One of the things I enjoy most about living in Colorado is that during certain times of the year we experience some very  “capable” weather. In the summer we get great thunderstorms and in the spring we experience snow storms that leave us stranded and up to our necks in cold. But what doesn’t kill us at least makes us strong or better yet makes us flexible.

So after a morning of pushing snow blowers and shoveling snow with the help of my neighbors I was able to clear our long and perilous driveway. A job well done. But if this wasn’t modern times the work wouldn’t be over. I’d need to get in my car and drive down icy roads to get to my office chair. Thankfully though we live in a world where communication and remote access has given us the ability to travel less and live safer.

As a conferencing company we work really hard to live what we preach and as for myself I typically employ three different tools as the foundation of my remote office.

1. Audio Conferencing – Allows me to host quick phone meetings with my coworkers. It is reservation-less so they only have to know the phone number and my conference id.
2. BaseCamp – Our project management and collaboration tool. This keeps us all on the same page and helps us to stay focused on the tasks ahead.
3. IM – By far the easiest way to communicate while I am developing. It’s a classic, but one that has never gotten old. Using Adium I am able to connect with all the different chat clients in the office.

If you run an office or work in one it’s time to start thinking differently. You don’t need to drive everyday, sitting in traffic and wasting time and you certainly don’t need face to face time in order to communicate effectively. With a simple stack of tools you can become a proud member of the club that works where they can when they can.

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

###

Carolyn Bradfield

Although it seems like it, I haven’t been in the conferencing industry my whole career.  In fact, I’ve done some pretty interesting things – taught English, worked for a newspaper, wrote a book.  One of the most gratifying things that I’ve ever done is to start and run an adolescent wilderness therapy program – Phoenix Outdoor.

So what is wilderness therapy and how does this fit in the picture of a long-standing career in conferencing?  Adolescents that engage in behavior that put them at significant risk sometimes run out of options when parents can’t correct that behavior despite the best efforts of therapists, psychiatrists, or school counselors.  Wilderness therapy removes adolescents from their risky environment and places them in a natural setting so that issues driving negative behavior can be identified and addressed as they hike, camp, work with a peer group and talk to therapists.

One of the common threads in families we worked with was that parents were crushed by having to commit their child to a program like Phoenix.  Instead of planning for prom, watching the Friday night high school game or helping with homework, they have to face the fact that their child snorted cocaine, failed in school, or ran away from home.  They have to explain their child’s absence from home and school to family and friends that may not understand.  They feel alone and isolated.

Getting parents to come out of their isolation and gain support from each other was critical to helping the family heal while their kids were in treatment.   Phoenix kids came from all over the country so they couldn’t come to the program to get to know each other.  Fortunately, I was in the teleconferencing industry and relied on the service to connect these people together.

Each week, they attended a Monday support conference call where the parents could talk about their feelings and how having a child in treatment affected their family.  They came to a webinar where we dealt with common issues such as setting boundaries or Internet addiction.  They visited with a family therapist over conferencing.  With minimal cost and no disruption to family routines, parents and siblings were able to vent, heal, collaborate and work through a plan for success once the child completed the program.  They were no longer alone.

The program succeeded and was later acquired by a much larger player in the industry.  Why wilderness you ask?  I was one of those parents whose child ran out of options, who tried everything and who sent their child to the woods – in January!  I was embarrassed, traumatized, confused, and yes alone.  What I wouldn’t have given to be on a conference call with others so I could talk about it.

This is a call to treatment providers everywhere whose families are spread out while children are in treatment.  Conferencing is easy, inexpensive and can make a powerful impact on the lives of families who are struggling to heal and move forward.  They need to know that others have the same problems and issues, that they aren’t bad parents, and they are not alone.

You can try Copper Conferencing free for 30 days and make your business and the lives of your client easier. Read more now!

Using Facebook to Attract Clients and Connect with Like-Minded People

Presented by: Marquesa Pettway
Date: Today! Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Time: 2:00 pm ET

Register Now!

Today’s free 60-minute webinar presented by Marquesa Pettway provides participants a clear understanding of Facebook and ways to use it for personal and professional purposes.  In this webinar, you will learn:

• 6 Ways to Create a Magnetic Profile
• 4 Strategies for setting up “The Critical Nugget for Client Attraction:  The Facebook Group”
• 2 Strategies for increasing your business – the Fan Page that keeps you in front of your target audience

This is an hour well spent for anyone who wants to become more familiar with Facebook or for anyone not yet using Facebook.

Register Now!

Who Should Attend:  Everyone

Have questions about Copper Conferencing or need to do an audio conference or web meeting?  Contact a Conference Coach today.

Using Facebook to Attract Clients and Connect with Like-Minded People

Presented by: Marquesa Pettway
Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Time: 2:00 pm ET

Register Now!

This free 60-minute webinar presented by Marquesa Pettway provides participants a clear understanding of Facebook and ways to use it for personal and professional purposes.  In this webinar, you will learn:

• 6 Ways to Create a Magnetic Profile
• 4 Strategies for setting up “The Critical Nugget for Client Attraction:  The Facebook Group”
• 2 Strategies for increasing your business – the Fan Page that keeps you in front of your target audience

This is an hour well spent for anyone who wants to become more familiar with Facebook or for anyone not yet using Facebook.

Register Now!

Who Should Attend:  Everyone

Have questions about Copper Conferencing or need to do an audio conference or web meeting?  Contact a Conference Coach today.

Using Facebook to Attract Clients and Connect with Like-Minded People

Presented by: Marquesa Pettway
Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Time: 2:00 pm ET

Register Now!

Join Marquesa Pettway for a dynamic and educational free 60-minute webinar on how to use Facebook to expand your network and to enhance your business.  In this webinar, you will learn:

• 6 Ways to Create a Magnetic Profile
• 4 Strategies for setting up “The Critical Nugget for Client Attraction:  The Facebook Group”
• 2 Strategies for increasing your business – the Fan Page that keeps you in front of your target audience

This is an hour well spent for anyone who wants to become more familiar with Facebook or for anyone not yet using Facebook.

Register Now!

Who Should Attend:  Everyone

Have questions about Copper Conferencing or need to do an audio conference or web meeting?  Contact a Conference Coach today.

Free Webinar: Optimizing Your Email: Time Management / Enhanced Productivity Strategies for MS Outlook & Entourage Users

Presented by: Randy Dean
Date: Today – Thursday, October 1, 2009
Time: 11:00 am ET

Register Now!

Would you like to find an extra hour every day? In this free 60-minute webinar, Randy Dean shows several strategies and techniques on how MS Outlook can be a center point to an advanced personal productivity and time management system.

Randy helps you understand how the functions within Microsoft Outlook were designed for enhanced productivity. Randy’s Optimizing Your Outlook course covers fully integrating Outlook including:

• Getting the most usability and functionality out of your Outlook
• Setting up your “Tasks” function for prioritized project/client action
• Getting your most important personal and professional projects integrated within your Task list
• Utilizing key features in your Calendar to increase personal and professional effectiveness
• “Clearing your mind of the clutter” by effectively using the Notes function
• Enhancing the information capabilities of your Contacts function to enhance relationships and productivity

Learn how to:

• Segregate your different e-mail types to mitigate junk/spam problems
• Use embedded functions to enhance productivity and efficiency.
• Build an intelligent and structured folder system for efficient filing and management

Randy integrates plenty of humor and real-world application into this quick-hitting session, and you will be buzzing with ideas for enhancing your MS Outlook usage and expertise.

Register Now!

Who Should Attend:  Everyone

Have questions about Copper Conferencing or need to do an audio conference or web meeting?  Contact a Conference Coach today.

Free Webinar: Optimizing Your Email: Time Management / Enhanced Productivity Strategies for MS Outlook & Entourage Users

Presented by: Randy Dean
Date: Thursday, October 1, 2009
Time: 11:00 am ET

Register Now!

Attend this live business webinar presented by Randy Dean and learn new strategies and techniques on how MS Outlook can be a center point to an advanced personal productivity and time management system.

Randy helps you understand how the functions within Microsoft Outlook were designed for enhanced productivity. Randy’s Optimizing Your Outlook course covers fully integrating Outlook including:

• Getting the most usability and functionality out of your Outlook
• Setting up your “Tasks” function for prioritized project/client action
• Getting your most important personal and professional projects integrated within your Task list
• Utilizing key features in your Calendar to increase personal and professional effectiveness
• “Clearing your mind of the clutter” by effectively using the Notes function
• Enhancing the information capabilities of your Contacts function to enhance relationships and productivity

Learn how to:

• Segregate your different e-mail types to mitigate junk/spam problems
• Use embedded functions to enhance productivity and efficiency.
• Build an intelligent and structured folder system for efficient filing and management

Randy integrates plenty of humor and real-world application into this quick-hitting session, and you will be buzzing with ideas for enhancing your MS Outlook usage and expertise.

Register Now!

Who Should Attend:  Everyone

Have questions about Copper Conferencing or need to do an audio conference or web meeting?  Contact a Conference Coach today.

Free Webinar: Optimizing Your Email: Time Management / Enhanced Productivity Strategies for MS Outlook & Entourage Users

Presented by: Randy Dean
Date: Thursday, October 1, 2009
Time: 11:00 am ET

Register Now!

Would you like to find an extra hour every day? In this free 60-minute webinar, Randy Dean shows several strategies and techniques on how MS Outlook can be a center point to an advanced personal productivity and time management system.

Randy helps you understand how the functions within Microsoft Outlook were designed for enhanced productivity. Randy’s Optimizing Your Outlook course covers fully integrating Outlook including:

• Getting the most usability and functionality out of your Outlook
• Setting up your “Tasks” function for prioritized project/client action
• Getting your most important personal and professional projects integrated within your Task list
• Utilizing key features in your Calendar to increase personal and professional effectiveness
• “Clearing your mind of the clutter” by effectively using the Notes function
• Enhancing the information capabilities of your Contacts function to enhance relationships and productivity

Learn how to:

• Segregate your different e-mail types to mitigate junk/spam problems
• Use embedded functions to enhance productivity and efficiency.
• Build an intelligent and structured folder system for efficient filing and management

Randy integrates plenty of humor and real-world application into this quick-hitting session, and you will be buzzing with ideas for enhancing your MS Outlook usage and expertise.

Register Now!

Who Should Attend:  Everyone

Have questions about Copper Conferencing or need to do an audio conference or web meeting?  Contact a Conference Coach today.

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.