In case you haven’t heard, this October is FreeConferenceCall.com’s 15th anniversary. And, we’ve been celebrating in style. Founder and CEO, David Erickson, has a special thank-you for our customers around the world.
Fifteen years ago, David Erickson designed a free business model for audio conferencing. But it needed a name. At 3 a.m. Oct. 26, 2001, after hours of debating options, Erickson thought, “Why not just call it what it is?” The next day he checked web registrars, and FreeConferenceCall.com was available. Fast forward from the purchase of a $10 domain name, and find a company that has quietly become a leader in the global conferencing space. The name still drives 78% of sign-ups.
Of course, it didn’t happen overnight. In the company’s first two years, Erickson was a “one-man band”: accountant, customer service representative and webmaster. Erickson credits answering 918 consecutive days of customer calls as critical to his company’s growth. “I knew what [customers] wanted to see in my service, the problems they were having, their visions for what it could be,” he said. Keyed into customer feedback, Erickson kept innovating. Usage started to grow organically. Soon, FreeConferenceCall.com had become a movement, reliant solely on word-of-mouth advertising.
True to form, Erickson’s core business beliefs haven’t shifted much in the last 15 years: no borrowing, find the most efficient way to do things and (perhaps most importantly) listen to customers. Today, Erickson has over 150 employees, most of whom are based in Long Beach, California.
With dial-in numbers in 58 countries and counting, FreeConferenceCall.com has swelled to the fifth largest global conferencing provider — with over 1.5 billion call connections made. In addition to HD audio conferencing, users now enjoy online meetings with free screen sharing and video conferencing for up to 1,000 participants. With an award-winning product, an award-winning company and nearly six million registered users, Erickson has reason to boast
So thanks for sticking with us, loyal users! And if you love a party as much as we do, go ahead and invite a friend to sign up!
