Employees Want More Conference Calls: Here’s Why

Though every employee has different preferences, the majority of employees are starting to prefer conference calls over conventional meetings. While there are some limitations to conference calls, if you organize those meetings effectively and play to your employees’ productivity, you can get more done more quickly by relying on conference calls.

The Perks of Conference Calls

These are some of the advantages that make employees prefer conference calls:

• Location flexibility. First, your employees don’t have to be in a physical location. This is useful for a number of reasons; it allows employees to attend a meeting even when they’re traveling or in an alternative location, it gives them the power to customize their own environment for the meeting, and it relieves the stress of trying to get to the office on time—since you could technically stay in your car and attend the meeting.
• Relaxed standards for appearance. Talking on the phone doesn’t require you to dress up or focus on your appearance nearly as much as attending a meeting in person. If your employees work from home, they could feasibly wear anything from pajama pants to custom gold grillz, and your clients and other employees would be none the wiser. This layer of extra comfort can make conference calls less stressful, and promote morale for your employees. Plus, your employees won’t have to guard their reactions or body language as often; they’re free to express that sudden look of disgust in response to a bad idea, without fear of being reprimanded for it later.
• The possibility of multitasking. In a teleconference, no one can see what you’re doing, which is valuable if you’re a chronic multitasker. While there’s an obvious downside to this (people focusing on a task unrelated to the meeting), it can be valuable for improving productivity while also improving morale.

Compensating for Weaknesses

You can compensate for some of the weaknesses of conference calls with these strategies:

• Choose a good teleconferencing provider. The biggest problems with teleconferencing, like inconsistent connections and low-quality sound, can easily be resolved with a better choice in teleconferencing providers. If you’re experiencing frequent connection issues, or if the sound is garbled or cuts in and out, it’s a good idea to upgrade your plan or start shopping for a different provider.
• Limit the number of participants. The future of conference calls may include more visual elements, like video feeds and holograms, but in the meantime, one of the biggest problems with teleconferences is people talking over each other; the combination of a lack of visual cues to indicate when someone’s about to speak up and occasional delays in audio processing mean it’s difficult to tell when it’s appropriate to begin speaking. You can resolve this problem by limiting the number of participants; fewer people means fewer interruptions.
• Have a clear meeting leader. It’s also helpful to appoint a designated team leader, who can serve multiple roles at once; they can resolve issues of interruption or talking over each other, while simultaneously staying adherent to the original agenda. They may be able to cut down on arguments or tangential topics, and can gather both notes and feedback after the meeting.
• Stay focused on the topic at hand. You’re meeting for a reason, but often, that reason gets lost in the clutter of conversation. Make sure you specify the reason for the meeting, rather than just meeting for the sake of it, and have a list of specific points to cover in order to resolve that main topic.
• Get feedback. Teleconferencing experiences can be subjective, so it’s important to gather feedback after each meeting. Find out how the call quality was for each participant, and ask for pointers on how the next meeting could be better. You’ll be surprised to learn how many potential improvements are low-hanging fruit.

Conference calls can range from effective to annoying, all depending on how they’re implemented. If you use the right strategies to minimize the weaknesses of conference calls, your employees will grow to prefer teleconferencing over conventional, in-person meetings. Revisit your teleconferencing strategy, and see how much more productive you can be.