Ohio State’s audio conference bridge enables you to conduct conference calls with multiple people simultaneously. The system bridges up to 55 participants at one time, no matter where they are located globally! The conference bridge is easy to use and an inexpensive way to conduct meetings, interviews and more. Two types of conference calls are available: Meet-Me Conference Calling and Operator Assisted Conference Calling.
Meet-Me Conference Calls and Costs
On a Meet-Me Conference Call, each participant is provided with a unique meeting ID number for the conference call. The participant then dials into the teleconference bridge at the prearranged meeting time. Meet-Me calls can take place 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Costs for a Meet-Me Conference Call include:
Port Fees: $4.45 per hour for each port used(one port is needed for each participant).* Port fees are billed to the person ordering the conference call.
Long Distance Charges: Each participant calling in from a long distance location is responsible for their own long distance charges incurred.
Operator Assisted Conference Calls and Costs
An Operator Assisted Conference Call is coordinated by one of Ohio State’s Directory Assistance Operators who contacts each participant to establish the call. Operator Assisted calls are available between 8:00am and 4:00pm, EST, Monday through Friday. Costs for an Operator Assisted Conference Call include:
Port Fees:$4.45 per hour for each port used (one port is needed for each participant).* Port fees are billed to the person ordering the conference call.
Long Distance Charges: The person ordering the conference call is responsible for all participants' long distance charges and provides the Directory Assistance Operator with a Long Distance Authorization Code to establish the call.
The Conference Bridge also offers several optional features so that you may customize your conference call. Contact the Directory Assistance Staff at 614-292-6446 to learn more about this service and the features available.
Scheduling a Conference Call
You can schedule a Meet-Me or Operator Assisted conference call by contacting Ohio State’s Directory Assistance Staff at 614-292-6446. You must be a current OSU faculty or staff member to order this service. A maximum of 55 ports are available, depending on other requests previously received. Ports are filled on a first request, first serve basis. Please contact us several business days in advance of your requested conference call date. This will help ensure that the number of ports you require are available at the time you need them and provide us ample time to schedule your request. When placing your request, we will need the following Chart Field information for billing purposes: Org #, Fund #. We will also need the date and time of your conference call, the number of ports you will need, and contact information.
*Billing and Cancellation Policies
As of July 1, 2006, a new cancellation policy and a revised billing policy went into effect to ensure that campus customers can maximize use of the audio conference bridge as a shared resource. As of July 1, customers will be billed for the resources scheduled (number of ports and length of time), regardless of whether all resources are used, unless the Directory Assistance staff is notified one business day in advance of the scheduled call to change or cancel it. Customers will also be billed for any additional ports or time used during the call (depending on resource availability). Should you need to cancel a conference call, we request notice of at least one business day in advance of the scheduled call. If we do not receive a cancellation notice one business day before the scheduled call, or if no one dials into the call, you will still be charged for the full conference call as previously scheduled.
Conference Bridge Instructions
Instructional information will be either faxed or emailed to the contact person prior to the scheduled call.
If your call is a Meet-me call, the instructional information should be shared with the other conference call participants.
If your call is an Operator Assisted Call, one of our Directory Assistance Operators will establish the call by contacting each participant at your designated start time.
Additional Important User Tips:
The audio conference bridge will terminate your call if:
No one has signed in within 15 minutes of the scheduled starting time, OR
If all participants signed into a call, hang up
A conference call CANNOT be restarted. If you plan on having more than one session, at least one participant must remain signed in to keep the conference call running.
NOTE: As of July 1, 2006, the conference bridge will extend your call only once for a 15 minute period. At the end of the 15-minute period, the system will automatically terminate your conference call, unless you call the Directory Assistance Operators to request a time extension. The time extension must be requested prior to the call being terminated and ports must be available to extend the call. You will not be billed for the 15-minute courtesy time extension whether you use it or not.
If participants experience any problems or if you need to make changes to a scheduled conference call, please contact Ohio State’s Directory Assistance Operators at 614-292-6446. The Operators are available between 8:00am to 4:00pm, EST, Monday through Friday.
