Conference Call Sound Quality
No matter which conference service provider you use, there may be times when people can't be heard as well as they could be. Here are some possible causes and their solutions.
| Symptoms and Possible Causes | Remedy |
|---|---|
| Noisy line | Background noise is most often from mobile phones being used in noisy locations in which case the caller should find a quiet location. Callers using Skype/VoIP should also disconnect and rejoin. If this does not resolve the issue, the participant should mute their line when not talking by pressing *6 |
| Participant talking but not being heard | Participant should unmute the telephone by pressing the mute button or by pressing *6 |
| Sound coming out of speakerphone is broken up | Press mute button on your speakerphone when you are not talking |
| Only the moderator can be heard | Moderator has placed the conference into lecture mode and should press *5 to allow interaction again |
| People in conference room are too quiet for the participants on the conference call | Speaking participants should move closer to the microphone and talk directly into it. Be sure there is nothing between the speaker and the microphone. PC screens are often unknowing culprits |
| General background noise over the conference | Move the noise source away from the phone line. When the participant on that line has finished speaking, mute the line. Typical noise sources are projectors, PC fans and air-conditioners |
| Conference call is generally quiet | The speakerphone through which you are hearing the conference call may have the volume turned too high. Reduce the volume or try muting it when you are not talking. If there is no improvement, try using a regular telephone handset to determine whether the speakerphone volume is the cause. |
| Music in the conference | Usually caused by a participant putting their conference line on hold. When the participant rejoins the conference the music goes. Rather than wait for this the moderator may press * 5 to place the conference into lecture mode so that only the moderator’s line can be heard. |
| Vacuuming in background | Ask cleaning company to come at a different time! |
Joining a conference call
| Problems and Possible Causes | Remedy |
|---|---|
| Participant only hears music after the welcome message | The moderator has not yet joined the conference or participant does not have a touch tone telephone. On some smaller telephone systems, a button or code needs to be pressed to enable touch tone. The button may also be marked DTMF or MF |
| Participant cannot re-enter conference call. | The moderator may have locked the conference call. *7 needs to be pressed by the moderator to allow access. |
| Participant can’t join the conference using an international toll free number | Some hotel telephones (although rarely) do not allow toll free numbers to be dialled. The moderator may either dial out to the participant from within conference or the participant can dial in using a regular Australian telephone number. Toll free numbers can only be used when in the appropriate country for example, a Hong Kong toll free number will only work for callers in Hong Kong. |
| The system does not accept the correct security code | This may be caused when the participant is dialling through a "Commander" telephone system as they often do not make the necessary tones. Look for a button labelled DTMF or tone. |
| Telephone numbers forgotten or misplaced | These can be emailed to you. |
If you need further assistance, please call us on 1800 157 313.
