Skype is a VoIP service that’s more well-known for its free video chat program than anything it provides in this category. All of you reading this review right now probably didn’t know that you could get paid VoIP services from Skype. Not only can you get subscription plans from this service, you can get them at rates than are much more affordable than any of their VoIP services competitors. The only problems exists with the lack of contact information they give their users and the service’s relatively small feature set. When it comes to video chat, it’s hard to beat this service, but in the realm of VoIP services, they have a long way to go before they can become a competitor. They more than make up for it with the flexibility their service provides their users.
Service Plan and Fees:
One of the advantages of dealing with Skype is the options they give you in terms of how you can pay. You can either pre-pay, pay as you go or pay monthly with PayPal, credit card, Moneybookers or prepaid cards you can buy at Wal-Mart. It’s better to go with the pre-pay or pay monthly options to prevent yourself from having to micromanage everything with pay as you go. Of course, pay as you go has the advantage of keeping you from having to be saddled with a several month-long subscriptions. The pay as you go system works through something called Skype Credit, which is pretty much this service’s version of a bank account. You keep adding money to your Skype Credit balance and if you don’t want to use this service anymore, you can stop adding money and let the service slowly become nonfunctioning.
This service offers three plans (Unlimited U.S. & Canada, Unlimited North America and Unlimited World) for $2.99, $7.99 and $13.99, respectively. The distinct difference between these plans is where you can call. The Unlimited U.S. & Canada plan gives you unlimited calls to the United States and Canada. Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey (landlines only, discounted rates to the rest of Mexico) are added to the Unlimited North America Plan. You’re able to call 40 other destinations with the Unlimited World Plan. The good thing is that even the most expensive plan doesn’t cost you very much.
Features:
Skype offers their customers a solid list of 17 features. The difference between what they and their VoIP services competitors have to offer is the fact they’re a video chat based VoIP service. As a result, you’re going to get several options like the ability to send files and screen sharing. You can also take advantage of the fact you can call other people who have this service for free. Other free features this service offers include video calls, Skype-to-Skype conference calls and instant messaging and group instant messages.
If you want to get in touch with someone who doesn’t have this service, it will only cost you about two cents a minute. The costs for receiving calls from landlines and mobiles, sending text messages and having voicemail are very low as well. Subscription plans have these features included at no cost to you or are discounted. Accessing this service via WiFi hotspots is another inexpensive option this service provides its customers.
Ease of Installation/Setup:
The process of setting up Skype is easier than what you would find with any of their competitors. You don’t have to deal with any equipment or the hassles that go along with it. All you have to do is download the program and install it on your computer. If you want to talk to another person, you need to have a headset or external microphone. They have Mac and Windows versions of their software, so there’s no need to worry about whether you’re compatible or not. The most important thing to have with this service is an internet connection. If you have a good internet connection, the rest takes care of itself.
Help/Support:
Skype provides their users with a list of popular answers to frequently asked questions and help topics that focus on particular aspects of their services, such as Payments & Billing, Products & Features, Skype for Business and Technical Issues & Using Skype. On the right side of the support menu, you can take advantage of their helpful step-by-step tutorials, glossary, information on how you could look for the information you need better, reports on whether parts of this service’s system are operational, user forums, data on their payment options, the ability to view purchase limits and how you can get more help. The get more help option is a little disappointing because all it does it is bring up a search box for the FAQs section.
We couldn’t find anything in terms of contact information for their customer service options. We found email addresses, but they were more geared towards press and general inquiries. If you’re able to find their hidden Contact Us section, you will see that they direct you back to their not-so-helpful support center.
Summary:
When you use this service, you will find that it’s one of the most flexible VoIP services out there. You can do a number of different things and pay them exactly how you want to pay them. There aren’t any rigid guidelines holding the customers back from truly enjoying the services Skype has to offer. For that reason alone, you should choose them over the VoIP services that have plans that are a lot more rigid
Service Plan and Fees:
One of the advantages of dealing with Skype is the options they give you in terms of how you can pay. You can either pre-pay, pay as you go or pay monthly with PayPal, credit card, Moneybookers or prepaid cards you can buy at Wal-Mart. It’s better to go with the pre-pay or pay monthly options to prevent yourself from having to micromanage everything with pay as you go. Of course, pay as you go has the advantage of keeping you from having to be saddled with a several month-long subscriptions. The pay as you go system works through something called Skype Credit, which is pretty much this service’s version of a bank account. You keep adding money to your Skype Credit balance and if you don’t want to use this service anymore, you can stop adding money and let the service slowly become nonfunctioning.
This service offers three plans (Unlimited U.S. & Canada, Unlimited North America and Unlimited World) for $2.99, $7.99 and $13.99, respectively. The distinct difference between these plans is where you can call. The Unlimited U.S. & Canada plan gives you unlimited calls to the United States and Canada. Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey (landlines only, discounted rates to the rest of Mexico) are added to the Unlimited North America Plan. You’re able to call 40 other destinations with the Unlimited World Plan. The good thing is that even the most expensive plan doesn’t cost you very much.
Features:
Skype offers their customers a solid list of 17 features. The difference between what they and their VoIP services competitors have to offer is the fact they’re a video chat based VoIP service. As a result, you’re going to get several options like the ability to send files and screen sharing. You can also take advantage of the fact you can call other people who have this service for free. Other free features this service offers include video calls, Skype-to-Skype conference calls and instant messaging and group instant messages.
If you want to get in touch with someone who doesn’t have this service, it will only cost you about two cents a minute. The costs for receiving calls from landlines and mobiles, sending text messages and having voicemail are very low as well. Subscription plans have these features included at no cost to you or are discounted. Accessing this service via WiFi hotspots is another inexpensive option this service provides its customers.
Ease of Installation/Setup:
The process of setting up Skype is easier than what you would find with any of their competitors. You don’t have to deal with any equipment or the hassles that go along with it. All you have to do is download the program and install it on your computer. If you want to talk to another person, you need to have a headset or external microphone. They have Mac and Windows versions of their software, so there’s no need to worry about whether you’re compatible or not. The most important thing to have with this service is an internet connection. If you have a good internet connection, the rest takes care of itself.
Help/Support:
Skype provides their users with a list of popular answers to frequently asked questions and help topics that focus on particular aspects of their services, such as Payments & Billing, Products & Features, Skype for Business and Technical Issues & Using Skype. On the right side of the support menu, you can take advantage of their helpful step-by-step tutorials, glossary, information on how you could look for the information you need better, reports on whether parts of this service’s system are operational, user forums, data on their payment options, the ability to view purchase limits and how you can get more help. The get more help option is a little disappointing because all it does it is bring up a search box for the FAQs section.
We couldn’t find anything in terms of contact information for their customer service options. We found email addresses, but they were more geared towards press and general inquiries. If you’re able to find their hidden Contact Us section, you will see that they direct you back to their not-so-helpful support center.
Summary:
When you use this service, you will find that it’s one of the most flexible VoIP services out there. You can do a number of different things and pay them exactly how you want to pay them. There aren’t any rigid guidelines holding the customers back from truly enjoying the services Skype has to offer. For that reason alone, you should choose them over the VoIP services that have plans that are a lot more rigid
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