Easily host big conference calls in Skype
Ever had trouble starting up a big conference call?
We have developed an experimental feature to allow you to host big group conference calls in an easier way, with no need to rely on people picking up the call when you start.
All you have to do is distribute one easy link to all participants - for participants, it's just one click to join the call.
By default, an audio conference call will be created, but if any of the participants has a Premium subscription for Group Video Calls then you can easily turn on video at any point in the call.
Hosting a conference call with automatic answering
To start the call, type the following in the group you want to invite to the call:
/golive TOKEN
where TOKEN is a name for the call, e.g. weekly_team_meeting
and press Enter.
This will enable the hosting Skype to automatically answer calls from people who call in using the special link.
skype:echo123?call&token=TOKEN
Send this link to the group (or to anyone else you want to join in the call).
You may also distribute the call link without executing the golive command. If you do this, you'll need to answer the first incoming call for the conference - all the additional persons will be added automatically.
Participating in a conference
All you have to do is click on the link distributed by the call host. It's as simple as that.
Supported Skype versions
Skype 5.0 for Windows and Skype 5.0 for Mac support both creating and participating in conference calls via these links.
In addition you are able to join conference calls from Skype 4.2 for Windows and Skype 2.8 for Mac. This feature is currently not supported on Skype mobile apps or on Skype for Linux.
Enjoy and let us know what you think about this feature.