Skype case study - publié le 16/07/2012

Résumé du document

Nowadays, Skype is known and used by every person owning a computer either a PC or a Mac, it is even available on smartphones now. It has revolutionized the world of telecommunication and change the world of e-business. This service has been provided by Microsoft since 2011, allows users to communicate with peers by voice, video, and instant messaging over the Internet. It is an innovation because calls to other users within the Skype service are free of charge all over the world. In addition, it is possible to call landline telephones and mobile phones through a system of credit via a debit-based user account system.

Actually, Skype software uses voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) service created by Niklas Zennström.
VoIP has become a disruptive technology because it competes with the regular telephone network commercialized by mainly national companies involving a monopoly of the communication prices. So, traditional landlines and mobile phones have been affected by this new technology.

Extraits

[...] The advertisement would take place in a professional environment where employees are often calling abroad to set contracts and at the end we see the bills of all these communication and then a slogan appears and says that if you would have Skype you would only have paid xxx. Those channels are very efficient because many professionals, CEOs, are watching it. We could use more or less the same advertisement for radio channels. Once again we will select radios that are listened by the target, that is to say professional people. [...]

[...] In 2011, the leader of the instant messenger is still Windows Live Messenger with of the market shares. Skype represents However it is important to know that Windows Live Messenger belongs to Microsoft. So, since the acquisition of Skype by Microsoft, they are the major actors on this market with 68% of the total market shares. Roughly two out of three IM clients will be Microsoft's. So, is it legal or is it seen as a trust situation? Windows Live Messenger and Skype represent the main Windows desktops. [...]

[...] Furthermore, the company grows in terms of connected users as well as paying users. However, in 2007, the company faced an important connection problem during which users were unable to connect themselves to the network. So, the company lost a lot of value. Since Skype belong to Microsoft, they have resolved these problems of connection and do not to worry anymore about this kind of issue. To conclude this part, we can say that today Skype represents half-a- Facebook in user activity and a quarter of all international phone calls. [...]

[...] To enter the French market and remain competitive, Skype has to offer special features that will differentiate the company from the other free international calls providers. However, to be more efficient, it is essential to focus on a specific target that will be different from the traditional targets. b. Market segments targeted Nowadays, the French market represents more than 3.5 million of Skype registers and the VoIP telecommunication represents 18.2 million users in France so there is a huge market to take. [...]

[...] Concerning the payment on Skype, there are two options, and customer has to choose between them regarding several criteria. It depends on the number of calls they make per month and the length of their average out calls PC-to-phone call, they can save some money if they choose the good option, Skype "Pay As You Go" Credit or a Skype Monthly Subscription. Skype makes money also by creating partnerships such as the one with Facebook, Google, and Microsoft Office In addition, it enables them to get more customers. [...]