Brian's ICA Blog

Hello,

I have had a few people ask me what I use for communication for classes and business.  Because I do a lot of work internationally, communication can be very expensive.

My main tool of choice is Skype.  I also use Messenger and Yahoo, we have to be flexible for our clients as they may use any one of the large number of communication software packages available.

What I like about Skype:

• It’s free to download, www.skype.com
• It’s free to chat with people, Skype to Skype
• It has voice chat, text chat or video chat
• I use Skype to chat with my ICA Buddies
• I use Skype to talk with my Peer Coach every week
• I use Skype to chat with my family and friends

As a Coach, I can video chat with up to 4 other people at the same time (be careful with this one though, if you don’t have a powerful computer and internet connection this will not work).  Most computers will allow you to voice chat (no video) with Skype, again up to 4 or 5 people, you can have a tele-chat similar to our classes.

There are other levels of service that you can pay for:

I pay $15 (Aussie dollars) per month and I can make phone calls to landlines in 40+ Countries in the world and calls to mobile (cell) phones in many Countries too.  I use this to call my family in the USA and Thailand, clients (in 4 different countries and counting) and friends from all over the shop.  I also use this part of the package to make my tele-class calls from Australia and Thailand to the number in the USA for the ICA classes and other than the $15, I don’t pay any more for these calls.

I have a separate Skype phone number in 3 countries.  Again there is a small monthly fee for this but what I get is a local number for each country which allows someone in that country (clients, friends or family) to use their land line or mobile phone to call me.  They only pay the normal local call charges but I can receive their call via Skype, my computer and an internet connection from anywhere in the world… FREE.

If I’m not on line to take the call, the caller can leave a voice mail message that is sent to my mobile phone or any other number you choose.

I also setup a dedicated Skype number for clients that has signed up for a 6 month, 9 month or 12 month package.  There are two reasons I do this:

1. This is a great tool for keeping client calls separate from my normal lines of communications and
2. This shows the client that they are special and that I do care about our relationship.  Again there is a low monthly fee for these numbers and this fee can be part of your package, I just allow for this in my pricing.
3. Part of my Coaching packages allows the client to call me (for free), in between Coaching sessions.  By having a separate Skype number for each client, it’s easier for me to keep track of the number of calls they make to me.  If there’s a larger than normal level of calls coming from a client then I can activate my “backup support action plan” to give extra support to this client if it’s needed.  If they are just calling to chat I can then remind them that there is a limit to the “in between support calls” and they may be charged if they go over this limit.

There may be differences in the Skype services and fees, depending on your location.  The information represented here is what I pay for and do.

Note:  Remember to use a good quality headset with microphone, if you have one that’s a few years old I suggest you go out and buy a new one… like everything the technology is changing daily.  I just bought two new ones, I like to keep a spare set just in case.  I found two sets in a bargain bin at our local computer super store, $5 dollars for each set, they were normally $40 each!  One of these is what I am using now so if you hear me in class and I sound ok then we know it’s working fine.

I am not endorsing Skype or any other form or tool of communication.  I am just sharing what I do and if you find this useful information then that’s great.

Please provide any feedback you may have about this article.  If you would like to discuss this further then please let me know… If I am on line you can use the “Meebo” chat screen on the right side panel of this Blog.

I hope that I have helped you in any way… and remember to: “Pay it Forward”