So how can you get more out of Skype? Here are some of the best features which I use on a regular basis which can help you to get a lot more out of working with clients in other countries.
Get Your Own Online Number
This is the first thing you should use Skype for if you want to make life easier for your clients or customers back home.
With Skype you can choose the country where you want your online number to be located, and then people from that country can call you at a local rate.
Not only does it mean they don't need to know anything about Skype, but it also means they don't have to know where you are (if you're concerned about that for any reason).
I was worried about working abroad to start with because I knew that even though none of my clients were likely to mind that I was abroad, they might get a bit weird when they had to call up a foreign number.
And it would cost them more as well, which is never a great way to hold onto clients.
Voicemail
You can start using voicemail either by purchasing it individually, or by purchasing an online number in which case you will be given access to voicemail.
I love this feature because I don't need to buy an answer phone and set it up on a different line in my foreign office. You can set your own message of course, and if you are not signed into Skype all day (as I rarely am) then you will receive an email when a voicemail is left for you.
Call Forwarding
Set this up and you can get calls forwarded to a phone in the country where you are living. The great thing about this is that the person calling you won't have to pay anything apart from the price of a local call to your online number, meaning you can still take client calls even when you are away from your desk.
Subscription: Make Cheap Calls to Cellulars and Landlines
Skype makes calling cellulars and landlines cheaper. All you have to do is purchase some Skype Credit and you can call anywhere in the world, typically for less than you would pay for a standard call.
If you take out a subscription then you can make calls for even cheaper. You can choose a country which you will be making regular calls to (or opt for all of Europe or the whole world), and you can also choose a plan which covers just landlines, just cellulars, or both.
If you're going to be making lots of calls to people who are not on Skype then it makes things a lot easier. And there are often discounts on other features like online numbers when you purchase a subscription.
Screen Sharing
This is a really useful feature that hardly anyone seems to know about. But why would you want to screen share?
I find it really useful for demonstrating things to clients on my screen rather than having to rely on simply describing them. It might be a new tool that I'm using, or to highlight edits that I've made to a document.
If you've got a Mac then you can even set up group screen sharing, although to be honest I've never needed to do this myself.
'Skype to Go' Number
This is a great option for people who do not want to be tied to their computer and would prefer to just use a normal phone whilst still taking advantage of cheaper calls.
Basically, Skype will give you a number to call which will be charged at the local rate, then you can make a call to another country using Skype's rates rather than your mobile provider's.
So you can basically forget all about Skype and call any number abroad without worrying what your mobile bill will look like at the end of the month.
Get More Out of Skype
Skype has made life easier for millions of travelers and expats across the world. But if you are working abroad and want to make the most of it, try out a few of the features described above and make life easier for yourself and your clients.
Connor Davies writes at http://aspirationsabroad.com/, where you can find in-depth articles, tips, advice, and useful resources to help you to act on your dream and move abroad to live, work, or volunteer.
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