Tretakoff Musings
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Business Line Becomes VOIP Line
In the last few weeks, we've rearranged our offices to separate the business teams from the development teams (seems us business types tend to make a bit too much noise for those heads-down developers). I've also hired two new team members. As a result of these two events, instead of paying yet another exorbitant telco install fee, I decided to make the leap from landlines and switch the team to Skype for our phone service. I should point out that this is not my first foray into Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP). My home phone us run by AT&T's CallVantage service, and one of my team members has been on Skype since she joined us. I also used Skype to chat with another company executive while he was in India. In all cases, I was impressed with the voice quality, and the price is unreal.
To start, I installed the latest Skype client, and got it working with my headset: the whole process took about 2 minutes. Next up was getting a plan so I could call regular phones; Skype's SkypeOut Unlimited did the job for me, for $30 a year for unlimited calling to any landline in North America. Finally, a phone number that could be directed from my company's PBX for clients to call me; I opted for Skype Pro for $3 a month, in addition to a SkypeIn number for another $30 annually. Paying for these services was a bit odd, as you can only use certain credit cards or PayPal, and the currency has to be switched from Euros. I played with it for a couple of days, and was pleasantly surprised.
Since my experience went well, I discovered Skype has a tool for me to add numbers and control usage for my other employees, Skype for Business. Free, and offers the promise of a smooth administration, it looked to be just what the doctor ordered. And here was where things got bizarre. First, yes, you can sign up for Skype For Business free, but you need to add money into a joint account to spread the funds across employees. Options? Bank transfer, PayPal or a "Moneybookers" account. That's it. Uh, folks, is this not called Skype For BUSINESS? You're telling me I can't just give you a company credit card? Frustrated, I signed up for a PayPal account with the company card...and was told I could transfer a maximum of $25 into the account. I have to buy SkypeIn numbers and Skype credits for several employees, and I'm limited to $25?
Frustrated, I looked into "MoneyBookers," which is essentially a UK company that does similar to PayPal, but after 15 minutes of transatlantic form filling, I was told that the company card could not be processed since it was drawn on a US bank. ARGH. I wrote to Skype, explained the situation, as well as the ludicrousness of having to explain that I wanted to give them money and they were preventing me. That was weeks ago, and I have yet to receive a reply. I was finally forced to involve our CFO to do a bank transfer to fund this little operation.
Next came the fun of getting my staff up. I asked them to sign up for Skype, and send me their usernames. The Business Control Panel allowed me to send invites to those usernames...which none of my team ever received. Multiple efforts, nothing. Out of frustration, I finally downloaded the Business Edition of Skype, which is described as "a business version of Skype. It has the same features as the standard version; however, it also includes Windows Installer (commonly known as MSI)." What it does NOT say, however, is that if you want your team to use the Control Panel, they MUST install this version. Now, would you not think this would be stated somewhere in the Business Control Panel? What are these Euro nutcases thinking? Finally, my staff was able to connect to the Panel, I was able to allocate them numbers and credits, and away we went.
The quality of the calls is excellent, especially Skype to Skype. Better than any phone call you could ever hope for. The few complaints I have are around performance: there is sometimes a slight lag in the calls to landlines (very rare), and some of my staff say they have had callers say the sound is "tinny" on occasion. The biggest grype I have is around the resource usage: I frequently am pushing the CPU on my laptop to full capacity, and if I am on a call, this can impact it: sound drops out, lag, and even a Max Headroom stutter on occasion. Still, the overall quality and ease of use is impressive, and the mobility factor is amazing.
My conclusions are that Skype needs to get their Scandinavian heads out of their asses (and their masters at eBay's crotches) and either embrace this as business, or keep to their little personal calling tools. I did look at the Gizmo Project, but reviews pointed to far spottier call quality. I did not look at Yahoo Messenger's or AIM's phone options, and I desperately craved a version of Google Talk that calls landlines, but Skype owns the space. If I had to do it again, I would still choose Skype, but these guys need to get their customer service in gear, as no business should have to go through what I did.
In any case, if you happen to be on Skype, feel free to give me a call.
In the last few weeks, we've rearranged our offices to separate the business teams from the development teams (seems us business types tend to make a bit too much noise for those heads-down developers). I've also hired two new team members. As a result of these two events, instead of paying yet another exorbitant telco install fee, I decided to make the leap from landlines and switch the team to Skype for our phone service. I should point out that this is not my first foray into Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP). My home phone us run by AT&T's CallVantage service, and one of my team members has been on Skype since she joined us. I also used Skype to chat with another company executive while he was in India. In all cases, I was impressed with the voice quality, and the price is unreal.To start, I installed the latest Skype client, and got it working with my headset: the whole process took about 2 minutes. Next up was getting a plan so I could call regular phones; Skype's SkypeOut Unlimited did the job for me, for $30 a year for unlimited calling to any landline in North America. Finally, a phone number that could be directed from my company's PBX for clients to call me; I opted for Skype Pro for $3 a month, in addition to a SkypeIn number for another $30 annually. Paying for these services was a bit odd, as you can only use certain credit cards or PayPal, and the currency has to be switched from Euros. I played with it for a couple of days, and was pleasantly surprised.
Since my experience went well, I discovered Skype has a tool for me to add numbers and control usage for my other employees, Skype for Business. Free, and offers the promise of a smooth administration, it looked to be just what the doctor ordered. And here was where things got bizarre. First, yes, you can sign up for Skype For Business free, but you need to add money into a joint account to spread the funds across employees. Options? Bank transfer, PayPal or a "Moneybookers" account. That's it. Uh, folks, is this not called Skype For BUSINESS? You're telling me I can't just give you a company credit card? Frustrated, I signed up for a PayPal account with the company card...and was told I could transfer a maximum of $25 into the account. I have to buy SkypeIn numbers and Skype credits for several employees, and I'm limited to $25?Frustrated, I looked into "MoneyBookers," which is essentially a UK company that does similar to PayPal, but after 15 minutes of transatlantic form filling, I was told that the company card could not be processed since it was drawn on a US bank. ARGH. I wrote to Skype, explained the situation, as well as the ludicrousness of having to explain that I wanted to give them money and they were preventing me. That was weeks ago, and I have yet to receive a reply. I was finally forced to involve our CFO to do a bank transfer to fund this little operation.
Next came the fun of getting my staff up. I asked them to sign up for Skype, and send me their usernames. The Business Control Panel allowed me to send invites to those usernames...which none of my team ever received. Multiple efforts, nothing. Out of frustration, I finally downloaded the Business Edition of Skype, which is described as "a business version of Skype. It has the same features as the standard version; however, it also includes Windows Installer (commonly known as MSI)." What it does NOT say, however, is that if you want your team to use the Control Panel, they MUST install this version. Now, would you not think this would be stated somewhere in the Business Control Panel? What are these Euro nutcases thinking? Finally, my staff was able to connect to the Panel, I was able to allocate them numbers and credits, and away we went.The quality of the calls is excellent, especially Skype to Skype. Better than any phone call you could ever hope for. The few complaints I have are around performance: there is sometimes a slight lag in the calls to landlines (very rare), and some of my staff say they have had callers say the sound is "tinny" on occasion. The biggest grype I have is around the resource usage: I frequently am pushing the CPU on my laptop to full capacity, and if I am on a call, this can impact it: sound drops out, lag, and even a Max Headroom stutter on occasion. Still, the overall quality and ease of use is impressive, and the mobility factor is amazing.
My conclusions are that Skype needs to get their Scandinavian heads out of their asses (and their masters at eBay's crotches) and either embrace this as business, or keep to their little personal calling tools. I did look at the Gizmo Project, but reviews pointed to far spottier call quality. I did not look at Yahoo Messenger's or AIM's phone options, and I desperately craved a version of Google Talk that calls landlines, but Skype owns the space. If I had to do it again, I would still choose Skype, but these guys need to get their customer service in gear, as no business should have to go through what I did.
In any case, if you happen to be on Skype, feel free to give me a call.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
I'm Not Dead
It only looks that way. Work has been brutal, but the end is nigh: I have hired two new staff members, and one has already started. With trips to Chicago and NY coming up, the extra help could not have come at a better time. I've also been logging a lot of biking and other fun exercise, so blogging (and calls to my mother, father and friends) have suffered. I've been reduced to Facebook status updates and occasional snippets...but hopefully, I'll be back in a regular publishing groove soon.
I owe a big post on Plaxo, as they worked through my issues to get me fully working. And man, is it sweet. Look for it shortly. I also need to point out the best PC deals ever in the Dell Outlet; top of the line PC's for under $400. Plus my recent solution for podcasts on the Treo, syncing with iTunes. And that's not mentioning my recent transition to Skype. And finally, a review of Madden 08 on the Wii: the results will surprise you.
For now, I leave you with an image of the coolest steampunk PC mod ever, courtesy of Brass Goggles. Look for the above posts soon!
I owe a big post on Plaxo, as they worked through my issues to get me fully working. And man, is it sweet. Look for it shortly. I also need to point out the best PC deals ever in the Dell Outlet; top of the line PC's for under $400. Plus my recent solution for podcasts on the Treo, syncing with iTunes. And that's not mentioning my recent transition to Skype. And finally, a review of Madden 08 on the Wii: the results will surprise you.
For now, I leave you with an image of the coolest steampunk PC mod ever, courtesy of Brass Goggles. Look for the above posts soon!Labels: blogs, Facebook, games, lifehacks, Madden, Plaxo, steampunk, VOIP, Wii, work
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Finally: an article on if Vonage v. Verizon is more than just that
As an AT&T CallVantage (VoIP) subscriber, I've been watching the Vonage developments carefully. However, despite scouring the web for details, it was always unclear if this was a specific issue of Vonage violating Verizon's patents, or was it all VoIP?
Wired has the answer in this article, as well as a ray of hope that this will all possibly end up an unenforceable. Let's hope so!
As an AT&T CallVantage (VoIP) subscriber, I've been watching the Vonage developments carefully. However, despite scouring the web for details, it was always unclear if this was a specific issue of Vonage violating Verizon's patents, or was it all VoIP? Wired has the answer in this article, as well as a ray of hope that this will all possibly end up an unenforceable. Let's hope so!
Labels: VOIP
Thursday, February 22, 2007
VOIP continues to pay me off
Did you know the IRS is refunding Excise taxes collected between 2003 & 2006 this year, if you have long distance service? Depending on how many deductions you claim you could get up to $60 back. Hell, $30 is there for the taking.
Curiously, this new blog, Nextlust, was what turned me on to it, but they implied it was VOIP users only. My bad.
Did you know the IRS is refunding Excise taxes collected between 2003 & 2006 this year, if you have long distance service? Depending on how many deductions you claim you could get up to $60 back. Hell, $30 is there for the taking. Curiously, this new blog, Nextlust, was what turned me on to it, but they implied it was VOIP users only. My bad.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
AT&T CallVantage: putting the Service in VOIP service
I've mentioned before that I ditched my landline some time ago in favor of a Voice Over IP (VOIP) line from AT&T, with their CallVantage service. $29.95 a month, with unlimited local and long distance calling, with crystal-clear sound quality. Uses your broadband Internet connection, and comes with almost every feature you can imagine: voicemail, caller ID, privacy time, and dozens more...all included.
What I have not mentioned is why I think their service is the best thing going. Yes, Vonage has a few more features I would like, and is $5 less; yes, SunRocket will give you a deal for $199 for 2 years of service. What AT&T gives me is some of the best customer service I could ask for, as well as the best phone quality you can imagine: far better than any landline I ever had.
Examples of their service: call them, and speak to a human, 24 hours a day. Try that with any other VOIP provider. Got a problem? They will patiently try to fix it, and, if all else fails, they FedEx you a new VOIP adaptor, FREE. While troubleshooting my internet connection, I spoke with them about the speed reduction in my connection. They offered to replace my adaptor, and even timed the delivery to my return from vacation.
Imagine my surprise and delight to see that they not only delivered it when they said they would, but that the adaptor they sent was a full fledged 802.11G Linksys router, with the VOIP service built in! FREE! I had just bought a $50 WiFi router, practically the same one, from Amazon, days before, which I can now return. This AT&T/Linksys box replaced my router, my VOIP adaptor, my old 802.11B WiFi access point, and my residential gateway (splits and shares the internet connection across multiple computers). It even works with my now-banned Linksys WiFi signal booster! Setup took a 10 minute call with them, and I now have 54MB per second wireless, with 3 less boxes!
The icing on this cake? My bandwidth went from an anemic 1MBPS to a full 16MBPS! I'm in the fast lane, wireless, for free, thanks to these folks. AT&T CallVantage, you've got a customer for a long, long, long time. GREAT example of how service trumps price in a competitive marketplace.
I've mentioned before that I ditched my landline some time ago in favor of a Voice Over IP (VOIP) line from AT&T, with their CallVantage service. $29.95 a month, with unlimited local and long distance calling, with crystal-clear sound quality. Uses your broadband Internet connection, and comes with almost every feature you can imagine: voicemail, caller ID, privacy time, and dozens more...all included.What I have not mentioned is why I think their service is the best thing going. Yes, Vonage has a few more features I would like, and is $5 less; yes, SunRocket will give you a deal for $199 for 2 years of service. What AT&T gives me is some of the best customer service I could ask for, as well as the best phone quality you can imagine: far better than any landline I ever had.
Examples of their service: call them, and speak to a human, 24 hours a day. Try that with any other VOIP provider. Got a problem? They will patiently try to fix it, and, if all else fails, they FedEx you a new VOIP adaptor, FREE. While troubleshooting my internet connection, I spoke with them about the speed reduction in my connection. They offered to replace my adaptor, and even timed the delivery to my return from vacation.
Imagine my surprise and delight to see that they not only delivered it when they said they would, but that the adaptor they sent was a full fledged 802.11G Linksys router, with the VOIP service built in! FREE! I had just bought a $50 WiFi router, practically the same one, from Amazon, days before, which I can now return. This AT&T/Linksys box replaced my router, my VOIP adaptor, my old 802.11B WiFi access point, and my residential gateway (splits and shares the internet connection across multiple computers). It even works with my now-banned Linksys WiFi signal booster! Setup took a 10 minute call with them, and I now have 54MB per second wireless, with 3 less boxes!The icing on this cake? My bandwidth went from an anemic 1MBPS to a full 16MBPS! I'm in the fast lane, wireless, for free, thanks to these folks. AT&T CallVantage, you've got a customer for a long, long, long time. GREAT example of how service trumps price in a competitive marketplace.
