Skype – Video Conferences with Business Partners

Once we got the hang of using Skype to connect with other employees at Mastery- it seemed like a great way to talk to contractors and other business partners. Two of our regular contractors, who already had personal Skype accounts joined in with our initiative and now use Skype to communicate with some of us at the office.

I have been able to use Skype to communicate with different contractors and have found it to be pretty useful. It is nice to be able to share files, show screens and talk “face-to-face” without having to schedule a meeting. I think our contractors found Skype particularly useful during the cold winter months, allowing them to get in touch with people at the office without having to leave their homes.

We have been able to use Skype to demonstrate different types of job tasks. The screen-sharing function is relatively easy to use, and lets you quickly switch back and forth between who is showing their screen. The ability to send files back and forth also comes in handy, so whoever you are talking to can see what you are talking about. These are benefits which could not be achieved with a regular phone call.

We welcome communication from any of our business partners who use Skype. Bill, the president at Mastery Technologies, changed his e-mail signature to include an invitation to contact him via Skype. Bill provides his Skype user name, as well as a link to download the Skype program for anyone not familiar with the application.

We are hopeful in continuing to expand our use of Skype, as it provides a great way to build business relationships. Even if every conversation is not conducted over video, being able to check in once in a while with video provides a more personal element to relationships, which normally are sustained through e-mails and phone calls.

In trying to engage more people with Skype we are also hoping to expand the dialogue on what people think of this medium of communication. Not everyone has the same enthusiastic opinion regarding the benefits of video-conferencing and we encourage the discussion of all positions on the matter. Please feel free to share your experiences or opinions on using Skype for business.