK mobile networks should allow them as free calls... probably excluding some specific numbers which are used to make calls abroad, so called access numbers).

0845 and 0870 numbers (now banned for customer service numbers, except in finance, and hopefully that will change, too) are sometimes included off-peak (either weekends only, or evenings and weekends) by some firms offering landline rental, but can be chargeable at all times (depending on the firm) or "included" when you pay for an "anytime" calls package add-on.

More expensive from mobiles, sometimes included, with charges of up to 75p a minute.

0843, 0844 and 0871 always chargeable. 0871 at least 10p a minute from a landline service, and the others generally up to 5p a minute Don't think any mobile network includes them and always more expensive than regular (01/ 02/ 03) numbers.

01xxx, 02x, 03xxx numbers are national rate numbers. 03xxx are generally non-geographic (though a big organisation may use different numbers for different regions). Most networks now charge them at the same rate ("national") so they may be included in contract bundles on mobiles and "anytime" call packages on landlines.

Some services have not yet put 03xxx numbers under the same "national rate" umbrella as 01xxx and 02x numbers.

(I use 1899.com which charges 5p per call, no matter how long, and they only include 01xxx and 02x numbers at present, even though they should include 03xxx... The firm is based in Switzerland and I can only assume the staff are uninterested in UK numbering, so no-one important enough to get it changed has stepped in to get their software for billing "fixed")

0843, 0844 and 0871 are the ones with "revenue split" (where the company taking the calls, as well as their network provider, are paid per minute out of what the caller is paying). I forgot to mention that mobile charges are generally quite high and never included in contract bundles.

Many businesses switched their call centres/ tech support to these numbers when OFCOM banned revenue sharing on 0845 and 0870 numbers. Before that (for 10-15 years, perhaps longer) the revenue split was what had allowed the initial internet access firm Freeserve to operate without any monthly charge - users were funding it via the phone bill for calls.

With millions of minutes of calls, they were getting between 0.25p (off peak) to 1p (peak) per minute, per user who dialled in. Obviously that was when dial-up was going strong from 1995 to 2000, and completely died when that source of income for an ISP was blocked. There were probably around 150 to 250 ISPs using 0845 numbers as their means of earning income.

Thanks Network Guy!

The only way we've been able to have free conference calls with skype is when initiated by sister, who pays for some premium service. Just organised Hangouts instead.