I have been using Skype since last year and have found it to be great for small business. Skype is a free phone service over the internet. It can be used for local or long distance calling between two or more computers. Skype also has versions for MAC and Linux so the person you are calling does not have to be just using a Windows PC.

In addition there is a paid feature I really like called Skype-Out that allows you to call regular land lines (friends/family/business) without a PC/Internet. Skype-Out is an annual fee of $30 and allows you to call any land line (and some Cells) in Canada and USA. Note, thats unlimited calling, very cool. You can also setup an account (via PayPal) and prepay long distance to most of the world (starting at around 2 cents a minute). I have called Europe many times and the quality is pretty good (of course if the person you are calling has a PC you can call them for free using regular Skype).

Skype has a even better feature of those building teams (downline). It supports conference calling with up to 10 people per call. You can have a Sales Meeting on the phone, very cool. Even a long distance Sales Meeting, even cooler.

There is several more features you may like, Sype-In allows you to receive calls from land lines/cells (called does not need a PC or Skype, or even know that they are calling you over Skype). Also there is Text Messaging service which is very competitive with cell phone prices per message. Now you can Text Message your kids from your PC without even owning a cell phone or having to type on those tiny cell phone buttons. Again, very cool.

I am planning on adding an auto-dial feature to MBA’s regular phone numbers (for those who have a modem in or connected to their PC) and I am now planning on adding Skype support to MBA as well.

One last thing, Skype is owned by eBay (which also owns PayPal and VeriSign). So this is not some little startup company. The risk in using it is very minimal and the feature list and coverage is sure to grow.

To get more info on Skype go to their website at www.skype.com

Technorati Tags: Direct Sales, Avon, Skype