While conference calling has become widely used by numerous organizations and businesses nowadays, many still find it difficult to host or manage a conference call. In such cases, operator-assisted conferencing is used as an alternative or solution. An operator mainly provides professional support to the host of the call. In some services, the operator will not only assist with moderating the conference call but, if needed, they will also aid with planning large conferencing events from the beginning till the end.
Conferencing is now being used by big-time companies in order to hold business meetings from locations all around the world. Since these meetings usually contain sensitive company information, it is important for the conference call to remain secure as a data leak risks important company assets. Furthermore, more participants are likely to join the conference if their privacy is ensured. Maintaining a secure conference call might be difficult for moderators that lack experience with conferencing. Therefore, some rely on operators that know a lot about conference calls and how to better secure it.
Here are some ways how operator-assisted conferencing can strengthen the security of conference calls:
- Online Registration -Prior to the call, participants are requested to fill up a registration form asking for their information such as their full name, home or work address, and contact details. This helps the operator ensure that only invited guests are able to join the conference. Furthermore, it also helps with monitoring the participants in the call.
- Participant Screening -Aside from making sure if the ongoing conference call is secure, it is also important for the participants joining to be screened first. Before a participant can join a live call, an operator will ask them specific questions while confirming their identity in the process.
- Green Room - Some secure conference providers contain a feature called a green room. In this particular space, the participants are separated from the presenters. The presenters are given the opportunity to have a slight briefing with the operator before they proceed with the conference call. During this time, the presenters are free to discuss confidential information with the assurance that the guests won’t be able to hear or join in.The green room is also available after a call where the presenters can privately discuss what happened during the conferencing.
- Dial Out Service to Participants - To fully control participant access in conference calls, an operator can dial out to participants to directly connect them. Through this feature, the sharing of access information is limited, therefore, increasing the call’s security. Additionally, operators can also dial out to international participants.
- Call Hub Visual Call Monitoring - A conferencing host generally has a lot on their plates during the call so if they’re inexperienced, they might find it difficult to monitor everything. The task of monitoring can be given to the operator who can make sure that everyone necessary to the conference is present before the call begins using the information gathered during the online registration. In addition, the operator can immediately respond to requests as well as control who can be heard or not to avoid any interruptions.