Skype for business

[privateb]

Hi guys,

We currently have a PAYG mobile which we use as our business phone number as did not want to give out the house number.

For added convenience for our customers I was thinking about getting a Skype account, but just for voice calls not video.

Is this possible? If so are there any costs involved for either us or our customers?

Thanks

 

[cjd]

Please don't use Skype for business - it's not a business service.

Use a proper VoIP provider, preferrably one that's a member of ITSPA so that your number is protected and you know they have a code of best practice to comply to.

It's also a lot cheaper - Skype is surprisingly expensive once you start making non-Skype calls.

We can give you a proper number for £2 per month and calls cost 1p to landlines and 10p to mobiles. It's a proper business service that doesn't use the public internet and you get all sorts of features with it. Info:

http://www.voipfone.co.uk/EP_UK_Telephone_Numbers.php

 

[Nuno]

Use VOIP, (and Voipfone is an excellent provider).

Using Skype for a business phone is like using Vistaprint for business cards, or a Yahoo addy for your business email.

PS Buy a proper Voip handset too. Snoms are excellent, Voipfone sell them preconfigured: No pain.

 

[GraemeL]

We currently have a PAYG mobile which we use as our business phone number as did not want to give out the house number.

Agree with cjd about use of Voip. In fact I use his company (no other connection) and have found them to be excellent. Really responsive to requests and the website they have allows you to configure phones in seconds.

One of the benefits to me is to be able to divert Voip calls to my mobile any time I want to.

G

 

[privateb]

~Thanks for all the replys guys.

I am very interested in this service and £2 a month is great. Just a couple of questions:

How would the phone/software connect?

We only take calls during office hours so is there a way of switching the phone off so people could leave messages?

Finally could I have the voip calls diverted straight to my PAYG mobile? If so is there a charge from this from either party?

Thanks again

 

[GraemeL]

~Thanks for all the replys guys.

I am very interested in this service and £2 a month is great. Just a couple of questions:

Strongly recommend that you go onto the Voiphone website and ask the questions directly of them. You will get answers direct from horses mouth and get feel for how they work.

G
http://www.voipfone.co.uk/

 

[cjd]

How would the phone/software connect?

The softphone is free, you just download it and follow instructions. If you're going to use a softphone on your PC, you really should buy a headset, shouting at your computer is for students with Skype. (Tesco used to do a good one for about £5.)

But we strongly recommend using a proper hardware phone - buy one from the provider you choose, that way they are responsible for both the phone and the service and - if they're any good - it will arrive preconfigured so that you just plug it in and you're off.

We only take calls during office hours so is there a way of switching the phone off so people could leave messages?

With the softphone you either turn off the PC or close the phone app, your calls then go to voicemail. We also send you a sound file of the recording or you hit the blinking button and listen to it directly.

With a phone you just press the DND button and voicemail is swicthed on.

For another £1 pm you can have our virtual PBX which has - amongst many other things - a function called Business Hours, which automatically sends your phones to voicemail when set.

Finally could I have the voip calls diverted straight to my PAYG mobile? If so is there a charge from this from either party?

Yes, that's very commonly done. Info here:

http://www.voipfone.co.uk/Call_Forwarding_And_Divert.php

It's best to talk it all through with the support people - they're around 9-5, Monday to Friday on 020 7043 5555 or you can email anytime. (They won't try to sell you anything, they're tech support not sales people

Thanks again

you're welcome

 

[TheGeekestLink]

Can I just add a question or two (I'm sure it will also help the OP). Sorry if these are stupid questions; I just can't get my head around the whole thing...

With VoIP, you get a headset, can the customer ring you from their mobile / landline and you answer it just as you would if it were through Skype (so it's basically the same kind of service).

Can you take it anywhere, so if I was at my parents' house, I could answer calls there and no one would be any wiser?

The main problem I have is that while I'm packing phone calls are a light year away so this would answer all my problems.

 

[cjd]

With VoIP, you get a headset, can the customer ring you from their mobile / landline and you answer it just as you would if it were through Skype (so it's basically the same kind of service).

Yes, just like Skype In.

Can you take it anywhere, so if I was at my parents' house, I could answer calls there and no one would be any wiser?

Yes, you can take it anywhere in the world where there's an internet connection. (as you can with the VoIP telephone)

The main problem I have is that while I'm packing phone calls are a light year away so this would answer all my problems.

Yup. You'll find that it answers lots of problems - it grows with you. You use more of the features as you get used to the idea that telephony has changed.

 

[Page]

You will need a decent broadband for decent VOIP calls - and no do not use skype unless for current good friendly contacts as an extra option

But what you can do is forward a VOIP number to your normal landline number - it will add up fast if you do it to a mobile number

But even better pay about £2 or £3 a month if with BT for a featureline number - others may offer a similar service - which will give you another number on the same line as your normal landline but which has a different ring tone - very handy !

Or combine VOIP benefits (such as office opening hours and a answer machine) AND forward to the featureline number - which is what we do - and with Voipfone

But to keep it simple and if with BT - try the featureline number it may be all you need

 

[webgeek]

Personally, I like having the Siemens DECT phone.

I can make and take both VOIP and regular copper landline calls with ease. It plugs into my modem/router and doesn't care if my PC is on, off, or busy doing things.

With all the good referrals and reasonable pricing, my next choice for VOIP would likely be Voipfone - and definitely wouldn't be Gradwell!

 

[cjd]

As it happens, we've been working with Gigaset (was Siemens) for several months to sort out their latest DECT/VoIP phones and will be putting them in our shop soon. (Can be bought now by phone.)

It'll be good to get them back, they're very popular and useful phones.

 

[Talay]

Having used Skype for years for both UK and predominantly overseas communications, I am have looked recently at UK based voip for call handling. In general, there is no doubt the modern voip services offer more functionality than Skype but they also cost far more than Skype could cost.

I have a couple of 020 3xxx xxxx London based Skype In numbers which cost me £25 a year each. They can ring on the PC, on a suitable house or office phone etc. but crucially, they ring on mobiles with a Skype app. Thus the total cost is £25 per number per year.

Using voip to forward these calls to a landline costs around 1p per minute whilst forwarding via the mobile network costs perhaps 10p a minute, plus VAT. If you do 100 mobile minutes a month, your costs rise to £168 a year. If you do 200 minutes, it rises to £312.

For me, the additional functionality and more importantly, the removal of reliance on an internet connection for the Skype app is worth it and I am probably going to be moving across to a voip provider later this year but if costs are truly tight, you need to consider the full picture.

Lastly, as I was recently reminded of, if your bills are rising, it must be because you are receiving lots of sales enquiries and thus, should be making more money, all of which means that the costs remain largely negligible in the overall scheme of things.

 

[ChyrillStucker]

You can use Skype for calling but it only provides free PC to PC calling, PC to phone calling is quite costly with skype. Moreover you might consider Hosted PBX systems as an option. The Hosted PBX call rates are comparatively cheaper.

 

[nancyfromafrica]

you should contact skype support skype offers good rates and cheap calls

 

[madameliberty]

I would stick with the PAYG mobile phone until you can implement something better than SKYPE..

 

[canvard]

Do skype have the settled phone Number??