Item: Skype
Rating: 8
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Skype is an essential tool that we use when having board meetings with our small non-profit organization. It is [an] application that almost everyone has used or currently uses elsewhere and provides a cross-platform reliable way to get all of our people together to have [an] important discussion.

Pros and Cons

Cross-platform support is excellent. Everyone has their personal preference on ways to join meetings whether it be iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, etc. it always just works.
Highly reliable and [of] good quality. I have very rarely had any issues with poor video quality or disconnects and suspect the times I have were issues with personal internet rather than Skype servers.

Other platforms create an all-inclusive solution for meeting organization and communication. So depending on the complexity of your needs looking to products such as Teams or Slack might be of interest.

Return on Investment

For the needs of our non-profit Skype hasn't cost us anything and we have no reason to purchase a more complex suite of software for communicating with the dozen people we regularly communicate with.
I suppose a more robust solution would have some benefits but would also require more communication and training to get people up to speed with the software. We could use Slack for example for free with a small organization but I think doing so would cost us more time and energy that would benefit us at this point.

Alternatives Considered

Slack, Microsoft Teams, Skype for Business (formerly Lync), Telegram, Discord, Google Hangouts Meet and Google Hangouts Chat

Skype is just a robust system that almost everyone I've ever interacted with within a business setting has some experience with. So, for us, it was a decision based on convenience and reliability. Skype is [an] application that has been around for a long time and has many options for interaction that suits a wide variety of needs.

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

Slack, Teams Manager for Microsoft Teams, Telegram

Likelihood to Recommend

Depending on the complexity of your use case Skype could be a great solution. Small teams with only a video conferencing/messaging need would be greatly served by Skype. However, there are more robust applications out there that address a lot of complex problems. The bigger your organization the more I think Teams or Slack become more beneficial.

Skype is great for our small non-profit

Overall Satisfaction with Skype