Why Paid Conferencing Services Are Better Than Skype

Over the last few years, Skype has become one of the most popular platforms for a lot of users when it comes to making calls over the Internet.

It allows free (or cheap) audio or video conference calls for users, and lets you connect to people or friends both nationally and internationally. It's also easy to set up, with a simple downloading of the software all that's required (and, obviously, an account).

Because of Skype's growth in popularity, a lot of people have said that conferencing is no longer needed, or will begin to decline as Skype takes over (especially from a cost angle). But how correct is that?

The Cost Factor

Perhaps one of the biggest factors that's helped Skype become so popular is the cost. Because it's using the Internet to connect callers, it's free to use - all you need is an Internet account from a service provider.

There are some premium services on Skype - calling landline phones via your Skype account, for example - where there is a cost involved, yet it's still fairly minimal.

But is the cost factor such a benefit? It depends on your needs, and how you're using a connection platform, whether it's Skype or a conferencing service.

With Skype, you're relying on your Internet connection being sturdy enough to keep the call live. This isn't always the case - if you're using a router, for example, your signal can often be lost. If you're on a Skype call, and your router fails, your call fails.

With a conference call, you're only relying on your phone service provider, and they're generally more reliable than the Internet (especially when people are dealing with different download speeds).

The Quality Factor

As mentioned above, the cost factor is one of Skype's advantages. However, it's also one of its disadvantages.

With any free platform, there's usually a drop-off in quality because of the low or zero cost of entry. Skype isn't any different.

While the video quality of Skype isn't the worst - especially when thinking back to the days of dial-up and early video encoding - it's still not the best quality. You can have a choppy feed, as well as have different video quality depending on browser.

With a video conference, the software is optimized specifically for that type of call. This increased the quality and the tools available for that method. Additionally, many video conferencing options allow for multi-point video feeds (something that Skype struggles with).

These are just a couple of examples why, as good as Skype is, it's more of a consumer product than a business one. There's nothing wrong with being that - but if you're looking at hosting any kind of quality conference services then, as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.

AccuConference is one of the leading conferencing service provider companies in North America. Choose from any conference call packages and get the tools you need to keep your participants engaged. If you're not 100% satisfied with your conference call, then you won't pay - guaranteed!

http://accuconference.com/

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