Skype Expands Coverage of Admin Tool for Businesses

Skype Manager, the web-based management tool allowing businesses to centrally run Skype, now covers more than 170 countries. Skype has given administrators the capacity to assign Skype subscriptions from over 170 countries, including new additions Brazil, Mexico, and Russia. And on top of broadening the geographical base, Skype has also made Skype Manager available to all subscriptions.

Skype announces the expanded coverage to the Manager administration tool in a corporate blog post.

Skype Manager is touted to simplify the task of setting every employee up with a suitable Skype plan, as there are instances when not all employees require the group video calling included in Skype Premium, for example.

In addition, administrators can use Skype Manager to create Skype accounts for employees, manage and restrict their access to certain features, dole out Skype Credit, Skype Premium, and other capabilities, while monitoring how much each employee is spending. Skype Manager also makes it possible for the company to retain control of the user account in the event that the employee, who is assigned to that account, leaves the company.

According to Steve Blood, research vice president at Gartner, Skype Manager is a good tool that companies must use. Blood also recommends that companies must formulate a proper support plan for Skype. He says, “You don't really want sales people using their own Skype handle. You want to give them a Skype handle for business, so that when they leave the company it can be retained and passed on to someone else rather than business disappearing to a competitor.”

For a fixed monthly cost, a Skype subscription enables a user to make calls to both fixed lines and mobile phones. Using Skype Manager, an administrator can then arrange for some employees to make unlimited calls in the United States, for example, and employees who call clients based in Japan can be assigned Skype subscriptions for that country. (KOM) Link. Link.