Challenges met
 Dennis Beeman is Director
of Christian Formation for the Catholic Diocese of Richmond,
Virginia. His office needs to communicate with people who are spread
over a geographical area that is about 200 miles deep and 500 miles wide.
If they were to have a face-to-face meeting, some people would need to drive
6 hours to join everyone at a central location! Overcoming this challenge
is what led Dennis to begin using Telebridge Teleconferencing in March of
2001. Dennis and Telebridge customer, John Reid of Seattle, were on a board
together and John recommended Telebridge as a solution to Dennis' challenge.
Cost
Analysis
Dennis first checked out his local teleconferencing service with a major phone company. He says, "The large phone company is much more expensive to set up. What you have to go through to do a conference call is extensive."
Now his various committees, with members from all across the diocese, meet regularly on Telebridge. "People don't spend their time on the road. We can brainstorm, have meetings, be involved very easily." They meet at least once a month, sometimes as many as four times in a month, covering the many topics on their agendas. Dennis' office buys calling cards for committee members at a cost of as little as 5-6 cents per minute and says, "With a bridge fee of only $5 or $10 an hour, it is very reasonable."
Teleconferencing
simplified
Their calls are informal. Dennis states, "We set an agenda in advance, spend about 4-5 minutes waiting for people to join, catch up with each other, 'How are you?' Our best calls have an agenda and a facilitator. Having a facilitator keeps us focused. One of the skills of the facilitator is to be attentive to who is doing most of the talking. Make sure everyone gets a chance to talk. And keep people from straying off topic. Usually we cover everything we need to cover. Sometimes we finish early!" Dennis sounds pleased when he says, "We just get on and talk."
All
about service
Using Telebridge Teleconferencing has had benefits for the diocese committee members. As Dennis explains it, "We're all about service. The more we can get the local people involved in the greater diocese, the better. We not only listen to them, but are getting them involved in the service. When they feel listened to and involved, the product gets that much better!"
Want to learn more about Telebridge Teleconferencing
in actual day-to-day use? Stay tuned for our next installment of Telebridge
Briefing. You can always call (503-335-3442) or write the
help desk!
Meg, Telebridge Operations
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