Skype and Yahoo Messenger on oDesk

Skype and Yahoo Messenger on oDesk

In my experience working on oDesk, Skype has become the choice for many employers as the medium for communication. Skype, according to Wikipedia, “is a proprietary voice-over-Internet Protocol service and software application originally created in 2003 by Swedish entrepreneur Niklas Zennström and his Danish partner Janus Friis.” 

In the time I have spent working on oDesk, I think only a couple of clients have asked to communicate using Yahoo! Messenger. Yahoo! Messenger, as defined by Wikipedia, is an advertisement-supported instant messaging client and associated protocol provided by Yahoo!.”

I would consider both as essential tools when working on oDesk projects. It would be best to have full Skype and Yahoo! Messenger capabilities like voice, video and chat to have the means to respond to the client’s communication preferences. In some cases the jobs themselves may require an oDesk contractor to use these services to accomplish the oDesk employer’s tasks. 

I use the free services and they have worked well for me. I have also tried the paid services and they work perfectly for jobs that require you to make calls. A number of small scale BPO’s I have worked for in the Philippines also use Skype and prefer it to other VOIP services. It is slightly more expensive but the quality is impeccable. It provides a better experience for unsuspecting marks that you are targeting on cold calls and provides an edge for you to close that sale. There are a lot of opportunities on oDesk that are in the market for customer service and sales people and it may suit contractors to use these services to snatch up those clients. One thing I like about Yahoo! Messenger is it being a built into feature in your Yahoo! Mail. If you happen to be using a Yahoo! email for oDesk your set, you do not need to install software. 

Both are tools every oDesk contractor must have, if not for all situations but maybe for those times the client requires it. Have it and use it when you need it instead of not having it when you need it. Be ready with your Skype and Yahoo Messenger on oDesk.