Many people in India have a Skype account. Skype is a free (so far) Voice Over Internet Protocol solution, which enables the the ability to record and playback audio. Add-ons such as he ability to call out and in to POTS (standard phone lines) and soft answering machines (SAM is an freeware example) make this a versatile method of synchronouse and asynchronous communication.
Now, another add-on has been, well, added to Skype services. SMS messages. Skype has chosen Mobile 365, a provider of mobile messaging and data services, to provide to Skype."With the addition of SMS messaging via Mobile 365’s global delivery network, Skype users can keep in touch by sending SMS messages to mobile subscribers anywhere in the world," the company says.
"Skype chose to work with Mobile 365 not only because of its unrivalled global SMS reach, but also because of its ability to access difficult, but highly important markets such as China and India," said Michael Jackson, director, paid products, Skype. "Mobile 365 uses multiple routes to each destination, enabling us to deliver messages with speed, quality, and ultimately, cost effectively." With this new service, Skype users can send an SMS to a mobile phone directly from their keyboard. The service is quick and simple to use, and features a straightforward pricing plan; users pay using their existing Skype Credit.
"For example, a Skype user can now contact a friend who is offline, via a mobile message, and arrange a Skype call, thus extending Skype’s reach beyond the PC," Mobile 365 says.
How is an SMS message transmitted over Skype? When a Skype user sends a message, Skype distributes the message via Mobile 365’s global inter-operator network to over 60 countries across the world. Mobile 365 accommodates high traffic volumes via its upgraded platform, further further enabling the network to reliably deliver messages into over 180 countries worldwide.
"Skype is leading the way in global communications and we are delighted to have been chosen as a strategic partner in their quest to revolutionise the way consumers utilise SMS. Skype needed a global partner that is able to provide connectivity into rapidly growing regions including China and India," says Gino Picasso, CEO of Mobile 365. The company says that as it is the only international aggregator with a local presence and premium connectivity into China and India (with over 500 million, and growing, mobile subscribers combined) it can help Skype deploy value-added services to its users, via Premium SMS, thus opening new revenue streams in such emerging markets.
Sending SMSs from Skype
July 28, 2006, 10:50 amTruth about poor performance
July 28, 2006, 10:49 am
An employee misses the deadline on an important project. An expensive marketing campaign delivers lukewarm results. No matter where you sit in your organisation, you encounter performance that sharply differs from expectations.Many of us employ work-arounds rather than directly addressing the problem, write Bruce Bodaken and Robert Fritz in The Managerial Moment of Truth: The Essential Step in Helping People Improve Performance (Free Press, 2006).
We feel we don’t have time to correct ineffective work habits. We dread conflict and fear that painful conversations will destroy morale and drive employees away. And some of us work in organisations that discourage honest acknowledgment of mistakes. But avoidance and work-arounds carry a high price, says Mr Fritz. For one thing, he says, "when you shift work to your best performers, you put them at risk for burnout, and you underuse your workforce overall." For another, avoidance creates a vicious communication circle: You say nothing until your annoyance with a performance problem reaches unmanageable levels. Then you overreact — with an intensity that’s out of proportion to the problem. Afterward, you’re embarrassed by your reaction, so when the problem resurfaces (and it will), you once again say nothing.
To counter managers’ reluctance to address problems head on, Mr Fritz developed what he calls the managerial moment of truth (MMOT) process, composed of these four sequential steps.
ACKNOWLEDGE THE TRUTH
The first step of the MMOT process is removing the distortions created by biases, defensiveness and previous experience so that both persons involved in the dialogue can agree on the plain facts of the situation.You start by stating the facts: "The project was due May 23, and now it’s May 29." Your employee may cite excuses ("I was swamped with other things"
or blame others ("Sarah didn’t get me the numbers on time".To keep this part of the conversation focused on the facts, free of subtext, you may repeat: "The project was due May 23, and now it’s May 29. Is that right?" Comments such as "You let me down" or "Missing deadlines is unprofessional" would be counterproductive because they only incr-ease your employee’s defensiveness.
ANALYsE THE SITUATION
Once you and your employee have agreed on the situation, you can work together to track the thoughts and decisions that led up to it. In essence, you’re asking: "What happened first, and then what happened? What decisions did you make? Why did you make those decisions?"
Consider this dialogue adapted from Mr Bodaken and Mr Fritz’s book:
You: "What happened that the due date was missed?"
Employee: "The work took longer than I expected, and I got too busy with other things."
You: "When you were planning your work on this project, did you add the other things into the equation?"
Employee: "No."
You: "What does that suggest?"
Employee: "My planning was off; I should have looked at the whole picture."
You: "So it sounds like for future projects you need to make a more comprehensive assessment of your workload before agreeing on a deadline?"
Employee: "Yeah, that’s what I should do."
Notice how these questions focus on the employee’s decisions, assumptions and thought processes — not others’ possible contributions to the missed deadline.
DEVELOP AN ACTION PLAN
The plan for improvement can be simple: "Take ongoing projects into account when calculating how much time a new project will take." Or it can be more complex, with multiple components. But it must be easily understandable and adaptable to the circumstances the employee is likely to face.
You should prompt your employee to suggest the action plan, providing ideas only if he has difficulty conceiving new approaches. Ask the employee to document the agreed-upon plan — along with the truth you’ve identified and the events that led to the problem — in an e-mail or a memo.
We feel we don’t have time to correct ineffective work habits. We dread conflict and fear that painful conversations will destroy morale and drive employees away. And some of us work in organisations that discourage honest acknowledgment of mistakes. But avoidance and work-arounds carry a high price, says Mr Fritz. For one thing, he says, "when you shift work to your best performers, you put them at risk for burnout, and you underuse your workforce overall." For another, avoidance creates a vicious communication circle: You say nothing until your annoyance with a performance problem reaches unmanageable levels. Then you overreact — with an intensity that’s out of proportion to the problem. Afterward, you’re embarrassed by your reaction, so when the problem resurfaces (and it will), you once again say nothing.
To counter managers’ reluctance to address problems head on, Mr Fritz developed what he calls the managerial moment of truth (MMOT) process, composed of these four sequential steps.
ACKNOWLEDGE THE TRUTH
The first step of the MMOT process is removing the distortions created by biases, defensiveness and previous experience so that both persons involved in the dialogue can agree on the plain facts of the situation.You start by stating the facts: "The project was due May 23, and now it’s May 29." Your employee may cite excuses ("I was swamped with other things"
or blame others ("Sarah didn’t get me the numbers on time".To keep this part of the conversation focused on the facts, free of subtext, you may repeat: "The project was due May 23, and now it’s May 29. Is that right?" Comments such as "You let me down" or "Missing deadlines is unprofessional" would be counterproductive because they only incr-ease your employee’s defensiveness.ANALYsE THE SITUATION
Once you and your employee have agreed on the situation, you can work together to track the thoughts and decisions that led up to it. In essence, you’re asking: "What happened first, and then what happened? What decisions did you make? Why did you make those decisions?"
Consider this dialogue adapted from Mr Bodaken and Mr Fritz’s book:
You: "What happened that the due date was missed?"
Employee: "The work took longer than I expected, and I got too busy with other things."
You: "When you were planning your work on this project, did you add the other things into the equation?"
Employee: "No."
You: "What does that suggest?"
Employee: "My planning was off; I should have looked at the whole picture."
You: "So it sounds like for future projects you need to make a more comprehensive assessment of your workload before agreeing on a deadline?"
Employee: "Yeah, that’s what I should do."
Notice how these questions focus on the employee’s decisions, assumptions and thought processes — not others’ possible contributions to the missed deadline.
DEVELOP AN ACTION PLAN
The plan for improvement can be simple: "Take ongoing projects into account when calculating how much time a new project will take." Or it can be more complex, with multiple components. But it must be easily understandable and adaptable to the circumstances the employee is likely to face.
You should prompt your employee to suggest the action plan, providing ideas only if he has difficulty conceiving new approaches. Ask the employee to document the agreed-upon plan — along with the truth you’ve identified and the events that led to the problem — in an e-mail or a memo.
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