Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Get Answers to the most frequently asked questions about ClearMeeting™
ClearMeeting™ Overview
What is ClearMeeting™?
What is a Slide Show, in contrast to an event or meeting?
Are my Slide Shows saved on the ClearMeeting™ server?
How do most people use ClearMeeting™?
What makes ClearMeeting™ different than its competitors?
What types of customers find ClearMeeting™ the best fit for their needs?
What types of customers find ClearMeeting™ is NOT the best fit for their needs?
Getting Started and Purchasing ClearMeeting™
How is ClearMeeting™ priced?
What is the monthly subscription plan vs. a prepaid account?
Do I need to sign a long term contract?
How do I customize ClearMeeting™ with my company logo or my photo?
Technical Questions
What are the system requirements for a meeting Presenter?
What are the system requirements for meeting Participants?
Who needs the ClearMeeting™ Launcher download?
Troubleshooting - my Participant can't see the meeting I started
Troubleshooting - one Participant says the Slide Show isn't advancing to the next slide
Using ClearMeeting™
As a Presenter, how do I get into the ClearMeeting™ tool to create or run a meeting?
What is a Slide Show, in contrast to an event or meeting?
What are the different ways I can invite people to join the meeting as Participants?
How much training is needed to use ClearMeeting™?
Billing Questions
If I need additional services above and beyond my regular subscription (special events, custom training, premium support, etc.), how will I be billed?
What does ClearMeeting™ mean by "No Hidden Charges"?
How can I increase or decrease my capacity for my month-to-month subscription?
How can I increase or decrease my capacity for a 10-Month prepaid subscription?
May I cancel my 10-Month prepaid subscription and receive a refund?
How do I change the credit card or billing information on my account?
Will I receive a receipt for my transaction?
Do you keep my credit card on file?
How do I cancel my paid monthly subscription?
Will I be charged anything after I cancel my paid subscription?
What happens when my 10-Month prepaid subscription expires?
Who can help me answer any other billing questions?
ClearMeeting™ Overview
What is ClearMeeting™?
ClearMeeting™ is a tool that allows you to create and run your own online meetings and presentations. It adds a variety of visual elements (PowerPoint® slide shows, graphics slides, Web tours) and interactive elements (chat room, instant polls, surveys, etc.) to make traditional conference calls more productive.
What is a Slide Show, in contrast to an event or meeting?
A Slide Show is something you create in advance of a meeting - and it lasts after the meeting is over and may be reused. A Slide Show is Meeting Content + Meeting Formats. Meeting Content consists of PowerPoint® or graphical (GIF or JPEG) slides, Web tour pages and Survey pages. Meeting Format consists of your checkmark selection of various attributes - for example, do you want this to be a shared Slide Show that your colleagues may use to run meetings? Once you create a Slide Show, you and your colleagues may use it over and over to conduct any number of live events or meetings (including simultaneous meetings with different groups of Participants). You build a Slide Show by first uploading a PowerPoint® presentation, and then adding surveys or Web tour pages, and then selecting preferences such as the amount of required registration data for Participants.
Are my Slide Shows saved on the ClearMeeting™ server?
Yes, until you delete a Slide Show you created, it is saved for your future use -- or, if you designated it to be a Shared Slide Show, it is also saved for the future use of your colleagues. Think of it as an alphabetized collection or Slide Show Library with all of the Slide Shows available for you to conduct your meetings and presentations. Shared Slide Shows may be scheduled and run as meetings by any Presenter on your account, however only the creator of a Slide Show may edit or delete it.
How do most people use ClearMeeting™?
Most people use ClearMeeting™ in conjunction with a traditional telephone call or conference call. Typical uses for the Slide Show product include: sales prospecting, sales presentations, webinars, multi-office meetings (sales staff training and weekly meetings, 401(k) reviews and benefits meetings, marketing meetings, company policy and compliance).
Most people already have their own commitments or options to purchase traditional phone services - so we focus on providing a webconferencing tool to meet the needs of sales professionals and small and medium businesses. We are not trying to sell you telephone service.
What makes ClearMeeting™ different than its competitors?
ClearMeeting™ is optimized for sales prospecting and presenations - it eliminates technical barriers for your audience. ClearMeeting™ is the best overall value for small and medium businesses with a variety of webconferencing needs - and ClearMeeting™ has NO hidden costs. ClearMeeting™ is backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee -- within 60 days of signup, we will completely refund the amount you spent on ClearMeeting™ if it doesn't meet your needs.
What types of customers find ClearMeeting™ the best fit for their needs?
ClearMeeting™ is ideal for sales professionals and other business people who want to add slide shows and graphics to their phone calls.
Typical job titles of Presenters using ClearMeeting™ include those with responsibility in the following areas: sales and marketing; eCommerce; corporate communications; training; event planning; project management; human resources; technology/telecommunications.
Anyone needing to reach a universal audience - for example, for sales prospectors and webinar leaders - makes a perfect match for ClearMeeting™. We achieve nearly Universal Reach with our Slide Show product(minimal bandwidth, no downloads or hidden downloads, compatible for Participants running Wintel, Apple and Linux computers).
ClearMeeting™ is also a good fit for individual employees and departments within large companies who are unhappy with their online meeting tool, or whose access to the tool is limited for budgetary or other reasons. For these employees and departments, ClearMeeting™ is an extra tool they easily expense with a credit card purchase - there's no need for an enterprise rollout to use ClearMeeting™.
What types of customers find ClearMeeting™ is NOT the best fit for their needs?
ClearMeeting™ is not suitable for customers needing Deskop Sharing. ClearMeeting™ is often NOT the best fit for running online universities - other tools are designed specifically for that market. ClearMeeting™ does not have archiving capabilities, so it is not suitable for someone who only needs an authoring tool to create "canned" presentations. ClearMeeting™ is not currently on the GSA schedule for government purchasers. ClearMeeting™ is not intended as an enterprise solution for large corporations.
Getting Started and Purchasing ClearMeeting™
How is ClearMeeting™ priced?
ClearMeeting™ Express pricing is primarily a function of the number of Presenters who need access to ClearMeeting™ -- you pay a fee for each Presenter based on activating that Presenter's login. The login is the same email address that the Presenter uses for his or her salesforce.com login address. Since ClearMeeting™ Express is optimized for sales professionals, there is a low cost option to allow each sales rep to conduct small scale prospecting and presentations, along with higher cost options for sales managers and marketing managers to conduct team meetings, webinars, and larger presentations. Please see Web site "How to Buy" section for current details. Pricing subject to change.
What is a monthly subscription plan vs. a prepaid account?
You may choose from a monthly subscription plan, or pre-pay for 10 months and receive two months free. No long term contract is required, however you receive a discount when you make a 10 month prepaid purchase.
Do I need to sign a long term contract?
No, you don't need to make any purchase commitment or sign a long term contract. However, you do receive a discount when you make a 10 month prepaid purchase.
How do I customize ClearMeeting™ with my company logo or my photo?
After logging in to the Slide Show, go to the MyAccount tab and you'll see the field where you can upload a photo of yourself or a logo of your company. Then, when your Participants log in to your Slide Show meeting, they will see the photo or logo you uploaded in the upper right hand portion of their screen. This is a great way to make the meeting more personal and customized for your needs.
Technical Questions
What are the system requirements for a meeting Presenter?
ClearMeeting™ requires average system resources for the Presenter. A Presenter's experience will depend on a combination of system resources (primarily available memory, and lack of spyware/malware) and the quality of Internet connectivity. Please see specifics below:
- Minimum Hardware Requirements: PC with Pentium II Processor running at 400 Mhz., 64 MB RAM, Optimal Hardware: PC with Pentium III or newer, 128 MB RAM, or greater. Presenters need to maintain their hardware (e.g., deleting spyware) so that memory and other system resources are actually available to ClearMeeting™.
- Minimum Software Requirements: Windows 95 and above, Microsoft Internet Explorer browser version 6 or above; PowerPoint® to create, edit and upload PowerPoint® slides; and the ClearMeeting™ Launcher download. Special Requirements: Not supporting Windows ME or Windows XP Home Office operating software. Not supporting Linux or Mac OS desktops (unless running a Windows emulator).
- Minimum Connectivity: A minimum connection speed of 28.8 kbps is required. Optimal Connectivity: any type of broadband connection with steady throughput.
What are the system requirements for meeting Participants?
ClearMeeting™ Slide Show is nearly universal for Participants. A Participant's experience will depend on a combination of system resources (primarily available memory and lack of spyware/malware) and the quality of Internet connectivity. Please see specifics below:
- Minimum Hardware Requirements: As a rule of thumb, Participants may use any Mac or PC machine purchased within the last 7 years. Works well with as little as a Pentium PC running at 166 Mhz with 32 MB of RAM. Optimal Hardware: PC with Pentium III, 128 MB RAM, or greater.
- Minimum Software Requirements: Any common operating system: Windows 95 or above, or any Linux or Mac OS. Any common Web browser: Microsoft Internet Explorer 4 and above, Firefox, Safari, or Netscape 4.x and above.
- Special Requirements: Recommended screen size 1024 x 768 to eliminate scroll bars. XP users must turn off Fast User Switching.
- Minimum and Optimal Connectivity: Same as for the Presenter, as described above.
Who needs the ClearMeeting™ Launcher download?
The Presenter must have the download in order to upload slide show presentations.
Troubleshooting - my Participant can't see the meeting I started
Make sure all Participants are accessing the same Meeting ID number when they sign on. The Meeting ID number will be your permanent 5 digit number you received at signup.
Troubleshooting - one Participant says the Slide Show isn't advancing to the next slide
If a Participant's Internet connection is very slow or intermittent (i.e., the data goes through in large bursts, rather than in a steady fashion), a slide may occasionally "hang" or seem to get stuck for that Participant. Simply ask the Participant to manually refresh his screen, by clicking the Refresh button near the bottom of his screen. The slide will then advance. (This applies only when the Presenter is in Presenter Push mode, meaning the radio button in the upper right of their screen shows "ON" for Presenter Push. If Presenter Push is "OFF", then each Participant will control the pace of their slides with Forward and Back arrows that replace the Refresh button.)
Using ClearMeeting™
As a Presenter, how do I get into the ClearMeeting™ tool to create or run a meeting?
Please follow the instructions when you sign up, or on the Quick Start Guides. To summarize, to create or start a Slide Show meeting, you may login either at the ClearMeeting™ web site (www.clearmeeting.com) or via the Launcher.
How do I start a meeting?
To start a ClearMeeting™, you may login either at the ClearMeeting™ web site (www.clearmeeting.com) or via the Launcher. Once you are at the Slide Show home page, simply click on the Start button next to the Slide Show you wish to run. That will take you to your Meeting Lobby -- when you're ready to move from the Meeting Lobby into the presentation itself, simply click the large Start button in the lobby.
What is a Slide Show, in contrast to an event or meeting?
A Slide Show is something you create in advance of a meeting - and it lasts after the meeting is over and may be reused. A Slide Show is Meeting Content + Meeting Formats. Meeting Content consists of PowerPoint® or graphical (GIF or JPEG) slides, Web tour pages and Survey pages. Meeting Format consists of your checkmark selection of various attributes - for example, do you want this to be a shared Slide Show that your colleagues may use to run meetings? Once you create a Slide Show, you and your colleagues may use it over and over to conduct any number of live events or meetings (including simultaneous meetings with different groups of Participants). You build a Slide Show by first uploading a PowerPoint® presentation, and then adding surveys or Web tour pages, and then selecting preferences such as the amount of required registration data for Participants.
What are the different ways I can invite people to join the meeting as Participants?
There are three basic ways a Participant can join a meeting: 1) by downloading the meeting Launcher, and entering the Meeting ID number into the Launcher; 2) You send them an email invitation, generated by the ClearMeeting™ system, that includes a link to the meeting entry page; or 3) The Participant may join via the Attend a Meeting link at the ClearMeeting™ web site.
Regardless of how a Participant joins a meeting, they will ALWAYS need to use the Presenter's 5-Digit Meeting ID number to enter a Slide Show meeting.
How much training is needed to use ClearMeeting™?
ClearMeeting™ Slide Show is very intuitive - it requires no formal training if you are comfortable surfing the Internet and preparing PowerPoint® slide presentations. We do offer and encourage free training for frequent online communicators looking for tips and best practices.
Billing Questions
If I need additional services above and beyond my regular subscription (special events, custom training, premium support, etc.), how will I be billed?
You will be billed based on the posted rates - HOWEVER, a ClearMeeting™ Rep will first obtain your verbal authorization for any additional charge up to $100, and your written authorization (email, fax or mail) for any charges over $100.
What does ClearMeeting™ mean by "No Hidden Charges"?
We mean No Hidden Charges, Period. When you sign up for a particular capacity and corresponding price level - YOUR BILL WILL NEVER BE MORE, UNLESS YOU SPECIFICALLY AUTHORIZE THE INCREASE IN ADVANCE. We don't charge "overage fees" or "bucket breaker" fees. If you exceed your capacity beyond certain thresholds, we will contact you to request that you either increase your subscription level or be subject to a hard cap on your capacity.
How can I increase or decrease my capacity for my month-to-month subscription?
Simply email sales@ClearMeeting.com or contact your Personal Rep.
How can I increase my capacity for a 10-Month prepaid subscription?
Simply email sales@ClearMeeting.com or contact your Personal Rep. You may decrease the usage of your 10-Month prepaid subscription, however that will not generate a refund or credit for you.
May I cancel my 10-Month prepaid subscription and receive a refund?
No, ClearMeeting™ is a pre-paid service, and to provide the great values that we offer, we do not give refunds on prepaid subscriptions. Please purchase a month-to-month subscription if you are uncertain of whether ClearMeeting™ will meet your needs.
How do I change the credit card or billing information on my account?
Please email info@ClearMeeting.com if you have more questions, or contact your friendly Personal Rep.
Will I receive a receipt for my transaction?
Upon request, you will receive an email receipt for your transaction. Otherwise, your credit card transaction record is your proof of purchase.
Do you keep my credit card on file?
No, for your protection we don't keep your credit card on file, although we do keep some partial data such as the last 4 digits. If you sign up for a recurring month-to-month purchase, your credit card information is conveyed to our credit card processing company to establish the recurring transaction, however we do not maintain all of the card information in our databases. So, if you make additional purchases, we will ask you to re-enter your credit card information.
How do I cancel my paid monthly subscription?
Simply email sales@ClearMeeting.com or contact your Personal Rep.
Will I be charged anything for my subscription after I cancel it?
If you cancel by the 20th day of any month, you will not be charged for the next month. If you cancel on the 21st day through the last day of the month, you will be charged for one additional month. Subscriptions are a prepaid service, so we do not offer credits for unused services.
What happens when my 10-Month prepaid subscription expires?
If you purchase a 10-Month prepaid subscription, at expiration it will automatically be converted to a month-to-month subscription unless you either renew for a longer term or cancel. This prevents any interruption to your service, and saves your meeting data in ClearMeeting™.
Who can help me answer any other billing questions?
Please email info@ClearMeeting.com if you have more questions, or contact your friendly Personal Rep.
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