Copper Conferencing Launches Copper Mobile a Free iPhone App

Audio Conferencing iPhone App Complements Nationwide Local Dial-In

Denver, CO & Atlanta, GA – May 18 — Copper Conferencing today announced the launch of Copper Mobile, a free audio conferencing application for the Apple iPhone.  Copper Mobile gives iPhone users instant connections to conference calls, a way to locate Copper’s nationwide local dial in numbers, and a link to Copper’s On Demand audio conferencing commands.

“Copper Mobile for the iPhone is just the first of Copper’s new applications for mobile devices,” said Carolyn Bradfield, CEO of Copper Conferencing.  “Copper Mobile is immediately available for Copper On Demand customers using the iPhone and will be followed by other mobile applications including the Blackberry device.”

Copper Mobile is designed to help traveling professionals easily host or join a conference call with one touch.  Copper Mobile is integrated with Copper’s Nationwide Local Dial-In service and gives iPhone users a way to quickly locate a local number in their area so they can initiate or attend a conference call.   Copper Nationwide Local Dial-In service launched in March 2010 provides a lower rate for On Demand audio conferences every time customers use a local dial-in number.

“If you are on the move, fumbling for your dial in number and conference ID on your cell phone can be distracting,” Bradfield added. “Copper Mobile lets you connect in a single click to a conference call.  You can store your call connection information along with other audio conferences you regularly attend.

In the coming months, we will expand Copper Mobile beyond the Apple iPhone to the Blackberry and all Nokia devices.  Copper Mobile is available from www.copperconferencing.com and as a free download from the iTunes store.”

Copper Conferencing continues to provide easy-to-use conferencing tools for simpler collaboration.  In addition to Copper Mobile, Copper has recently added new features to its On Demand audio conferencing service including Nationwide Local Dial-In, additional call controls, new security features, sub-conferencing capabilities and the ability to add personalized greetings to each call.   Copper’s web conferencing services include Adobe Connect Pro, Microsoft Live Meeting, Cisco WebEx and WebPresentNow and when combined with Copper’s On Demand audio provide a complete and integrated conferencing solution.

About Copper Conferencing
Headquartered in Denver, Colorado with a major communications center in Atlanta, Georgia, Copper Conferencing provides audio conferencing and web conferencing services to small and medium-sized businesses. Copper’s Conference Coaches™ provide expert guidance of enhanced conferencing services. From On Demand reservationless audio conference calls, to highly interactive webinars and special event calls, Copper Conferencing helps businesses save time and money while improving productivity. Copper’s conferencing services are backed by fully managed, carrier-class platforms to power communication for thousands of customers. For more information about Copper Conferencing, visit www.copperconferencing.com or call a Conference Coach at 866-903-7521.

Copper Mobile and WebPresentNow are trademarks of Copper Conferencing.  Adobe Connect Pro, Microsoft Live Meeting and Cisco WebEx are registered trademarks of the respective owners.

Press contact:
Alycia Maier-Turner
Copper Conferencing
303-952-4308
pr@copperconferencing.com

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Local Dial-In Helps Reduce the Cost of Conference Calls

Denver, CO and Atlanta, GA — March 31, 2010 — Copper Conferencing today announced the launch of nationwide local dial-in connections to its On Demand reservationless audio conferencing service.   Local dial-in numbers are available in over 100 major cities in the U.S. offering customers a way to connect conference calls at a reduced cost.

“Copper has always been committed to finding ways for its customers to reduce the overall cost of a conference call,” said Carolyn Bradfield, CEO of Copper Conferencing.  “Providing local dial-in numbers in addition to toll-free access allows customers to choose how they enter an On Demand audio conference call and enables the customer to control the cost of their conference calls each time they use a local dial-in number.”

An analysis of the thousands of Copper Conferencing customers revealed individuals participating in conference calls generally start or dial in to phone meetings from an office location with 70% of call leaders initiating their conference calls from the same location every time.  This study, along with an analysis of the top business markets in the United States, lead Copper to secure local access numbers in 100 key metropolitan areas.

“A customer has a number of ways to determine if his or her city has a local access number,” Bradfield added. “The customer can enter an area code or zip code in the Local Dial-In Locator on the Copper website and the application will identify the local number for that area.  If no local number is available, the customer can always use their Copper toll-free access number.”

The announcement of local dial-in services complements Copper Conferencing’s recent upgrades to its On Demand audio conferencing service including additional call controls, new security features, sub-conferencing capabilities and the ability to add personalized greetings to each call as well as the addition of listen and recording download access to conference call recordings via Connect To Copper™, Copper’s powerful online customer portal.   In February, Copper Conferencing expanded its web conferencing offering with industry-leading web conferencing services Adobe Connect Pro, Microsoft Live Meeting and Cisco WebEx, all of which are integrated with Copper’s On Demand audio conferencing.

About Copper Conferencing
Headquartered in Denver, Colorado with a major communications center in Atlanta, Georgia, Copper Conferencing provides audio conferencing and web conferencing services to small and medium-sized businesses. Copper’s Conference Coaches™ provide expert guidance of enhanced conferencing services. From On Demand reservationless audio conference calls, to highly interactive webinars and special teleconference event calls, Copper Conferencing helps businesses save time and money while improving productivity. Copper’s conferencing services are backed by fully managed, carrier-class platforms to power communication for thousands of customers. For more information about Copper Conferencing, www.copperconferencing.com or call a Conference Coach at 866-903-7521.

Adobe Connect Pro, Microsoft Live Meeting and Cisco WebEx are registered trademarks of the respective owners.

Press contact:
Alycia Maier-Turner
Copper Conferencing
303-952-4308
pr@copperconferencing.com

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1.    Logon to Connect To Copper at www.connect2copper.com
2.    Enter your conference ID and PIN
3.    Select “reports” and then “recordings”

Denver, CO, February 25, 2010 — Copper Conferencing today announced the launch of a new suite of audio and web conferencing services to enhance the company’s collaboration offering and provide better value for Copper customers. These new offerings come as a result of an agreement with Premiere Global Services, Inc., now known as PGi, a leading provider of meeting and collaboration solutions.

“By teaming with PGi we are adding new web and audio conferencing capabilities to our suite of collaboration services,” said Carolyn Bradfield, CEO of Copper Conferencing.  “As a worldwide leader in conferencing, PGi delivers technologies that will enhance our audio conferencing capabilities and expand Copper’s web conferencing services to create an extremely rich experience, at a competitive price for our customers.”

Copper’s new web conferencing offerings include Adobe® Acrobat Connect Pro, Microsoft® Live Meeting and Cisco WebEx®.   Integrated with Copper Conferencing’s On Demand audio conferencing platform, these web technologies provide increased capabilities for webinars and web conferences from simple meetings, to nationwide training or complex corporate events.  Copper Conferencing offers a free trial of each of these services prior to a purchase decision and both per minute and subscription pricing.  To sign up for a free trial, visit www.copperconferencing.com/go/0bf53.

“By offering market-leading web conferencing services from PGi, we can expand Copper’s ability to deliver cost effective virtual sales calls, lead generation webinars, trainings, event management and remote customer service,” Bradfield added. “When businesses actively seek tools to better manage their operations, sales and staff, we can keep them connected and competitive, while at the same time saving them money.

In addition to enhanced audio conferencing capabilities, Copper is also introducing a new ‘Local Dial-In’ service that is available nationwide at a reduced rate.  Customers can now connect to On Demand conference calls using a local or toll-free number, as well a variety of international access from locations across the globe.

Copper Conferencing’s automated audio conferencing service, On Demand now offers expanded capabilities including additional call controls, added security features, plus the ability to subconference. The Connect To Copper™ customer portal features powerful, easy-to-use online account management tools with the ability to manage moderators, pay invoices and view usage reports.  New features include the ability to manage billing codes and listen to and download MP3 files of conferencing recordings.

About Copper Conferencing
Headquartered in Denver, Colorado with a major communications center in Atlanta, Georgia, Copper Conferencing provides audio conferencing and web conferencing services to small and medium-sized businesses. Copper’s Conference Coaches™ provide expert guidance of enhanced conferencing services. From On Demand reservationless audio conference calls, to highly interactive webinars and special teleconference event calls, Copper Conferencing helps businesses save time and money while improving productivity. Copper’s conferencing services are backed by fully managed, carrier-class platforms to power communication for thousands of customers. For more information about Copper Conferencing, www.copperconferencing.com or call a Conference Coach at 866-903-7521.

Adobe Connect Pro, Microsoft Live Meeting and Cisco WebEx are registered trademarks of the respective owners.

Press contact:
Alycia Maier-Turner
Copper Conferencing
303-952-4308
pr@copperconferencing.com

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Carolyn Bradfield

Most people remember Winston Churchill as one of the world’s greatest leaders, galvanizing Great Britain to stand up to the Nazi onslaught during World War II.  However, it was his love of the written word and his eloquence with language that people often remember.  His quotes have relevance in our times as much as they did 55 years ago.  “We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.”  “If you are going through hell, keep going.”  “Never, never, never give up.”  He lived his words and they inspired his country and the world.

I love quotes and tend to use them a lot to make a point.  They become part of my vocabulary, how I communicate with people and a reflection of who I am.  I steal them as often as I make them up, but anyone who knows me remembers these little sayings and the message I want people to remember when I use them.

One of my favorite sayings is that “anxiety comes from un-met expectations.”   Here is what that means to me.  First, people that are inconsistent are hard for me to relate to.   I don’t like surprises and when people behave in a way that is inconsistent with what I have come to expect, it raises my level of anxiety.    In both my business and personal life, I try not to surprise people, to be clear about what I expect, and to respond in a way that doesn’t surprise people.

Second, I would rather hear the truth than for someone to try and “sugar-coat” a situation just to make me happy or to satisfy me.  If things are bad; if you can’t meet your obligations; if there is going to be a gap in what you promised and what you can deliver, I really would you tell me that e vs. have to find out later.  That way, I can reset my expectations, deal with reality and create a plan to move forward based on what is, not what isn’t.  Make sense?

At Copper, not only do I live that philosophy every day, but I expect others that work here to do the same thing.  People know what their job is and how to benchmark whether they are doing a good or bad job.  They know what to expect and should be able to hold a mirror up to themselves that reflects reality.  I encourage our people, our partners, and our vendors to be up front about where we are in any given situation.  I reward that behavior and react poorly when I’m in the dark or things have been misrepresented.

I work hard to set expectations of who Copper is in the marketplace.  We focus and serve the small to medium sized business customer.  Sorry IBM, but we probably aren’t the best vendor for you.  We do audio and web conferencing and we aren’t the company you need when you want to connect expensive camera equipment in a video conferencing room for a satellite uplink.  Our online Connect To Copper™ system will set up or make any changes to a moderator within 15 minutes. You will get a post-conference summary email for your usage every day.  If we make a mistake, you’ll hear from us before we will hear from you.

We want our customers to never have anxiety about what to expect from Copper.  You’ll have great conference calls; we’ll answer your phone call and do what we say we’ll do; and keep giving you technology and service that makes your entire conferencing experience the best.  IBM, I’m sure you’ve got your conferencing situation figured out, but if you want to call me, I’m happy to set your expectations in the right direction.

To learn more about what’s new at Copper and how audio conferencing and web conferencing services can help you improve your business and cut costs, contact a Conference Coach today.

Carolyn Bradfield

I feel lucky everyday that I am blessed with smart, creative, fun and good people to work with at Copper Conferencing.  They appreciate their jobs, appreciate the customers, appreciate each other and uphold the value system that Copper is very committed to.

Unlike other businesses, Copper has had a very good year despite the economy.  Although the official unemployment rate is 10.2%, I think it’s really more like 17 or 18 percent when you factor in those that are underemployed or who have given up finding a job until the economy improves.  In the conferencing business, for every 100 people who used to attend conference calls, now there are only 80 or so to do the same thing.  Despite that fact, Copper has grown this year and I think it’s primarily due to the care, support and good service we give our customers, both old and new.

We made a conscious decision this year to thank our employees by investing in them in ways that most companies would not.  When the first time homebuyer’s tax credit came out, we had people come to the office to educate our group about the financial benefits of home ownership.  Knowing that many had not saved for a down payment, Copper offered a loan program for that down payment with the payback of the loan due once the tax credit was received.  We now have 2 employees who are living in the first home because of the program.

One of our employees expressed a desire to get her master’s degree.  We created a tuition reimbursement program to pay for college tuition for all employees.  The response was overwhelming.  People are investing in themselves and going back to school.  We are going to be flexible about their schedules and supportive of their pursuit of a higher education.

Since December is the slowest conferencing month (everyone takes vacations), we decided to give everyone the week between Christmas and New Year’s off without having to take vacation days.  People can recharge, travel, see family and come back renewed and refreshed.  Those in customer service that want to work can come in and we will pay them extra for their time.

Now to the golf carts.  One obscure rule in the tax credit give-away program by the Federal Government was a $4500-$5500 credit for “street legal, low-speed electric vehicles”.  You guessed it; golf carts qualify.  You can practically get them for free, drive them around for a while, and sell them if you want to.  I just couldn’t quite convince our COO that it was a good employee benefit.  And by the way, they are all sold out through the end of the year when the credit expires.  Hopefully, they will extend the credit and I can take another run at it.

In 2010, we will continue to invest in our employees.  Don’t tell them, but I plan to take them all on a big trip if the company hits some big growth numbers for the year.  You can help me by helping them.  If you are a Copper customer, refer a friend.  If you are not, try Copper.  We’re a great service and our employees will love on you a lot.

With the economy suffering, it’s the best time to invest.  For Copper, the best investment we can make is in our people.

To learn more about Copper Conferencing or to get started today with your own Copper Conferencing audio and web conferencing accounts, contact a Conference Coach today.

Carolyn Bradfield

Every time a new employee starts with Copper Conferencing, I usually take the portion of their training that includes an historical perspective of the industry.  After all, I’ve been in the industry longer that most people I know (other than my friend Mike Burns).  One perspective that is difficult to get across to our younger people is just how much conferencing has transformed how American business operates.

I started my business career in the information technology division of General Electric (GEISCO).  Even though we had email back in the early 80’s (way before the rest of the world did), management was generally focused on setting policy and dictating that policy to the rest of us.  We weren’t asked our opinion about how things should work; we were told what we needed to do to execute GE’s business plan.  Being a cog in the wheel was a good description of how employees were viewed.

After GE, I evolved to the voice mail industry.  Phone systems didn’t have voice mail, so our company (Async) sold it as a service.  Sales operations jumped on the chance to leave voice messages vs. written messages with administrative assistants and our business took off.  Voice mail was for one-way informational messages and companies continued to tell their employees. how to execute the plan, not create or add to the plan.

Then along came conference calling.  We began talking to regional managers who spent each Monday on the phone calling their people one at a time to deliver information, repeat policy and deliver action items.  Conferencing changed all of that.  Instead of just being able to deliver a one-way informational message, dispersed organizations were able to get their people on a call once a week.  Now, there could be a conversation.  What are you seeing from the competition?  What is the best strategy to win deals?  How should we address this issue?  All of a sudden, employees were being asked to contribute their thoughts, their opinions, their information and their insights.  Business began to transform from being management-directed to being collaborative.

This is a simple concept, but it’s absolutely transformational in the way people thought about their jobs, their companies and themselves.  Employees realized that they experienced the same obstacles as other employees.  They knew there were others who had creative ways to outdistance the competition.  They had a way to share their victories with others and stay motivated.  They counted and their opinion mattered.  They were a part of the process.

With younger employees, it’s almost taken for granted that they will be asked their opinion and asked to contribute to the collective wisdom of the company.  However, that transformation may never have happened if it were not for a technology like conference calling that made it convenient, affordable and easy to bring people together.

Sometimes when I wonder what my overall contribution to business is going to be remembered for, I can point to how I showed companies how a simple technology like audio conferencing could transform their organizations into a more competitive and collaborative culture…..how management could turn directives into conversations….how they could improve morale and the value of their employees.  Simple technology, transformational results!

Conference calls should be one of the most collaborative and engaging communications experiences in business.  It seems like some of our conference call leaders need a little help living up to that goal, so here’s my recipe for a good conference call.

• Keep your calls to no more than 1 hour.  Most people don’t have the attention span for calls that last for hours and hours.
• Develop an agenda.  Let your participants know what your agenda is and stick to it.
• If a side issue develops, then agree to take that issue off line and not make it part of the conference call.
• Engage your participants by directing questions to specific people.  As an example, “John, how is the competition affecting your territory?”  “Bill, could you expand on that?”
• Give up the podium to others.  Ask someone else to lead a portion of the call and prepare the material in advance.
• Manage distractions.  Gracefully learn how to move on from the individual that wants to dominate the conversation.  Make sure people learn how to mute their lines if there is background noise.
• Recap the action items at the end of the call.  If there is going to be a next call in the series, preview what you will cover on the next call.

To me, the best conference calls are ones where most of the people have an opportunity to contribute.  They’re the ones that don’t last forever and stay focused.  They’re the ones that use the medium to collaborate, train, strategies and engage.  Hopefully this helps conference call leaders step up their game.  By the way, I still need some followers on Twitter.  Maybe the next time I go looking, people will be happier about their conference calls.

Believe it or not, even in Atlanta, we had a lot of connections to New York that day.  Marlene’s daughter Heather had her long-time boyfriend on his second day in his first job at Morgan Stanley report into work on the 65th floor of one of the towers.  We couldn’t reach him as we saw the tower fall.  Our key vendor, Raindance had all their executives in New York AND Washington, DC.  It was unbelievable.

Heather’s boyfriend made it out just in time and the Raindance people made it back to Denver intact.  9/11 changed the way our company saw the relevance of our conferencing business and the conferencing industry forever.  People who had never conferenced, called up and asked for accounts.  They stayed home.  They found new ways to engage with each other without jumping on an airplane.

Why did this come to the front of my mind?  No matter what the catalyst is that keeps us at home, we’ve got to think about how to do business without jumping on an airplane.  I already said I was going to travel less.  I really mean it.  I’m really good at meeting over a conference call and I’m going to make sure other people get way better at it.

When I look people up on Twitter, I’ll see them talk about how much they HATE being on a conference call.  Come on people, it’s not that hard and we all need to get way better at doing it.

Follow Copper Conferencing on Twitter @CopperConf or visit our website at http://www.copperconferencing.com

We switched on our phones, raced out of the building and headed for Marlene’s house where the scene on TV was like watching a disaster movie.  Marlene’s daughter Heather had a boyfriend (now her husband) who was on his second day in his first job with Morgan Stanley on the 67th floor in the Twin Towers.  We watched in horror as that building collapsed.  Although we were sure Brian was dead, we tried and tried to call anyway but all circuits were tied up.  Fortunately 2 hours later, he called a friend who called us – he got out with moments to spare.  It turned out well for Heather and Brian, but not so for many others.

For the next few days, America was paralyzed.  Everyone stayed home.  Flights were grounded.  We were inundated with the human tragedy of what had happened.  I remember feeling lost, sad, afraid and dumfounded that this anyone would think that blowing something up would get their point across.  It’s one thing to watch a bombing in Mumbai.  It’s very different when it’s in your backyard.

About a week later, our company started taking phone calls from customers who needed to get their businesses back on line.  They needed conferencing accounts.  They didn’t want anyone to fly anywhere, even though airplanes were back in the air after a week.  We were surprised how many conference calls started to happen.  People were reviewing business contingency plans, trying to motivate their workforce, and gain a sense of normalcy.  I felt like we were playing a part of helping bring America back.

911 taught me that anything can happen at anytime and when it does, business can be brought to its knees unless you think in advance how to prepare for the worst, hoping it doesn’t happen.  Have a disaster plan.  Have a way to alert your workforce.  Make sure they can work virtually.   911, gas shortages, hurricanes, the swine flu (H1N1) or any other unforeseen disaster may slow us up, but Americans definitely know how get back up and keep moving forward.

Follow Copper Conferencing on Twitter @CopperConf or visit our website at http://www.copperconferencing.com