There is nothing fashionable about being late for conference calls. You will miss the most important part, the beginning. The beginning of the call will set the tone for the entire call, stating what the call will entail and what you should walk away with. The beginning of the call will also give a timeline and explain the rules of the call. You will know how the Q&A part will be handled and if the call will be recorded and available for playback. You do not want to miss any part of the call unless it is absolutely necessary. To make sure that your participants understand all of these factors, give them the necessary tools to be on time.
In order for your participants to be on time for the call, they must have a concrete start and end time for the call. Be firm on these times, if you are consistently on time your participants will know that you are serious about staying on schedule. Another suggestion is to send reminders to your callers. Send a reminder a week before, a day before and a few hours before. These email reminders will not only remind your participants about the call, but they will keep your call fresh in the participants mind. It is easy to forget about conference call meetings, which can occur at any time on any day of the week, so the reminders are necessary.
Choose to have your call at a convenient time that works for the majority of your callers. This is especially important if you are planning to have people from overseas on the call. Pay attention to the time of your call. Make sure that you dial in to the call early, it is unfair to expect your callers to be on time if you have a habit of running late. These are just a few suggestions on how to make sure your callers aren’t tardy for the call.
If you are very serious about not having individuals arrive late to your call, you can lock the call at the start time. This will prevent anyone from entering the call until you decide to open the call. You can also have every person announce him or herself upon entering the call. Be warned that using either of these techniques could be off-putting to the attendees. Using any or all of these methods will help you make sure that your attendees are on time for your call.
