Though it made a splash immediately, it is only over the last ten years that conference calling has really been catching on by a lot of businesses. Partly, this has been driven by the growth of the Internet and the growing availability of services from a large number of companies with varying service plans and costs. As by product of that, companies have also been able to save money and time by using these services as often as they can because of reduced travel and lost time.

While the case years ago were that setting up a call for a meeting took a lot of time and effort, it's much easier today. Today, it's a lot easier to pull people together for a quick call. Nowadays, situations that require rapid communications can be dealt with quickly and easily.

There are two common types of remote meetings today. The first type is the standard conference call services, which requires nothing other than a touch-tone capable telephone. Standard conference calling can be managed today via the Internet, or just by telephone. The second type is the video conference call. This is where people can see each other and talk. This was the standard technology in the late 1990s and early 2000's.

The video conference call has been enhanced since the widespread availability of the Internet, and inexpensive cameras that can be connected to personal computers, or built in webcams. With the latest technologies, people are able to meet face to face; much as if they were in the same room, and can share presentations, documents and so on.

For larger companies, some services also provide translation services as well, so that parties on the call that do not understand the speakers' language may understand what's being said. This, of course, is an additional service where translation is required, but that it is actually available is wonderful and aids to bridge any communications gap.

It is not only large companies and organizations that benefit from using these types of calls. As the appeal of telecommuting continues to grow, more and more scheduled and unscheduled calls and video conferences take place. This increases productivity and all sizes of organizations and saves time and money at the same time.

There are a couple other features which are also used frequently. They include call recording and playback capabilities, lecture mode and moderated calls where a service provider operator runs and manages the call with you, so that you can focus on your call, and they manage the lines and the call.

Conference calling has come on a long way since its beginnings, and the current state of the technology and services just keep getting better. Improving communications, saving time, saving money and making it easier for remote employees, business partners, family and friends stay in contact more easily are some incredible assets that this technology brings to everyone who uses it.