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Skype, IM, Yahoo
I have been using Instant Messenger for a few months now, and with a headset or microphone together with a small webcam on the computer, can both talk and see the person I'm talking to - anywhere in the world - all for free (apart from, of course, the cost of the Broadband).
If using the webcam, sometimes with the video data going down the line the quality can suffer a little (but have to say its still not bad).
Amazing stuff, and to think this is all in its infancy.
There's more value to this than you think
Thanks for the hat tip Richard. The Skype service hasn't yet reached the point where you'd deploy it entirely as a practice but for individuals, it is a great service.
We use it to keep global call costs to a minimum. My average global comms costs are currently around €130 per month - including broadband, Skype, landline and mobile. Around €80 of that is subscription cost. I expect the overall figure will fall by a further €20-25 over the next year. But that's as far as it can go. Even so, I think that's an excellent result given my comms costs used to be in excess of €200 per month.
You can call those who DON'T have Skype at a fraction of the cost of UK landline calls, using SkypeOut which can be managed for 'groups' to ensure your users don't abuse the system by spending firms money on calls to Auntie Flo'in Perth.
Buying blocks of SkypeOut credit is no more irksome than placing an order on Amazon.
You can route calls to mobile or landline numbers, users can leave and receive voice messages that automatically appear on your computer. No bleeping answering machines. You can have a virtual number that operates over Skype - I have an 020 number so people that don't have Slype can call me for the cost of a UK local call, regardless of where I am in the world.
You can also get wireless headsets for office use. Personally, I'm not a great fan and today they're expensive but it means you're not tethered to the computer like some call centre operator.
The recording capability is something I love and use it for recording podcasts. That was how we recorded John Stockdyk's SoftWorld round up. It's how I record many conversations.
Now there's a thought for those empbroiled in 'he said/she said' discussions with the revenue...but...
I don't fully agree with Richard about VOIP replacing POTS phone systems because broadband, on which VOIP depends, has not yet reached ubiquity. But we are inexorably moving down that road.It will change the way we work - as will a few other things. 2006 is set to be a fascinating year for technology.