How You Can Use Skype to Grow Your Business

Internet connections are continuing to speed up. And with more and more of the world getting connected, well, we're all that much closer to each other.
There's some big benefits that this brings to businesses. One is working from home becomes much simpler. It also means that team members working remotely to each other can be much more effective, and communicate easier.
And many of these benefits are simply due to the easy availability of video conferencing, thanks to Skype.
Skype's History
Skype started its life just as a free way to make calls. The quality wasn't often fantastic, and calls had a habit of dropping far too regularly. However, using the phone to speak internationally started to become less and less common.
And the fact that Skype was free to download, and use, made it immensely popular. There were other alternatives of course (and still are), but Skype got there early. And despite those teething troubles, largely locked in the market.
But then the real breakthrough started as video conferencing using Skype became better and better. This was due to the increasing quality of internet connections. Plus the software kept getting better too.
And for much of its life, it was still just a tool for consumers, rather than serious software for businesses. Especially big business. That changed when Microsoft purchased Skype in 2011. It then put its mighty resources into making Skype a serious option for all businesses.
Until that point, enterprise level video conferencing was very expensive. Skype shook up the market, and Microsoft made it a core of its enterprise offerings.
So the question becomes, how can you use Skype to help your business grow?
A Local Office, a Global Team
There's a lot to be said for everyone working together in an office. It makes communication easier and helps instill a company culture.
However, the ability to recruit internationally can greatly help keep costs down. Especially for tasks where location is not important. It also allows you to hire the very best, if the necessary skills can't be found in your local area.
Interviewing, and then communicating daily through Skype can really work. It makes a global team from a local office, quite possible. Simply put, Skype for business is the future of communication.
Client Meetings
With your website, you can of course attract clients from all over the world. Now, the clients may prefer to meet you face to face. But if the project is small, or if you're just too busy to travel, that might not be possible.
So email and phone is great, but often people want to see you! That's where Skype really comes into its own.
Data Security
Now, Skype is certainly not the fastest ways to send files. But due to its powerful encryption is one of the safest ways. Sending sensitive files through Skype can be a way to help keep your data secure.
So simply put, Skype allows you to meet face to face with anyone in the world, and it's helping businesses everywhere to grow.