Why do I hate conference calls? I’ll tell you why:
1. I am a journalist.
2. I interview people so I need to be able to hear the interviewee (strange that).
3. Many are phone interviews.
4. If the quality of the phone call isn’t good enough we would try another
number.
5. If the phone call is clear – great! – I can successfully complete point 2.
6. At times PRs “insist” on a conference call so their clients can eavesdrop on the interview.
7. Conference calls ALWAYS have atrocious voice quality for whatever reasons, ALWAYS! And it’s ALWAYS the important person that’s the worst quality!
8. See point 1.
9. See point 2.
10. If I can’t hear a bloody word the interviewee is saying how can I do point 2 effectively???!!!
Would a truck driver set off with flat tyres? Maybe one day the PR fraternity will get this through its thick skulls, but until then I’ll have to go back to my no conference call policy.
Alternatively, I’d love to write about a vendor offering crystal clear conference calls but no such one exists from my experience – yes, that includes the well known networking and telephony vendors.
Perhaps we should have a conference call to discuss this further 😉
