In what I hope will be the first of many posts on the various tools we use both internally and with our clients, I wanted to share some thoughts on Skype. At this point it seems that Skype is ubiquitous, but for those who aren’t familiar, it’s core benefit is it’s very simple and stable software for voice over IP communication. It does a lot more than that, including text chats (both one to one and group), screen sharing, and incredibly inexpensive international calling. At this point, saying that I live on Skype isn’t too much of an exaggeration. We maintain bookmarked group chats for the times that we overlap with our office and use it to augment our primary communication tools of Basecamp and Pivotal Tracker. I use it to have feedback calls with clients in tandem with Audio Hijack, so that I can record and share feedback directly with our development teams. This allows our developers and client managers to hear exactly how our clients feel (both the good and the occasional bad) while helping them build stronger english language skills.

In addition to their primary software, they have a great iPhone application that allows you to make and receive calls, have text chats, and essentially use your phone as you normally would when travelling abroad.

Here are a few articles about Skype that I’ve found useful in increasing the value I get from it.

• Skype Etiquette
• Hacking Skype: 25 Tips to Improve Your Skype Experience
• Skype Screensharing

Have any other ways that you use Skype? Is there anything you like or dislike about it? We’re always on the lookout for ways to improve the processes and tools that we use, so let us know how you feel.