Skype Means Business - Saving Money is Just the Start



    Skype today announced it has taken Skype for Business one step
    further in response to continuous demand by businesses all over the
    world to use Skype(TM) to communicate with customers and colleagues.
    Skype for Business has proven to be incredibly popular because firms
    save both money and time as Skype is so easy to use and a convenient
    way of keeping in touch.

    Business users have always been part of the Skype family and make
    up over 30% of Skype's global community, now numbering at 171 million.

    In a recent survey of 250 businesses using Skype, 95% claimed to
    have saved money and 80% claimed that using Skype increased employee
    productivity.

    One particular firm, Lewis & Hickey, a group of leading
    international architects that has recently installed Skype across its
    offices in the UK and Prague, claims that since making its first Skype
    call, it has saved up to 7.6 % on its standard call charges and wants
    to reach a cost reduction of 50% of its total telephony expenditure in
    the near future.

    Benoit Mareschal, Director, Business Development at Lewis &
    Hickey, comments: "We have clients and teams across the UK and abroad
    and like many creative businesses we need to share ideas and keep in
    touch with one another. This can come at a high cost. We wanted to
    find a way to communicate but pay less for the privilege. Since we
    started using Skype, the amount we're spending on international mobile
    and landline phone calls has dropped significantly. Skype creates a
    human bridge between technology and personable communication."

    The survey also revealed that 62% of the businesses communicate
    better with customers on Skype and 76% said they work more closely
    with colleagues because Skype is so easy to use.

    Benoit Mareschal agrees, "Now we have Skype, the ability to talk
    with one another has increased enormously. People used to rely on
    email but with Skype you can get an immediate response to a query
    without disturbing the whole office - especially if you are using the
    instant chat feature. You can see when people are online, ask your
    question and carry on with what you were doing."

    With additional new features unveiled today, Skype has also made
    it easier for businesses to install and manage Skype. Skype can be
    easily installed on multiple computers using the Windows Installer
    package (commonly known as MSI), giving IT Administrators greater
    control over how Skype communications traffic runs across their
    corporate networks.

    An online control panel enables companies to allocate individual
    users with Skype credits that can be used to make cheap SkypeOut(TM)
    calls to traditional landline phones or mobiles and provides a
    consolidated view of what is being spent.

    Meanwhile, Skype is working collaboratively too. Together with its
    partners it has been working on a range of new business productivity
    tools, called Extras: these include the Convenos web conference and
    collaboration service, a package called Unyte which enables users to
    share the view off their PC desktop and a Skype-enabled call-centre
    offering from ACD.

    To learn more about Skype for Business visit www.skype.biz.

    About Skype

    Skype is the world's fastest-growing Internet communication
    offering, allowing unlimited free voice, video and instant messaging
    communication between users of Skype Software. With over 171 million
    registered users, Skype is available in over 28 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, voicemail, call forwarding and
    personalization including ringtones and avatars. Skype also has
    relationships with a growing network of hardware and software
    providers.

    Skype is an eBay company (NASDAQ: EBAY). To learn more visit
    skype.com.

    Access to a broadband Internet connection is required for Skype
    and all Skype Certified devices and accessories. Skype is not a
    replacement for your traditional telephone service and cannot be used
    for emergency calling.

    Skype, SkypeIn, SkypeOut, Skype Me, Skype Certified, Skypecasts,
    associated logos and the "S" symbol are trademarks of Skype Limited.