SOHO Solo West Cork

Skype is a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) service that allows you to make free Skype to Skype voice and video calls over your broadband internet connection. It recently passed its 1 billionth download mark – quite a milestone in anybody’s book, and for a five year old software company it’s a staggering achievement.

Skype is great for keeping Nana and Granddad in touch with grandkids on the other side of the planet… but it’s so much more than that. Did you know that Skype is also a seriously capable and incredibly versatile business communications tool?

About a year ago I finally managed to get a broadband connection at home in West Cork. I ditched the clunky old ISDN line with relish… but in the process I lost the second line I had been using for the business.

Enter Skype.

I signed up for what was then called a SkypeIn number (now simply called an online number) and hey presto, I now have a fixed landline number for the business that I can take with me wherever I happen to be working. My clients dial a standard Cork number, and Skype rings on my laptop (or even my WiFi enabled smartphone) no matter where in the world I am as long as I’m hooked up to the internet. Pretty neat!

When I’m not online, Skype handles that seamlessly too – with a decent voicemail facility built in and handy call forwarding options that work a treat.

Skype to Skype calls (voice and video) are completely free, but ringing landlines and mobiles won’t break the bank either. You can pay either a fixed monthly fee for unlimited calls, or pay-as-you-go by adding Skype credit to your account – allowing you to dial any land line or mobile phone in the world often at much cheaper rates than traditional carriers.

Add in the built in teleconferencing and videoconferencing capability and you have a really capable business communications tool that’s incredibly convenient, low cost (remember it’s free for Skype-to-Skype calls) and practical.

It won’t cost you anything to download and try Skype – so why not give it a try… it could revolutionise the way your business keeps in touch.