Conference calling has been around for quite a while already. Conference calling is especially popular among businesses today due to their convenience and their potential for cost savings.  conference calls can be used to replace most kinds of meetings. These days, conference calls may even include video and involve as many people as bandwidth would allow, which could include thousands. Entire industry conventions could be held via conference calling if need be. The best part is, you may even record conference calls for future reference or even have transcript made via special services. They are even handy for short chats between groups of friends.