Martin Geddes

Wishlist: Skype for small (and tall) business

April 28, 2006 11:23 PM

Topics: Business | Marketing | Skype杂志 | Strategy | ebay | skype | skypejournal | voip

On my wish list is a Skype bundle extension for small biz people like me. I’d gladly pay some up-front fee and a regular subscription for the following features:

  • Immediate delivery of IMs, no delays ever.
  • Ability to support multiple PCs, with all messages relayed to all registered personal devices.
  • Two included SkypeIn numbers.
  • Skype fax service. Cut’n’paste my signature image into each NDA or contract to be sent, click “Send to -> Skype fax” and done!
  • Automatic top-up of SkypeOut balance. Love that free cash flow…
  • A cool USB conference call speaker phone to stick in your laptop bag included.
  • Ability to have separate “work” and “home” modes; in “home” mode only designated friends and family can see when you’re online. Potentially an automatic thing based on time of day and the LAN into which you’re plugged.
  • Automatic Outlook address book sync.
  • SMS notification of voicemails (plus general SMS support from within the client).

I could probably dream up a dozen more items. Most of the bits are out there already, just not packaged up. The SoHo/small biz market is one of Skype’s growth drivers, and presents a real opportunity that many of Skype’s consumer or big biz VoIP competitors aren’t ready to seize.

I’ve used Skype Groups, the business payment service, to pay my Skype dues VAT-free. Seems to work well, although the user experience wasn’t that great on the first go (too lazy to blog about it — if you work for Skype and want to know what’s broken, call me). Now all I need is for the rest of the product set to catch up…

Any reader sugestions for what you’d like to see in the Skype for Small Biz bundled package?

Oh, and MAKE THE DAMN SETTINGS FOR USB HEADSETS WORK, so it doesn’t keep resetting to “Windows Default” every time I unplug my laptop. Please!

Martin complains Telepocalyptically.




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Comments

Posted by: jan geirnaert / tropicaljantie at April 29, 2006 1:47 PM

nice summary. hopefully skype becomes something more than just the extension of ebay.

Posted by: Daniele Conte at April 29, 2006 10:47 PM

We need also:
1) CALL TRANSFERT (very very important feature for business)
2) Skype PBX to manage the incoming calls (for a web customer care use)
3) Two new HTML commands: Skypesms: and Skypefax: that allow to send fax and SMS directly from a web page
I need these features. Can Skype provide them?

Posted by: Jean Mercier at April 30, 2006 12:50 AM

Hey Martin,
Finally again something about Skype from your hand, hehe!

Indeed, i agree with Jan, nice summary.

The USB speakerphone of USRobotics works quite well.

And being able to get the 15% VAT back through the Skype Groups is indeed also an interesting (small) saving, i use it also!

Besides the USB bug you mention, there is another one that is quite old and not solved yet: In the past i have forwarded my Skype calls to my mobile. I disabled it because anybody could call me (and for business that is what i want, but i do not want my mobile to ring the whole time!) ... but although disabled, the status of the Skype icon always shows the "forwarding" enabled since that time!

Posted by: jan geirnaert / tropicaljantie at May 1, 2006 4:35 AM

- autosort per country, username alphabetically
- companyfield / functionfield needed
- second image with logo
- business user or home user
- workmode or relaxmode button
- feature to allow certain contacts to see you and other's not...

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