Item: Skype
Rating: 9
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Skype is used to interview parents and potential employees for the school. We use it in place of FaceTime for professional reasons. It allows us to meet parents who are coming from abroad to our school. It addresses the distance issue for potential students where they can already e-meet their teachers before even starting school.

Pros and Cons

It is a mobile application that can be used for voice and video calls which we use often.
It allows for file sharing between callers.
It allows the admissions staff to conduct one-on-one assessments.

I am not confident that it is a secure app, as I use it effectively in business. It is difficult to see if things are archived or fully deleted.
It does not allow us to do large conference type calls, especially video.
You can't do screen-sharing unless it exists and I haven't figured it out yet.

Return on Investment

We've had constituents who do not know how to use the application which has not been as effective as it should.
It helps connect faster when you are in need of a response or a quick live conference, especially with Google Hangouts not working.
The on-boarding of new students/parents/staff has been a lot quicker and effective since interviews can be done via skype.

Alternatives Considered

Google Hangouts

Skype is much more professional and international to use. The login is shared by the administrative staff which allows all of us to take turns doing interviews, it also helps that Skype is available with Microsoft Office so that parents can have teacher conferences via Skype when the timing is an issue.

Support Rating

I have not often used Skype support, the low number of times I've used it, the experience was not great. This has caused me to never use it rather go on message boards to figure out my issue. I am sure it is much better now but the bad experience ruined it for me.

Key Insights

Do you think Skype delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Skype's feature set?

Yes

Did Skype live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Skype go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Skype again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Google Hangouts, GoToMeeting

Likelihood to Recommend

It is well suited for situations where you have to interview a person when they are in a different state or country. Although companies will use it to avoid human contact, it is less effective when using it in a situation where the meeting could have been in person. For quick catch-ups with visuals or day-long conferences, Skype is a hero because it allows for two offices or persons to work together in long-distance.

Good for the money

Overall Satisfaction with Skype