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In this day and age, working with someone 10,000 miles away is as easy as working with someone in the next cubicle over at your office: I personally work with team members as far away as Southeast Asia, India, and Eastern Europe every single day. The key to a great working relationship with team members from around the world is to have a great line of communication. Here's how to accomplish that...
It would be nearly impossible to work with team members from around the world if you can't communicate with them anytime you need to, quickly, effectively, and without huge costs. Below are exact instructions of what you'll need to communicate with your global team. (1) Setup a "Skype" Account Skype Internet Phone Service allows you to speak with people from all over the world free of charge! Skype uses your internet connection as a phone line and allows you to have conversations with someone from the other side of the world for absolutely no cost (calls from Skype to Skype are totally free). In addition, Skype offers other powerful features that I will further describe below (SkypeIn, Voicemail, etc.) The first step to using skype is to install the software and setup your skype account. Go to http://www.skype.com/ and download and install the software. Follow the step by step instructions for setting up your account. (2) Possible Equiptment Needed for Skype You will need to have a microphone built into your computer in order to speak to your team members from around the world. While most computers have this feature built in these days, my laptop (Dell Inspiron 6000) was one of the few that did not have a microphone built in. I ordered a microphone setup from Ebay for under $5 and have been using it for nearly 2 years. Simply go to Ebay.com, type in something similar to "skype microphone", choose the one you think will work best (look at the ebay description), and then start using it once the shipment arrives. (3) Buy a Phone Number: Using Skype as your Main Phone System "SkypeIn" service, which is part of Skype.com, allows users to purchase a local phone number that will be routed to their skype account. This means that anyone in the world can call 555.123.4567 (or whatever phone number you buy), and the call will be routed to your skype account. This is an advantage by making the world think they're calling a normal phone (since the world might not be happy to have you say 'call my skype account'), while you're left paying minimal charges for calls from normal phones to your skype (skype.com offers a number of call time plans that will beat your current phone system costs). A hugely powerful abilty of "skypein" is that you can buy a number that is based in any area code. For example, my team members from around the world are all given (619) area code phone numbers, which is based in San Diego, eventhough they actually answer the calls in the Phillipines, India, or Eastern Europe. This means (1) my clients get charged for a US (619) phone call (2) my team members from around the world 'appear' to be based in San Diego and (3) I can have team members from around the world while still maintaining a 'San Diego Headquarters' appeal. (4) Using Skype Voicemail: Using Skype as Your Main Phone System | Voicemail is available on skype as well, in addition to call forwarding. This means you will never have to miss an important call. You can either have the client leave you a message on your personalized voicemail (you can record the greeting), or you can even have the call forwarded to your cell phone or other phone number. | I CAN MAKE THIS
EASY FOR YOU! Would you like a full step by step guide to getting started with Skype right away? |
(5) Skype Business Group: How to Manage Your Entire Global Company's Phone System If you have 10 or more employees, managing all of their separate skype accounts becomes a huge hassle. Sype Business Group allows you to have a single interface where you can invite separate skype accounts, add skype credit for call time to different accounts, route skype phone numbers to different users with the click of a button, and much more. Go to http://www.skype.com/business/features/controlpanel/ to learn more about this powerful service and setup your own Skype Business Control Panel. Please note that you'll need to setup your first skype account before setting up the business control panel.
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