Back in February I opened the kimono on some of my consulting work on decomposing how voice telephony creates end-user value, and applying it to Skype, the PSTN and mobile to understand their comparative advantages. There’s actually a bunch of detail and reasoning not on the slides (it’s gonna cost ya), but here’s the headlines:
Note that price isn’t on there. It isn’t a value offering — it’s something you take away from the user.
I got a PR release from Skype recently on the beta release of the version 2.5 client. Let’s deconstruct the features they’re pushing to understand the company’s product strategy better. For each PR puff taken at face value, we map it to the corresponding value proposition.
| Feature | Description | Strategy | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy Dialing | Instead of having to remember specific country codes, easily call landlines or cell phones worldwide by selecting the country of choice from a dropdown menu. | User experience | Makes it easier to place a call |
| Payments in Skype | Payment is now built into the Skype software, making it simpler to buy Skype credit, SkypeOut minutes, ringtones from artists like Madonna and more. | 1. Distribution 2. User experience | Service ‘reach’ includes payment, since if you can’t pay, you can’t use. |
| Send Short Message Service (SMS) Messages | Send a one-way SMS message to any mobile phone number in the world by selecting a SkypeOut contact, entering a mobile phone number or selecting a Skype contact’s mobile phone number in their profile. | 1. Distribution 2. Directory | Expand the range of communications channels to reach new folk, and integrate into the directory experience. |
| View Outlook Contacts | Quickly view Outlook contacts in Skype and call directly using SkypeOut, a call from Skype to traditional landlines or cell phones. | Directory | Need I say more? |
| Improved Conference Calling | Instantly see who is talking on a conference call as the participant’s picture flashes when they begin to speak. | 1. Audiovisual 2. User experience | Makes it easier to understand what’s being said when you know who says it. |
| Shared Contact Groups | Easily share contacts with friends and family and help them connect with other people; bring groups together with just one click of a button to start a group chat or conference call. | 1. Social networking 2. Directory 3. User experience | I have to wonder if users will grok this one… |
| Simplified Registration | Create Skype accounts in one simple step. | Distribution | Becoming a member of the Skype network becomes easier. |
| Automatic Updates | Receive an automatic prompt to download the latest Skype software any time the product is upgraded. | 1. Distribution 2. User experience | Takes the pain out of keeping up to date, and increases the reach of new features by auto update. |
| Call Quality Management | Lets users adjust and manage their computer environment and internet connection to ensure they have the best possible call quality. | Audiovisual | Close that BitTorrent down, boy! |
What’s interesting is that they are concentrating effort on three particular areas:
Anyhow, now the cat is out of the bag, and you can see the lens through which I evaluate developments in the “Voice 2.0” space. You can see that Skype has focus, and isn’t some feature scattergun.
One parting thought: We’ve now got real-time voice, synchronous IM, and semi-synchronous (store+forward) SMS. How long before you can enter an asynchronous email message in the Skype client? Are we heading towards Stowe Boyd’s nerdvana?
Posted by Martin Geddes at 05:10 PMTrackBack URL for this entry:
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Does Skype have a strategic aim? I understand that they have been bought by ebay: was this a protection measure against an expansion by Skype into online auctions or a move towards diversity from ebay?
Posted by: at February 3, 2007 10:56 AM