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VoiceCafe SalesMaster

Version 3.0
Web Conferencing is now available to everyone!
http://www.voicecafe.org/

VoiceCafe is a Web conferencing product line engineered and developed by Optecs, Opportunity Technologies and launched on January 26th 2001. Optecs considers itself a global Internet communication services company and it is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand.

VoiceCafe offers eight different Web conferencing products ranging from a basic audio and text chat conferencing tool to the sophisticated Office Master, TourMaster and SupportMaster which add Web touring, video feeds (up to four), whiteboard and annotation functions, file broadcasting and much more. You can see the list of Voicecafe products under the Cost section at the end of this review.

The basic functionalities available in most VoiceCafe Web conferencing products include Web touring, audio over IP and text chat. Video is integrated in only some of the advanced products (VideoMaster, TourMaster, ClassMaster, OfficeMaster). Additional features such as the whiteboard, application sharing and remote control are being effectively achieved by integrating and leveraging third-party technologies (Whiteboarding by Groupboard.com, WebDemo by Linktivity.com - see detailed review in this report).

VoiceCafe products are reliable and cost-effective. VoiceCafe products stand particularly well among this new breed of SOHO-targeted communication tools that are accessible to individuals, professionals and small groups.

VoiceCafe underlying technology utilizes an effective audio streaming codec that works well even on low-bandwidth connections, down to 28.8 Kbps and below. The Web touring functionality is also well developed and offers an easy to use vehicle to show online content including Web sites, presentations or interactive materials.

VoiceCafe has taken a wise and smart approach to marketing its technology by highly differentiating its product line while leveraging one basic unique set of core technologies. Its set of tools covers all price ranges from 12.50/month (MyCom - 5 users) to $3750/month (OfficeMaster - 500 users) Price varies according to the type of functionalities needed and the size of the conference room.

As a matter of fact I believe that where VoiceCafe does best is in its middle-line products where their offerings is very competitive and cost-effective. The top of the line Tourmaster and ClassMaster or even the OfficeMaster may appear to be too expensive for any individual or professional (USD $ 125/month and up) but compared to "enterprise" systems cost this is still nothing.

Near perfect balance is achieved with the SalesMaster which best combines features, performance and cost-effectiveness. At USD $ 25.95/month for 5-users or at USD $ 39.95 for 10-users this is a quite valuable bargain that delivers what it promises to do.

Another very interesting product, the VoiceCafe OfficeMaster, which I review separately, is the top of the line product and combines state of the art application-sharing and remote control functionalities developed by Spartacom technologies. In this respect VoiceCafe breaks new and highly beneficial ground for the end user by making third-party technology, that is normally sold as a server license, accessible to many of us as a hosted service and at an accessible monthly rate that can be as low as USD $ 65/month for a 10-seat room (special offer valid until April 2003 - standard price is USD $ 125/month (for unlimited meetings).

The community of members promoting and supporting VoiceCafe is very tight and supportive of new users and it goes the "extra mile" to provide "transparent" answers and information on any of the products being sold. I found extreme friendliness and support in this small community and to be honest, I found the best customer support I could ever ask for.

Fast, responsive, generous, informal, and highly networked.

The VoiceCafe product line, like many others in this niche market (VCOM, Orbitalk, etc.), is mostly marketed through affiliate members in an effective MLM (multi-level marketing) scheme. While this does not apparently help the company achieve strong identity and credibility at first sight, it allows for a fast and highly distributed network of agents who work very hard at demonstrating and showcasing to their friends and colleagues the effective quality features available through this set of useful tools.

Overview