Archive notice: This article was originally published on July 31, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
According to the company, Skype offers the perfect way to balance leisure and business. What has long been a work tool for smaller companies is now being discovered by freelancers for their time off: the ability to communicate via Skype allows freelancers in particular to enjoy their vacations with fewer worries without losing sight of business entirely. With Skype’s many functions, they can contact partners and customers at times of their own choosing and discuss urgent matters with them.
Dial tone from the beach mat
Many freelancers know the scenario: the vacation is firmly booked and can no longer be canceled without expense, when an important project suddenly arrives. Stress rather than relaxation then appears on the holiday itinerary. Skype users need little for a mobile office: simply pack a notebook and headset—and anyone wishing to look a conversation partner in the eye despite the distance is also well served by a webcam. Wherever an internet connection is available, freelancers can conveniently run their business remotely. Personal conversations with or without a video camera, chatting, exchanging files and working on them together are possible with Skype anytime and anywhere. A recent Skype study shows that free voice and video conferences are being used increasingly by smaller companies in Germany. One-third of the surveyed companies already use conference calls, and Skype’s internal data also suggests that 30% of all Skype calls now include video data.
Work calmly, vacation at ease
Numerous Skype Extras also make it easier to exchange information quickly. With the Skype Extra Unyte, for example, Skype users can share their desktop view with a business contact and thereby complete urgent work that cannot be postponed quickly, easily and cost-effectively. Even if the holiday destination is on the other side of the world, Skype-to-Skype conversations are free everywhere, while calls from Skype to landlines or mobile phones are also exceptionally inexpensive. Thanks to the online-status feature, users can clearly signal anytime and anywhere: “I am available,” “please do not disturb me now,” or “I will not be available at time X.” Freelancers can therefore set clear boundaries and decide for themselves when they are available to customers and business partners during their vacation.
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