Skype (Nasdaq:EBAY) and salesforce.com (NYSE:CRM), the market and technology leader in on-demand customer relationship management (CRM), today announced the availability of a new version of Skype for Salesforce via salesforce.com's AppExchange. Skype for Salesforce provides seamless Skype integration into Salesforce on-demand CRM applications and aims to improve workforce productivity and to streamline customer and partner communication.
"As more and more people around the world use Skype to talk to their friends and family, they are increasingly adopting Skype in the workplace to also talk to colleagues and customers," said Scott Miller, director of business development with Skype. "We now offer the tools to integrate Skype communication with the salesforce.com experience via the AppExchange. Besides saving money on telephone bills, this will also enable salesforce.com customers in the small and mid-sized business sector to build stronger relationships and improve the way they manage their contact with colleagues, customers and prospects."
Skype for Salesforce enables salesforce.com customers to easily make and receive Skype calls or initiate text chats directly with other people whose Skype contact names and presence indicators can now be added manually or imported automatically into Salesforce. SkypeOut calls to non-Skype users' traditional phone numbers can also be initiated with a single click. Conference calls of up to 10 participants (including the host) can now be conducted using Skype for Salesforce and can accommodate any combination of Skype and non-Skype users.
Calls from one Skype user to another are free, while SkypeOut calls are billed at low per-minute rates. Customers can also sign up for one of Skype's premium Internet communications subscription packages for unlimited domestic SkypeOut calling - Skype Pro in Europe and Asia or the Skype Unlimited Calling plan in the U.S. and Canada.
Skype for Salesforce also integrates with salesforce.com's computer telephony (CTI) adapter to enable click-to-call for phone numbers of those customers or business partners listed within Salesforce SFA or Salesforce Service & Support applications. Furthermore, inbound Skype calls from parties listed in Salesforce will instantly pop-up the user's record. This way, the Salesforce user can immediately add notes about the conversation or transaction into the appropriate record for future reference.
Model Metrics (http://www.modelmetrics.com), the leading on-demand CRM consulting firm in the Midwest, is one of the first customers using the new version of Skype for Salesforce. Model Metrics helps its mid-sized and Fortune 500 clients successfully implement on-demand business solutions. These clients are increasingly interested in finding ways to integrate Skype into their call centers for both text chat and telephony.
Model Metrics also uses salesforce.com to run its own business. The company's teams of consultants currently use Skype to communicate internally and to conduct conference calls with clients. The company views Skype's click-to-call and SkypeIn functionality as a potential option with which to replace its aging PBX, a step that will improve its employees' and managers' visibility into sales and support call logs.
"Customer-facing sales, marketing and support organizations are increasingly looking to more closely integrate Salesforce CRM applications with their communications systems so they can get a complete 360 degree view of their customers," said John H. Barnes, vice president of technology for Model Metrics. "Skype for Salesforce has already helped our staff interact and work more closely with our customers. We anticipate that this easy-to-use integrated solution will enable our clients to better manage their communications, while also reducing costs."
"Skype's initial AppExchange application coincided with the launch of AppExchange in January 2006 and was very well received by the salesforce.com community, as it enabled them to stay in touch with their customers, suppliers and colleagues spread around the world," said Matt Holleran, vice president, AppExchange partners, salesforce.com. "The new Skype for Salesforce application further revolutionizes business communications by making team collaboration and effective communication a seamless part of every workday. Salesforce.com customers can get it from the AppExchange with just a few clicks to enable a whole new set of functions to enhance how they communicate with their clients and prospects."
Developed and maintained by PamConsult GmbH, a Skype Developer Program partner that specializes in developing applications for the Skype and eBay platforms, Skype for Salesforce can be immediately downloaded for free and installed through a simple four-step process.
Skype for Salesforce is one of more than 575 applications that are now available for test drive and deployment on salesforce.com's AppExchange (http://www.salesforce.com/appexchange), the world's first on-demand application directory, where it is listed as Skype CTI Connector 2.0 - Basic Edition.
About salesforce.com
Salesforce.com is the market and technology leader in on-demand business services. The company's Salesforce suite of on-demand CRM applications allows customers to manage and share all of their sales, support, marketing and partner information on-demand. Salesforce Platform enables customers, developers and partners to build powerful new on-demand applications that extend beyond CRM to deliver the benefits of multi-tenancy and The Business Web across the enterprise. All new components and applications built on the Salesforce Platform can be easily shared, exchanged and installed via salesforce.com's AppExchange directory, available at http://www.salesforce.com/appexchange. Customers can also take advantage of Successforce, salesforce.com's world-class training, support, consulting and best practices offerings.
As of January 31, 2007, salesforce.com manages customer information for approximately 29,800 customers and approximately 646,000 paying subscribers including Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), America Online (AOL), Avis Budget Group, Inc, Dow Jones Newswires, Polycom and SunTrust Banks. Any unreleased services or features referenced in this or other press releases or public statements are not currently available and may not be delivered on time or at all. Customers who purchase salesforce.com applications should make their purchase decisions based upon features that are currently available. Salesforce.com has headquarters in San Francisco, with offices in Europe and Asia, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CRM". For more information please visit http://www.salesforce.com, or call 1-800-NO-SOFTWARE.
About Skype
Skype sets conversations free by providing new and easy ways to stay in touch over the internet. Millions of people every day make free Skype-to-Skype voice and video calls and send instant messages using our software. Some pay a little per minute for long-distance and international calls to phones and mobiles and for SMS, voicemail and call forwarding, or they buy subscriptions that give unlimited calls nationwide.
We certify and sell hundreds of hardware products from more than 50 partners and work with third-party developers to create software to extend Skype's functionality. Skype has been downloaded more than half a billion times and over 196 million people from almost every corner of the globe have registered. Skype is an eBay company (NASDAQ: EBAY), and you can learn more and get Skype at www.skype.com.
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Access to a broadband Internet connection is required for Skype and all Skype Certified devices and accessories. Skype is not a replacement for your traditional telephone service and cannot be used for emergency calling.
Skype, SkypeIn, SkypeOut, Skype Me, Skype Certified, Skypecasts, associated logos and the "S" symbol are trademarks of Skype Limited.
Salesforce.com is a registered trademark of salesforce.com, and AppExchange, The Business Web, IdeaExchange and Successforce are trademarks of salesforce.com, Inc., San Francisco, California. Other names used may be trademarks of their respective owners.