The littlest things bring me such joy.
One of the bains of my existence has been making it simpler to get to conference calls when I’m mobile. I want to be able to do so without having to plan in advance to have the conference call number and access code written down somewhere. I want my calendar app to do the work for me. I don’t want to have to jump back and forth between my event details and the phone to type in the access code either. What’s a boy to do?
Setting up a Google Calendar event to notify me that the call is coming is simple enough. I have 2 text messages sent to me to alert me, one 3o minutes before the call and one 5 minutes before the call. I’ve been putting the phone number and access code in the event title for some time, so I have it there in the text message. That has made it simple to dial the number, but still not so simple to easily grab the access code.
So, my event titles have looked something like this: Conference Call: 1-555-867-5309 code: 333-444-555. I’d then just click on the number and try to remember the access code, often having to jump back and forth between the text message and the iPhone’s onscreen number pad. That got me close, but not all the way there.
The power of the comma.
Today, while watching the Speek.com app dial a predefined number, the solution to my “problem” became obvious – commas. I’m not sure why I hadn’t thought of this before. I have used commas to place pauses when dialing phone numbers via computers in the past, I just never made the connection to the iPhone. Today, I entered the event tile like this: Conference Call 1-555-867-5309, 333444555#, 1#. To my glee, the entire number/symbol string came across as one clickable link in the text message alert.
Clicking on the link dialed the number, paused, put in the access code, hit #, paused, then confirmed that the code was correct and hit # again. It did all of that without my having to input a single digit on my iPhone. It was a little piece of digital life easing magic.
Yes, these little things bring me joy. I hope it brings you joy as well. 🙂
Nerd. 🙂
Nerd lover.
Excellent tip – this has been a huge pain point of mine. Trying to join conf. calls in the car is often a nightmare.
As an aside, very cool that you are using Flare. I’m working with the guys at digital-telepathy who build it 🙂
Ditto on the car issue. This solves that. And, I don’t remember why I started using Flare, but I like it.
Really useful tip. These little things also bring me joy.
Glad I could help and great to see your name here. 🙂
That’s a great tip Jeff. But as a recommendation take a look at UberConference for ones you control. No need for a code! Our entire team uses is now. Truly awesome.
It’s not the ones under my control I worry about. 🙂 I tried UberConference in the past. For my voice only calls now, I’m using Speek.com. No code there either.
So simple when you think about it, but it took you to think about it. Nice one Jeff, I’ll be using that one 🙂
Simple is hard. 🙂
Simple, yet brilliant.
The Semicolon will include a “Wait” which actually prompts you to click to send the next string (conf code;conf id) just in case the “pause” is too short an amount of time in the dialing sequence.
Simply replace the the commas with semicolons in the string exemplified above.
I second the semicolon
ex: 1-800-321-0987;92834758
It works on iPhone, giving you a button to press when you want the phone to enter the conf code. I am trying to discover if it works on android and other platforms.
Also, two commas often helps if a pause is not long enough
ex: 1-800-321-0987,,92834758
Jeff, could you update your post to give people this added info?