Re: New tool for Small businesses in a flat world
Skype is a great little program for sending instant messages and making free calls over the internet to anyone anywhere in the world for free. We’ve been experimenting with it in the office lately and have found it very useful.
Skype was founded in 2003 by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis. Skype created a little piece of software that makes communicating with people around the world easy and fun. With Skype you can say hello or share a laugh with anyone, anywhere. And if both of you are on Skype, it’s free. Skype is available in 27 languages and is used in almost every country around the world. Skype generates revenue through its premium offerings such as making and receiving calls to and from landline and mobile phones, as well as voicemail and call forwarding. Skype, based in Luxembourg, has relationships with a growing network of hardware and software providers and is an eBay company (NASDAQ: EBAY).
Ironically, in spite of the huge international applications of Skype, many times I find myself using it to get a short message to someone in an office down the hall who may be on the phone, or I just don’t want to walk down the hall (not because I’m lazy but because a 20 minute conversation may easily ensue as a result).
Typically more than once a day our offsite IT Guy will check in via Skype (Griffe - he is the one who talked me into using this software in the first place). This daily Skype meeting with Griffe usually transpires like this….(while reading this imagine that this could take place between one or more individuals anywhere in the world at anytime)… I’ll receive a distinctive ring over my laptop – and a Skype dialog box will pop up onto my desktop. The caller knew that I was available because you can easily check to see what members are at their computer with a quick click.
I usually answer Griffe’s calls with “Good Morning” because he like all teenage IT Guys – sleeps all day! On the dialog box I see all of the caller details and in this case since the caller has a video camera so I can also see the caller – true video conferencing! As Griffe and I discuss whatever the current project of the week is, inevitably we’ll use the chat feature to exchange links and files instantly. When the topic requires input from another team member we’ll add them to our conversation with couple of clicks. With the most up to date version of Skype you can conference up to 150 users!
Some of the key features of Skype follow:
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* Phone Calls: There are several ways to call other Skype users and all other types of phones anywhere in the world.
* Conference Calls: It is now possible for up to 150 people to conference call with Skype!
* Video Conferencing: If all users have video capabilities like most computers made today you can see and talk to each other real time.
* Chatting: Chat allows you to “chat” with other Skype users using your keyboard.
* Send Text Messages to Cell Phones: You can send SMS to up 50 recipients at one time.
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My philosophy in business is that if a new idea is cheap or in this case free – it is always worth trying. Skype has turned out to be well worth the time we’ve spent learning how to use it. In the future we hope to hold committee meetings, conduct pod casts, and facilitate live question and answer sessions with Skype through our various website. As I write this there are 6,873,823 Skype users online – are any of them your existing or future customers, vendors, friends or family?
You can use Skype to get in with us here at Finishing Market any time. Once you go to the Skype.com webpage and download the program just click on the button that says “Add Contact” and enter into the blank “FinishingMarket”. Skype will then give you the option of adding FinishingMarket of Forest City, NC by double clicking. Make sure let us know when you request to be added to our contact list that you read about on FinishingTalk. Now the next time you need a new spin dryer, powder coating gun, painting or plating system in a hurry – you can Skype me and get the scoop faster! It will be just like I’m sitting next to you - SCARY!
Paul Fisher
FinishingMarket.com
(828) 278-2103
