Skype - Anyone got experience?

Skype phones are great ideally you would download the software, get a skype phone, buy either a skype subscription (very good value) or purchase skype credit. Then you are ready to dial away - better still purchase a skypeIN number which enables people with regular phones (as opposed to just people with skype) the ability to call you.

Please don't use Skype for business, it wasn't designed for it, doesn't work terribly well and is comparitively expensive

Look for a business class VoIP service that can grow with you and do the clever things that proper VoIP can do - and do make sure that you choose a company that is a member of ITSPA so that your number is protected.

For info, I get asked this question a lot - here's what I say:

What is the difference between Voipfone and Skype?

There are many very important differences between Voipfone and Skype – things like call quality, reliability, customer service, price (Skype is surprisingly expensive), services & features and technology - but the simple and critical difference between Voipfone and Skype is that Skype is NOT a telephone company and Voipfone is.

Skype is a software application that runs on your PC, not a telephone service. Skype go out of their way to explain that they are not a telephone company; they do not, for instance, provide a 999 service - in defiance of UK telephone regulation – or have a telephone number that you can call for support.

What is VoIP?
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is a technology that allows you to make telephone calls over the internet (and other data networks). It’s the next generation of telecoms technology and over the next few years all of BT’s core networks will be converted to it by their 21st Century Network project. All new PBX (switchboard) equipment is already VoIP enabled.

VoIP is a general description of a technology, the specific technology used by VoIP has now been standardised internationally – this is called SIP (Session Initiation Protocol).

So what is Skype?
Skype is a form of VoIP.

But Skype use its own technology which is secret and will not interwork with any other system or service. The world of telecommunications relies totally on accepted international standards so that any telephone anywhere in the world can call any other – this is not the case with Skype.

Skype is also a peer to peer system - that is, it uses your own PC and all the other PCs with Skype software on it, to carry their calls. Sometimes it even uses your own bandwidth ie your broadband connection to carry traffic for other people over your connection. See ‘Skype Super Node’ to find out more http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernode_(networking)

This makes it extremely cheap for them as they do not need to provide their own network infrastructure. But it also means that it cannot control the quality of your calls. Because your telephone call is a real time application which, unlike other internet uses like email and web browsing, cannot be slowed down, Skype is at the mercy of an ever increasingly congested network which can and does interfere with your call.

Skype is a wonderful application which brought VoIP to everyone’s attention and the industry would not be what it is today without it, but it was never designed or even envisaged as a business application or even a telephone service - and it isn’t.

Hi
Just a thought, but does it have to be Skype. I use a voip phone service arranged through voipfone.co.uk and have had no problems at all, very easy to set up and use.
Regards
Mark

You'll definitely save money using Skype for business. A SkypeIN number means you buy a normal eg. 0207 number that anyone can phone and it goes to your Skype account (where ever you're logged in with it - also supports multiple logins).

For the cost, (from the Skype website)

Just $18 for 3 months or $60 for a full year. You can get up to 50% off this cost with the purchase of a monthly subscription.

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Subscriptions, such as unlimited land line calls is only £3 per month

wood1e2 said:

Right I don't need a system at the moment that will grow with the business.

I make very few phone calls from the BT phone I have at the moment in the office, our bill is around £80 per quarter.

So what VOIP can offer a full phone service cheaper?

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If you don't need to grow or use fancy services and you're bill is that low, I wouldn't bother changing.

Of that £80, about half is line rental which remains whatever system you use. Assuming that the other £35-£40 or £12-£13 per month is call charges - messing around trying to shave a few quid off is a waste of your time.

Worry about something that will grow your business instead.

I use BT Ring Central and is very good, had no problems with it as of yet, I have added the link so you can have a read.

http://www.ringcentral.bt.com/

wood1e2 said:

I only wanted to find out about alternative services, which on the face of it appear cheaper. But obviously VOIP or whatever telecom experts are pendling these days are stil not worth it, and we still have to stay under the yoke of BT.

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No, VoIP is always cheaper.

But even if it was 100% free, it could only save you £12 per month which isn't worth fiddling about with, that's my point. [Assuming, as I said, that you don't want to use VoIP to do all the clever and useful things that it can do for free].

If it`s VoIP you`re after have a look at 3CX. There is a free version of the software which is suitible for small offices.

If you have any questions on it please feel free to get in touch.

I use Skyp daily and totally disagree with the comments about it not being good enough. It has come along leaps and bounds recently - compared to Voipfone - though there is nothing wrong with their service - they're not even in the same league.

SkypeIn gives you a long-term permanent incoming line - and the thing is - you take it with you - so I have an 0191 number which works in my office - but in the summer if I clear off to Spain and take my laptop with me - not only can customers get to me at normal costs - but I can ring them at normal costs - AND transfer files AND chat etc.

I use in my office an anti-feedback mic called a SOLO mic - look it up - I think they are around £80 - I use that and speakers and when talking to some folk - it's like being in the same room. I maintain SKYPEOUT credit but use their PRO feature - which I think is a couple of quid a month so my UK landline calls are included.

I regularly use Video conferencing and again a decent camera is worthwhile - I use a Logitech ball camera and the quality is excellent.

Using voipfone to dip yor toe in is a good start. It offers good call quality, and a good range of services if you dont want to implement an an in-house telephone system.

What you need:

1. An IP Phone that does SIP (the protocol that IP phones speak). You can get one off ebay for about £50 for adecent one, or buy new.
2. VOiP account - i.e. Voipfone - This is free
3. ADSL Line

This service will give you outgoing calls, of which Voipfone charges about 1p/min ex. vat. Mobiles 12.5p/min.

If you want dial-in you can buy a geographic number. I have a 0191 xxxxxxx tyneside number. This costs £1.99 month.

Not exactly a big spend.

Voipfone also offers the usual other PBX stuff - voicemail, call divert, etc..Have a look at their website.

As your business grows, you can move up and integrate voipfone with your own IP PBX system at your home/office if you want. This is the way I have gone, utilising Asterisk. It costs relatively little to set up and as I had the hardware and technical knowledge to implement and support it, it made sense.

Hope that helps.

Dean Dunn
Zimt Web design

We use VOIP for my company via BT , we are charges a monthky fee and all calls are included i that within the UK and some mobile calls however you do need to check the tariff when speaking with BT.

We also use the BT communicator , this allows you to have your office phone with you on your laptop where ever you are, this can be used with a bluetooth headset so where ever you are your business is with you which is FAB

We have also just got rid of out generic FAX machine and downloaded BT PC Fax so again whilst you are out and about you can fax, obviously this you have to be connected to Broad band or WiFi area , we use a broadband dongle and does the same job, its all cost effective and works for my company and we are all happy with it.

Good Luck
SM