Frequently Asked Questions
What is Vattendance?
Vattendance is a phone conferencing service designed specifically for Kingdom Halls of Jehovah’s Witnesses offering real-time answering and the ability to listen to previously recorded meetings.
What is the difference between the PSTN and IP versions?
Vattendance PSTN is essentially a traditional telephone based conferencing system with a few little extras. Conferences are manually started by your sound desk operator before each meeting using your Kingdom Hall’s phone patch equipment.
Vattendance IP is an end to end Voice over IP (VoIP) conferencing system. Conferences take place automatically according to pre-configured meeting times with no setup required by your sound desk operator. The IP version also allows callers to answer from home.
Both systems offer the following features:
Vattendance IP is an end to end Voice over IP (VoIP) conferencing system. Conferences take place automatically according to pre-configured meeting times with no setup required by your sound desk operator. The IP version also allows callers to answer from home.
Both systems offer the following features:
- Meeting recordings
- Known callers list security
- True attendance counting
- After meeting email reports
Is this an LDC approved solution?
The Vattendance service was originally run under the RBC in Auckland, New Zealand as the nationally approved conferencing service. It is now run privately since the new LDC arrangement came into being and is available in both Australia and New Zealand.
The LDC (and all branch offices worldwide) no longer approve or promote a specific conferencing solution. What solution you choose is the decision of the local Body of Elders. A letter to all BOE's sent May 25th 2015 provides guidelines to assist you with making a decision.
The LDC (and all branch offices worldwide) no longer approve or promote a specific conferencing solution. What solution you choose is the decision of the local Body of Elders. A letter to all BOE's sent May 25th 2015 provides guidelines to assist you with making a decision.
What equipment is required by callers?
Callers do not need any special equipment other than a telephone. They will be provided with a telephone number in the local calling zone which they can dial from any phone.
Is the phone number you will provide in my local calling zone?
Yes. We provide local calling numbers for all calling zones across Australia or New Zealand.
What if I need more than one phone number from different calling zones?
This can be arranged also. Please drop us a line upon ordering if your callers will be dialing from more than one calling zone.
How do callers listen to a previous meeting?
They call the same phone number to listen to previous meetings as they would a live meeting. Outside of meeting times, they will be given a different voice prompt that allows them to choose a previous meeting to listen to.
Can they fast-forward these recordings?
Yes. Callers can fast forward using the # key, rewind using the * key and pause using the 0 key.
How long are these recordings available to listen to?
Meeting recordings last until they are overwritten the next week. For example, if your midweek meeting is on a Tuesday, the recording will be maintained until your next midweek meeting a week later. At any one time a caller can listen to:
- The last midweek meeting
- The last weekend meeting
- Any special meeting that has taken place during the week
Can I get copies for long term storage?
Yes! Meeting recordings are available to download from the Vattendance Web Portal after each meeting.
do callers need to pre-arrange their answers?
No. Requesting to answer is a real-time process. They request an answer by pressing *** on their telephone keypad.
What is the full answering process?
The process for commenting can be found in this help article.
Do those at the Kingdom Hall know who is requesting an answer?
Yes! A page on in the web portal displays this information when an answer is requested. This page can be displayed to the speaker on a screen or a small tablet on the podium.
How do I know who is using the service?
The Vattendance portal provides detailed information about who listened to each meeting. You can also configure the system to send a post-meeting report. This access should be provided to all group overseers to assist with shepherding.
Am I able to get a count of how many people are listening during the meeting?
Yes, using two methods.
1. Using the web portal. The "Live Listeners Count" link can be provided to your attendants so they can access this information freely
2. The count can also be accessed by phone.
1. Using the web portal. The "Live Listeners Count" link can be provided to your attendants so they can access this information freely
2. The count can also be accessed by phone.
What is true attendance counting?
Traditional conferencing solutions can provide you a count of how many phone numbers are currently bridged to the phone conference. Typically more than one person are listening on each line which means this count does not accurately reflect the true attendance.
Vattendance asks all callers to enter the number of people who are listening upon entering a conference. The count you receive and add to the meeting attendance count will reflect the actual number of listeners.
Vattendance asks all callers to enter the number of people who are listening upon entering a conference. The count you receive and add to the meeting attendance count will reflect the actual number of listeners.
Do you have any security measures in place?
Yes. Each Vattendance service is protected by a PIN of your choosing. In addition we have a more advanced security function known as the Recognised Callers List.
What is the RECognised callers list?
The Recognised Callers List is a list of phone numbers which you are expecting to listen into your meetings. This is configurable from the web portal and provides a more effective method of security than the traditional PIN method. A person dialing from a phone number that is on the Recognised Callers List does not need to enter a PIN in order to access the conference.
Many congregations simply configure a list of expected callers which means they do not need to provide a PIN code which could be passed around indiscriminately.
Many congregations simply configure a list of expected callers which means they do not need to provide a PIN code which could be passed around indiscriminately.
Should I use a PIN or should I configure callers in the recognised callers list?
This is up to you. You have a few options here:
We do not dictate how you decide to manage security, we simply provide you with the tools.
- Provide the PIN to any you authorize to use the system
- Enter the phone numbers of those you authorize into the recognised callers list
- A combination of both
- Enter all phone numbers for your congregation into the recognised callers list and monitor it’s usage via the web portal or email reports.
We do not dictate how you decide to manage security, we simply provide you with the tools.
How taxing is this solution on the sound desk operator?
The Vattendance IP solution is the easiest solution available anywhere. Once the system is installed and configured it is zero-touch. You will not need to manually connect to a conference bridge before each meeting. This is performed automatically according to pre-configured meeting times.
The only interaction required by the operator is if somebody from home would like to answer. This requires the operator to press a button to allow the answer and press it again to finish the answer.
The only interaction required by the operator is if somebody from home would like to answer. This requires the operator to press a button to allow the answer and press it again to finish the answer.
How many callers can listen at one time?
We allow 50 simultaneous callers. With our IP service you may be limited by the internet connection bandwidth that you have.
For those with ADSL connections – up to 10 callers will be fine
For those with NBN/UFB – Up to 50
For those with ADSL connections – up to 10 callers will be fine
For those with NBN/UFB – Up to 50
What is the sound quality like?
Excellent. As good as you can get over the phone. It will most certainly be an upgrade over using an analogue phone to patch audio through to a conference bridge.
Please request a free trial to hear this for yourself.
Please request a free trial to hear this for yourself.
Can I change or add meeting times for circuit overseer visits, etc?
Yes. All meeting times are configured via the web portal. You can change your regularly scheduled midweek and weekend meetings on a temporary basis if you have a Circuit visit. Special meetings can also be configured for one time events like Memorials and Zone-visits.
Does the kingdom hall need an internet connection?
The Vattendance PSTN solution requires a standard phone connection only.
The Vattendance IP solution requires an internet connection. It does not require a standard phone connection making it the default solution for any NBN-connected congregations.
The Vattendance IP solution requires an internet connection. It does not require a standard phone connection making it the default solution for any NBN-connected congregations.
Are there any special requirements for what internet connection we need?
Not really. Just try to get the best connection available in your area at a reasonable cost. If you are unable to get connected to the NBN at this stage, it might be best to use the Vattendance PSTN solution initially. This can very easily be switched to the IP solution when you move to NBN.
Any suggestions on which router to use?
A router of reasonable quality is required, especially if you are also providing WiFi access to the congregation. Please see our Router Purchasing Guide for more details on this subject.
Please note: If you are using a router that has been provided free of charge by your internet service provider, this will not be sufficient to run a VoIP service of this nature. These routers are designed to handle less than 5 devices at a time, not a congregation of WiFi users.
Please note: If you are using a router that has been provided free of charge by your internet service provider, this will not be sufficient to run a VoIP service of this nature. These routers are designed to handle less than 5 devices at a time, not a congregation of WiFi users.
wHAT DO YOU MEAN WHEN YOU SAY THAT vATTENDANCE ip IS "NBN COMPATIBLE"?
Traditional Voice Conferencing services require the Kingdom Hall to have a PSTN phone line in order to initiate an audio conference. When a Kingdom Hall moves to the NBN, they are no longer provided with a PSTN phone line which makes a traditional audio conference solution incompatible.
The Vattendance IP solution comes with new hardware that bypasses this issue. It runs Voice over IP (VoIP) end to end meaning no traditional phone line is required at the Kingdom Hall.
Your callers can still dial in from a traditional phone line however.
The Vattendance IP solution comes with new hardware that bypasses this issue. It runs Voice over IP (VoIP) end to end meaning no traditional phone line is required at the Kingdom Hall.
Your callers can still dial in from a traditional phone line however.
Do I need to configure Quality of Service?
This will depend on the speed of your internet connection but it is always a good idea to do so, especially if you are providing WiFi access to the congregation.
We provide details of the required QOS settings on our router configuration page.
We provide details of the required QOS settings on our router configuration page.
What equipment do we need to purchase for the Kingdom Hall?
With Vattendance PSTN you will need to provide your own phone patching equipment which your Kingdom Hall more than likely has already.
With the Vattendance Pro solution we provide all of the necessary hardware except:
A router
A screen or tablet for displaying answer requests
NOTE: We provide 2 x 3.5mm to RCA audio cables. If you need a different cable for your mixers needs then this will also need to be self-provided.
With the Vattendance Pro solution we provide all of the necessary hardware except:
A router
A screen or tablet for displaying answer requests
NOTE: We provide 2 x 3.5mm to RCA audio cables. If you need a different cable for your mixers needs then this will also need to be self-provided.
Who installs the system?
This is a self-install. The system will be shipped to you and we can assist with the install process as needed. Documentation outlining the install process are provided on our support page.
Handling the installation yourself enables you to truly understand the setup and assist with future troubleshooting.
Handling the installation yourself enables you to truly understand the setup and assist with future troubleshooting.
How long will it take to receive our Vattendance system?
- For Metro Australia areas – a few days
- For Regional Australia areas – a few days in most cases (if we don't have a local phone number available for your area, this can take 1-4 weeks to order)
- For New Zealand areas – about a week
WHAT IF I HAVE A TECHNICAL ISSUE?
We have a page full of resources available at https://help.vattendance.com. If you need assistance, our support team is available via the chat icon in the bottom left hand side of the screen. You can also email us on support@vattendance.com.
DO YOU OFFER FREE TRIALS?
Yes we do. Please fill out this form to request a free trial of our service.
Can multiple congregations using the same Kingdom Hall share this service?
Yes absolutely. The service is priced per auditorium, not per congregation.
What payment methods are available?
Payment is made via Direct Debit only. Our signup form provides a Direct Debit form. Simply fill our your congregation account details and obtain the needed signatures and upload the completed form on the same signup page.
We can bill you Monthly, Quarterly or Annually at your request. By default, we bill Quarterly.
We can bill you Monthly, Quarterly or Annually at your request. By default, we bill Quarterly.
What is the warranty period on the Vattendance hardware?
All hardware comes with a 24 Month Warranty.
Can we also connect up our auxiliary room?
We can but this will require a second PBX. The monthly cost for connecting up an auxiliary room is $15 per month.
