News: Improved Meeting Invitations & New Access Lines

This week we offer several items of news arising from the continuing evolution of ZipDX:

1. Better Meeting Invitations Using Country Codes
2. Localization – Not Just Limited to Multilingual Conferences
3. International Access Lines

The first two are functional extensions of the system that makes international conference call invitations both simpler and more useful.

The last is an update on recent changes to the ZipDX network of global access lines.

1. Better Meeting Invitations Using Country Codes

In an effort to better personalize meeting invitations we’ve recently added a new “Country Code Only” option to the dialing options contained in the personal profile.

Setting the  country code lets you tell the system where the new participant is located, even if you don’t know, or don’t wish to enter, their phone number.

When the participant is invited to a meeting the system sends an invitation that includes dial-in details. In the past, the system would try to infer their location by evaluating the phone numbers in their profile.

If there were one or more phone numbers to be examined, the system could send a personalized email invitation, including the appropriate dial-in details for their location.

If there were no phone numbers in the profile the system could not determine their location, so it defaulted to sending dial-in details appropriate for the US and Canada. If the participant was elsewhere this could be confusing.

Updated Registration Process with 3 Options

The updated registration process now offers three options for the “Dialing Option” setting:

1. Auto-ID & Call-Me
2. Auto-ID only
3. Country Code Only

Selecting Country Code Only allows you to enter just the country code for the location of the participant. This gives the system definitive information from which to determine the dial-in details that should be send in meeting invitations.

An Example – Invite Dave Matthews to a Conference Call

Consider as an example that I’d like to invite musician Dave Matthews to a conference call. I have his email address, but I don’t know his phone number. I happen to know that on that day he’ll be at his vacation home in South Africa.

I begin by using the Pre-Register a Participant link in the upper right corner of my ZipDX home page. In the resulting form I add his details, selecting Country Code Only and entering +27, which is the country code for South Africa, as shown below.

Now when I add Dave to the call he will get an email that includes the specifics of how he should collect. It tells him that he should dial-in (YOU CALL US) to the South African access line in Johannesburg, which is provided.

He doesn’t have to click on a link to look up the appropriate access line, although the link is still provided as a convenience. Further, there’s absolutely nothing to suggest that he has to make an international call to join the call.

2. Even Better: Localization

While we’re thinking about pre-registering participants, the setting for Preferred Language now has more impact than ever before. It’s function is not limited to just multilingual conferences.

The system now uses the Preferred Language setting in the creation of the meeting invitation message. If the participant prefers French the email they receive will be in French, as shown below.

3. International Access Lines

The global telephone network is a complex and ever-changing place. We’re continuously working to refine our network and better address the connectivity needs of our customers.

To that end, we’ve been making some changes to the ZipDX network of international access lines. We’ve expanded our reach, adding a number of new international access lines.

In the past we’ve noted that calling toll-free numbers can be tricky in distant lands, especially from mobile phones. To address this reality we’ve added some non-toll-free access lines in a few places where we have previously offered only toll-free lines.

For example, the new access line in India, located in Delhi, augments our existing toll-free access in the country. This gives participants who find that they can’t access our toll-free line from the mobile phone an alternative way to dial-in.

Similarly, we’ve added an access line in Moscow, augmenting the existing Russian toll-free access line. A new access line in Kuala Lumpur joins the existing Malaysian toll-free access line.

We’ve also made many changes to our existing network of access lines. It’s worth noting that the most current list of access lines is always available online.

How can we help?

If you have questions about any aspect of ZipDX please contact our support team at:

• 1-888-947-3955,
• Or, +1-312-348-8175,
• Or, email support@zipdx.com.

We’re here to help you get down to business.