Connect with Skype for Business and Skype this Christmas
The build up to Christmas really brings some things home to me like the fact that quite a few of my friends and the vast majority of my relatives are now overseas. I know I am not alone in this dynamic and I am sure others can empathise with my inner thoughts that include “time is pressing on! Will I ever see them again? I am an uncle multiple times over to nephews and nieces I have never met”.
With only 7 weeks to go to Christmas I was lucky enough to attend a marketing workshop in Los Angeles. Due to the time difference calls with my wife were sporadic, impromptu and a very welcome connection to my world back home. It was ridiculous o’clock when my phone launched the familiar Skype ring tone. Sure enough it was my wife Dannie, so I answered the call and turned on video. Sure enough, up popped Dannie and Bailey, our seven-year-old Weimaraner, on the 5.5-inch screen of the phone I was clutching tightly. I had a great view from my 19th floor room which included the iconic Hollywood sign so quite rightly I was eager to share this novel experience with them. In Dannie’s view the call was of the utmost importance “I want to start the Christmas shopping” she informed me! Being able to exchange ideas, see reactions and reach agreement was of paramount although I knew her word ruled. A day later I was walking past Madame Tussaud’s when a well know chain of coffee shops alerted me to the fact I was now connected to their free wifi. A few seconds later my phone rang. “Are you stalking me?” I joked with Dannie and instead of stalking me she had simply been alerted that I was now online and eager to provide me with a real time update regarding the annual conquest that is… Christmas shopping.
Looking back the oddest Skype call I ever had with Dannie took place while I was working away at Christmas time. She was stranded in bad weather and in rush hour, having broken down on a big roundabout in Farnborough, Hampshire. It’s fair to say panic had set in to the poor woman and thankfully we were we able to make the most of video call while she waited for a breakdown service to arrive. It was heart-wrenching to see a loved one so distressed and be so powerless to help, but video certainly enabled me to be part of the situation and support her.
My wife is a student, teacher and also a volunteer at London Zoo so this is a manic time for her finishing off modules, marking modules and teaching the younger members of society the importance of a newly born gorilla! And of course Christmas. Only last week we were getting breakfast ready when Dannie received an email saying that the teacher for one of the key modules of her Degree Course was unable to make it into college. She suggested moving the session to Skype and sure enough it went ahead. I found this out as I received an instant message in Skype for Business.
At Microsoft we have recently welcomed a new Product Marketing Manager to the UK from Brazil. Her English is excellent and it’s fantastic to be able to use a fully integrated text translation tool to communicate in our native languages. Using my pigeon French I tested the functionality between Skype for Business and Skype just now and it works really effectively. This functionality between Skype and Skype for Business is enabling her to keep in touch with family and friends at this important time.
A major advancement in family interaction has been my success in prizing Mum and Dad away from the trusty analogue phone and dial tone! They live 180 miles away which isn’t far by today’s standards but this Christmas we will have limited time to visit them so it’s great to be able to tag them for status changes and have the odd impromptu video call. To me, the crowning glory for Skype and Skype for Business is the fact they both work on any platform. Dad loves his Android tablet because of his home entertainment deployment, I use a mix of Windows, iOS and Android, while Dannie uses Windows and iOS. I use Skype for Business while the parents use Skype as does Dannie; so having an application that works across this myriad of operating systems and devices is of real benefit to me and my family.
Like many, I have reached app overload and started sending Dear John letters to those apps I don’t use anymore. It’s sad, as I would never want to see an app willingly jettisoned from any of my devices but the fact is the interaction of Skype for Business and Skype offers exactly what I need as we enter the frantic festive season.
Keeping in touch is a great way to feel assured, settled and wholesome while working away or just being away from loved ones so if you or other family members are working during the festive period and want to keep in touch using a rich video experience on any device then take a look at how easy it is to get Skype for Business and Skype to connect.
Happy Christmas and Best Wishes for the New Year, Ian
