Conferencing usage has skyrocketed in the last three weeks with FreeConferenceCall.com reporting a nearly 700% increase in new customer sign-ups the week of March 22 (vs. sign-ups from the week of Feb. 23). It also looks as if it could be a viable alternative to the trouble-plagued Zoom.
In the last 30 days alone the conferencing solution says it’s seen significant growth in these groups:
° 1,250 new military sign-ups including new members from across the Navy, Air Force and Marines;
° 8,000 new government sign-ups including legislators, health departments and national organizations leading the pandemic response;
° 43,000 new non-profits including hospitals, aid groups, addiction support groups and social services
FreeConferenceCall.com says it provides all the features of competitive solutions – video conferencing, screen sharing, recording and global access – with a few key differences:
° There are no time limits on calls.
° You can host video calls for up to 1,000 participants.
° Service is 100% free to users – not freemium and no upcharges
° It works on macOS, iOS, Windows, and Android.
° Customer privacy is 100% protected. The company says it “will never sell or share customer data for marketing or tracking purposes.”
While there’s been a lot of media coverage regarding security risks in a popular service, FreeConferenceCall.com saysthere are thing users can do to keep their conferences secure including
° Conference Locking – look for a service provider that enables to lock out anyone not directly invited to your conference.
° Roll Call – use meetings tools to conduct a virtual roll call or caller count to ensures the identity and verify the participant count.
° Mute or block callers and stop screen sharing in an instant – most services enable the call host to mute participants, block callers and stop screen sharing with one click if a new or unauthorized user enters the call
° Create a unique password and keep it safe – As with any service, consider using a unique password for conference calling and keep it safe with a password management system.
