often need to share something on my desktop with several remote customers, vendors or colleagues. I prefer face-to-face communication, but time and expense don't always allow for that. Phone calls are a great alternative. Some conference calls work even better, but sometimes you just need a picture to save "a thousand words."

At Nubrek we market a Web application, and it's challenging to convey the effectiveness of our tool over the phone. Several months ago, we decided to take the plunge and invest in a Web conferencing tool.

Web conferencing tools allow people to host meetings on computers. A person sets up a meeting on one computer, and attendees access and view the meeting remotely through different computers, provided they have current Web browsers and high-speed Internet connections.

A versatile tool

At first glance, you might not think your business needs a Web conferencing tool. But when was the last time you had to show someone how to read a transaction report or help process a charge through a customer's online gateway? With Web conferencing, you can share browsers, PDF reports and presentations. You can also walk participants through a procedure online.

Common extra Web conferencing features are real-time polls for polling attendees and markers or pointers for highlighting or pointing to specific areas on the screen.

There are many ways to use online Web conferencing tools. I've used them to give presentations from my desk and from airport gates. On occasion I've even given a presentation at a customer's site and used a Web conference to help tie in remote offices. Web conferencing can also be used for:

• Training: If you have a new product to use in house, all employees can log on for the demo or training.

• Taped demos: Web conferencing tools can tape conferences, so anyone unable to make the first viewing can catch up later.

• Interactivity: The person holding a meeting can pass control to another user. This way everyone has an opportunity to present. All meeting participants can also chat via a simple instant messenger (IM) tool during the meeting if they wish to have a side conversation with the presenter or another attendee.

• Sales: Whether you're selling an online shopping cart or helping users configure the merchant services component of an application, Web conferencing is a critical tool for performing demos remotely. Perhaps you just want to walk a customer through an online product brochure. Using this, you can control what the customer sees and when they see it.

• Customer support: Web conferencing is an effective way to provide customer support. If customers have requests, they can hop onto a Web meeting via a link from a home page to a Web conference.

Product rundown

At Nubrek we sought an application for use in walking one or two customers at a time through a live product demo. We also wanted a tool to help us answer technical questions. We evaluated four Web conferencing products; here is a review of each one followed by a chart comparing key features.

Live Meeting

Live Meeting is Microsoft Corp.'s Web conferencing solution. I found the system a bit cumbersome to set up. I requested a demo and realized I had to install software which never fully installed. For an unlimited number of meetings with up to 15 attendees, I was told the fee is "about $212 per month." Recording a session incurs an additional $220 charge. I had a very difficult time locating a sales rep to answer my questions and found the company's response time very slow. Live Meeting offers the option to screen users before they access the meeting. This can be helpful if you're holding a very large Webinar. The Internet Audio Broadcast feature allows presenters to stream audio over the Internet, enabling users who don't have PCs to listen through ordinary speakers. However, most of these additional features cost extra.

• Pros: Live Meeting sends Outlook-friendly meeting invites, helping people remember upcoming meetings.

• Cons: The application is challenging to set up, and support is an issue. It doesn't support Firefox.

For more information, visit www.livemeeting.com

WebEx

WebEx is probably the most well known conferencing tool. I spoke to one sales rep several times, and each time he was very professional and extremely helpful. The company provides all the support you need to get up and running.

WebEx also provides several pricing options. You can use this application for $0.35 per minute per logged-in user, or you can purchase packs of minutes. It also has pricing tiers, where for a certain amount of money you can have unlimited meetings. For $350 per month, five administrators can host unlimited meetings for up to 15 logged-in users. Audio costs $0.13 more per minute.

The pay-as-you-go option seems reasonable; however, don't forget that you are paying $0.35 per minute for each logged-in user. For a 20-minute conference with 10 attendees, you are looking at $70.

Both WebEx and Live Meeting have event center tools for hosting large meetings. For an additional fee, invitations to this meeting are sent out from the application itself. WebEx has a fleet of separate applications all designed to meet specific needs: Meeting Center, Event Center, Training Center, Support Center and Sales Center. In addition to Outlook integration, WebEx recently integrated with Lotus Notes.

• Pros: WebEx is a comprehensive conferencing tool. This system is an industry standard, so it's likely to be familiar to attendees. The pay-as-you-go feature can be great if you only use it once a month.

• Cons: There appear to be numerous hidden charges. Some appealing features cost extra, but the pricing isn't always clear.

For more information visit, www.webex.com

Infinite Conferencing

Infinite Conferencing gave us a meeting where up to five users can log in for a flat monthly fee of $50. For up to 10 users, the cost is only $100. Recording is $1.99 per minute, and a phone conferencing call is $0.15 per minute per user.

Within the system, you can send a meeting invite via e-mail to any user; invitees then follow a link to log into the system. For $500 the folks at Infinite Conferencing will custom build an interface, so customers can access conferences from your Web site.

Customer service at this company is unparalleled. Our reps answered every question to our satisfaction. In addition, they let us demo the product for a few conferences until we were confident we liked the tool.

Setup was extremely easy, and each e-mail or phone inquiry we placed received a prompt response. As a side note, the company doesn't provide traditional video conferencing but can help you get set up with an adjunct recording application they sell.

• Pros: Infinite Conferencing has excellent prices if you want the flexibility to host unlimited meetings at a very low price. It also has great customer support.

• Cons: While you can publish documents using Firefox, you can't use Firefox to host conferences.

For more details, visit www.infiniteconferencing.com

Convoq (ASAP Pro)

Convoq is geared primarily for sales organizations; it provides advanced IM with video conferencing capabilities. The company's sales strategy is novel in that it provides a link on its Web site that allows customers to conference directly with a sales rep. It's always good to see companies that depend on their own products.

Convoq integrates with SalesForce.com's SellASAP for AppExchange. For this service, the pricing is a bit steeper. Voice conferencing is $0.099 per minute per connection through Premier Global. Convoq connects to IM chats but doesn't recognize Trillian, my preferred IM tool. If you already make a lot of sales via your Web site, this might be worth a look.

• Pros: Convoq offers video streaming and integrates with SalesForce.com. Convoq does an excellent job with customer service; calls are routed to the next available customer service rep qualified to answer the questions at hand.

• Cons: Convoq's interface is very different from other applications we've used. Price might also become an issue.

Visit www.convoq.com for more information.

Tips and tricks

Here are several shortcuts and tips we've found to enhance our Web conferencing:

• Give attendees 5 to 10 minutes before the actual meeting time to get the Web conferencing application installed. Otherwise, your meeting will be delayed.

• Screen resolution is important. My laptop has a high resolution. Before Web conferences I reduce it to 1024 x 768 to make sure the conferencing pages will fit on all screens.

• Use your own phone line or conference line to hold a Web conference and conduct meetings. This can radically reduce conferencing rates.

• Use a computer video capture program, like Macromedia Flash, to record online sessions or trainings.

• Hold smaller sessions. When you're doing a demo with a few people it's easier to keep a pulse on the audience. If you must demo to a large audience, try to use the polling feature to tailor your presentation to the audience.

Wrap-up

This article is by no means comprehensive; there are other tools available for Web conferencing. They all do roughly the same thing, with a few extra bells and whistles on the pricier products. For value and service, we found Infinite Conferencing to have the best product for our needs.

Each of these products comes with a free trial. If you think this tool set could complement your business processes, spend time exploring one or two of these products, and perhaps try them out with a few customers.

The more we use Web conferencing, the more uses we find for it. At the end of the day, technology can save you money and time, but it is important to make sure the tools you use enhance customer satisfaction and your bottom line.

Joel Rydbeck, Chief Technology Officer of Nubrek Inc., brings his strong background in e-commerce and business process automation to the merchant services industry. Nubrek offers eISO, a Web application for ISOs that tracks leads and provides automated residual and commission reports. For more information on eISO or to view a free demo, visit www.nubrek.com/eiso.html . E-mail Rydbeck at joel@nubrek.com