Skype for Salesforce Now Available on Salesforce.com’s AppExchange

PRLog (Press Release) - Aug 28, 2007 -
Skype and salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), the market and technology leader in on-demand customer relationship management (CRM), have 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 (http://www.skype.com/ ) 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 (http://www.skype.com/products/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 (http://www.skype.com/go/skypepro/  ) in Europe and Asia or the Skype Unlimited Calling (http://www.skype.com/products/skypeout/) 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, 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.

John H. Barnes, vice president of technology for Model Metrics said, “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.”

Access to a broadband Internet connection is required for Skype and all Skype Certified devices and accessories. Skype is not a replacement for a 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.

Skype PR Contact:
Stephanie Zari
Skype
2 Stephen Street
London
W1T 1AN
+44 (0)121 288 3779