On Thursday January 7, one of the worst days for weather conditions last week, the number of people on the phone on conference calls went up by 35 per cent, with one major UK company having more than 3,000 of its workforce on conference calls at the same time.
Just the day before, the insurer RSA predicted severe snow could cost the UK economy £690 million a day, while the Federation of Small Businesses estimated one in 10 employees did not make it into work.
As the snow fell during the week there was an almost 40 per cent increase in sales enquiries to BT Conferencing as people, who could not get into the office or people who wanted to meet with other people who were unable to get in, called to open an account.
BT has launched a special offer, Beat the Big Freeze, so that new users can try BT’s instant audio conferencing service free of charge until the end of January and see how it can keep their business moving through the winter weather.Customers should visit: www.btconferencing.co.uk/free-conferencing-until-the-end-of-january-2010 for details.
Aaron McCormack, CEO of BT Conferencing, said: “You don't have to be in the office to get your work done and as the weather continues its hold on the UK the benefits of conferencing have now really become apparent for many of our customers. We have full global access from around the world enabling this to be a truly international service.”
BT Conferencing handles more than 15 million audio conferences, involving 60 million people in the UK every year.
The BT MeetMe audio conferencing service means businesses can hold a meeting at any time for up to 40 people. BT offers free training and meetings can be recorded for those unable to join in at the time.