Small Business Using Skype | cheapeasywebsite.com

Every Small Business Should Use Skype To Save Money

Posted on 24. Jan, 2010 by JulieP in Marketing Tips

If you haven’t heard of Skype – or – you’ve heard of it and don’t use it – then you MUST read this post.

Skype is the best thing to happen to interpersonal communications since the mobile (cell) phone!

The best thing is – it’s FREE!

Any small business (with a Broadband Internet connection – in my humble opinion dial-up is too choppy) can use Skype.

So why should you be using Skype – and what do you use it for?

Skype can be used to talk to any other person who has Skype on their computer (as long as you both have “approved” each other as contacts).

You will need some speakers (to hear the other person), a microphone (so the other person can hear what you are saying) and optionally, a webcam (so the other person can see your face).

If you have a modern notebook computer (or an iMac like me), you will already have all of these!

If you have a desktop you may need to purchase all of them. But to give you an idea of cost, you can pay under $100 for a set of small speakers and a webcam (with an inbuilt microphone). I use Logitech because they are inexpensive and I haven’t ever had any problems with them – and I’ve used them for years.

If you need privacy for your calls (or are in an open-plan office environment), you can use a headset with a microphone – but I recommend still use a webcam.

I am a great believer in face-to-face communication. It reduces misunderstandings.

If you can see someone’s face when they are saying something to you, it is much easier to get a clearer understanding of their intentions. I find that emails can be very terse and I personally hate the phone. It is very easy to be “misled” on the phone. If I can see someone’s face, it is harder for them to say a bald-faced lie (but not impossible of course!!).

For that reason, I always recommend my small business clients to use a webcam wherever possible.

Once you have the equipment in place and connected to your computer, go to www.skype.com and download the latest version of Skype.

Following the download, Skype will lead you through the process of setting up your account.

I will note a couple of things.

Firstly – if you are a business – I normally suggest using your business name – possibly shortened – as your Skype name.

In some cases though, it may be better to use your own name. For example, we use my name “JPianto” as my Skype name because we have several websites and businesses – so I would have to be monitoring multiple Skype accounts – which can be done – but is very confusing!

Also – NEVER, NEVER, NEVER use your full name and date of birth and real address on ANY social media website or tool such as Skype.

You will find that my birthday is listed on all of these sites as 1st January with the correct year. My actual birthday is not in January at all!

I very rarely use my actual town as my location – I tend to use the more generic “Gippsland” – which is the Eastern part of the State of Victoria.

The reason I do this, is to avoid having multiple methods of ID on a website.

I suggest you do the same.

The internet is a fantastic tool – particularly for small businesses – but you need to be wary.

So – use your business name and real location in most cases – because if you are a “bricks and mortar” business, you want people to find you.

If like me, you work remotely, I suggest you use a more generic location and definitely not your real date of birth!

Now you have Skype downloaded, your Skype account set up and your equipment in place – what next?

Let all your contacts know you are now on Skype and that if they have a broadband connection they can talk to you for FREE on the internet (instead of using the phone).

If you have some specific suppliers or customers for example, that you contact frequently – and who are interstate or even international – then I seriously suggest you contact them and tell them you would like to communicate with them using Skype instead of the telephone. If they don’t know what Skype is – just send them to this webpage!

Here is a link you can cut and paste to give them:

http://www.cheapeasywebsite.com/latest/every-small-business-should-use-skype-to-save-money

As I mentioned above, they may already have everything they need (if they use a notebook computer – or if they use an iMac). If they are an important client or supplier – I sometimes suggest providing them with the webcam!

Another thing to do with your Skype name is – put it on all your marketing materials – business cards, letterheads, email signatures (you DO have one of those don’t you!), menus (if you’re a restaurant) etc. etc.

This form of internet communication is called VOIP – Voice Over Internet Protocol – which means nothing more than sending “voice” over the web.

As an added bonus to this – we use Skype for our family communications too. Chris (my partner) uses Skype with a webcam to talk to his two granddaughters who live about 6 hours away. My parents use Skype to talk to their grandson – who lives 10,000 miles away (in the UK!). The webcams allow both ends to see each other – and because it’s free – they can talk for hours!

The benefits vs the cost:

Reduced Telecommunications Costs

and

Reduced Miscommunications – face-to-face is far superior

all for less than $100 (equipment) or if you already have the equipment – FREE!