There’s a fine line between convenience, and laziness, and often we confuse the two, intentionally or not. Skype has introduced a new tool for us to help differentiate, or further confuse the two. This week, the folks over at Skype have released a tool that will works in parallel with your browser, and allows users to quickly call companies that have been found via search.
There are only two or three prerequisites that must be met before we can go ahead and start calling to order pizza, or to check availability of something before heading out to the store. You must have a Skype account and be logged into either your computer, or your phone.
What makes this tool cool, is that if you already have Skype on your device, you can simply tap the “Click to Call” and the number will be dialed for you and the call will be directed to the Skype app on your phone. Most phone plans have unlimited minutes, but there are plans still out there that have limited minutes, so this can help out and make sure that your minutes don’t get burned through.
Imagine you’re tracking a parcel on your computer and you need to call the delivery company. Simply find their number online, which Skype Click to Call will have highlighted for you, then select Call from mobile and the number will be sent to Skype on your mobile. Just pick up your mobile, swipe and start the call without ever having to type in any numbers.x
After the Add-On is installed, while users are searching, users will see the phone number associated with whatever company they are researching. From here, you should see a small Skype icon, and when the number is selected, a drop-down menu appears. From the drop-down menu, you will either be able to Call using your desktop Skype client, Call from Mobile, or Add to Skype.
Currently, the ability to Call from Mobile is only available for Android users, but it is expected to roll out to other platforms later this year. It will be interesting to see if this catches on, and turns into more than just a “convenience” tool. In regards to the cost, most companies absorb the cost that would normally be attached to this, so most calls can be made for free, without having to purchase any Skype credits or minutes.
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