There was an interesting discussion last week on the email list about how to provide toll-free inbound calling when working with clients in other countries. I thought I’d take a few minutes today to explain a little about some of the suggestions that were offered.
(Note: You’ll need to evaluate these services on your own and determine if they make sense in your specific situation)
Thanks to Steve U. for asking the original question and to Roberta, Tasha, Tracey, Hector, Marji, Steve D, and Leni (sorry if I missed anyone) for their ideas.
Skype is a VOIP (voice over Internet protocol) service that allows free phone calls to be made over the Internet between any two people who have the software installed on their computer. If you have a webcam attached to your computer, you can also add video to your calls for free.
Some of the other things you can do for free on SKype: transfer calls to people on Skype, forward calls to people on Skype, and have conference calls that include people on Skype AND others on landline or mobile phones. Skype offers additional (premium) services on a pay-as-you-go or subscription basis.
Paltalk is a service that offers free on-line chat rooms (including video) where you could “meet” with your clients. Each of you has to download and install the paltalk software on your computer for this to work. With their SuperIM service, you can make your calls using AIM, ICQ, and Yahoo Messenger.
Paltalk requires Windows XP (or later) operating system and 1GB or RAM. Paltalk Express, which is currently in Beta (test) mode, works with Macs and Linux operating systems.
Yahoo messenger is another free on-line service that allows you to share instant text messages, voice calls, and video with others who have the same software installed on their computers.
You can also share photos and large files up to 2GB.
Yahoo messenger works on the Windows operating system, but there is a beta test version available for Macs.
kall8 is a company offering toll-free inbound telephone service. It costs $2 per month for the service plus 6.9 cents per minute (for calls from US & Canada, other countries are higher) of actual usage. So an hour coaching call would cost you $4.14 in addition to your monthly fee. The monthly service fee also includes voice mail, fax, conference calling, and several other features, as well as on-line management tools.
I’ve looked at this company before because the features and price look quite appealing for what I need in my business. In the past, I had lots of trouble with their web site failing and concerns about the stability of the company. While checking things out for this article, I didn’t have any problems with their web site. It might be time for me to try them out.
For the record, I’ve been using PNG for many years. They provide me with a toll-free number that rings on my landline at home. The service costs $2.99 per month plus 4.5 cents per minute for the actual time used. This means you’d pay $2.99 (plus tax) every month to have the service available and an additional $2.70 for an hour’s worth of call time.
What other services have you used? What problems have you had or what recommendations would you make?
Please leave a comment so others can benefit from your experience.
