I think we have all realized how important it is to connect with each other both in and out of sessions. As with everything, there are pros and cons to working remotely. We don’t have the benefit of working under same roof but at the same time we can work in our PJs if we so desire. As one Tech stated, “[I miss] being able to stand up and take my headset off and yell over a cubicle to ask someone.” But being interconnected over a chat system is certainly something we can utilize to our benefit. We are building a network of the very best, so we can only service our customers better if we can reach out to each others great minds for answers.

Therefore, we’re happy to announce the chat platform of choice for the MinuteFix technician community: say hello to Skype. Diego, Oscar and I have talked long and hard about this choice and we feel this is going to be a great resource for MinuteFix for a few reasons:

1. Shared groups: Skype supports the notion of shared groups. As the community grows, we will need to have a chat platform that allows us to organize our teams: Windows, Vista, Office, Antivirus and Security and General Support. It will be very important for our technicians to be able to get help from others when stuck on a problem. As you all know, the network makes us all that more powerful. We don’t know everything, nor are we expected to, and there is nothing getting a little help from a friend. Shared groups organizes all of you who are part of the teams to work with each other. You won’t need to manually add each member, we will do it centrally. That way, when you are in a team, you will instantly be populated with all of the other technicians who are part of that team. Skype’s shared groups helps us organize ourselves and be able to better manage future growth. Skype also supports group chat, so a message can be sent to all members of the group, and we can all interact as if we had the community in the same room. Anyone who has the answer, or is available, can reply.
2. Phone support, down the road: We expect to roll out support over the phone for those technicians who would like to engage with the customer by talking. Skype has a very solid VoIP network (despite their 2-day crash last year, which, good for us taught them a lesson) and can work very well for serving as our phone support system. Skype allows us to manage calls to phone numbers very easily too. While on the subject of phone support, our idea is to launch with support for chat, solidify the product, build a solid following of consumers, and once we have the technology squared away, roll out the phone service.
3. Skype means business: Skype is very business-focused. Unlike MSN and Yahoo messenger, Skype is really focusing on providing a business-ready service. That is good for us because our chat platform is going to be a critical form of communication, and we need to treat it like business (which it is).

As with all new endeavors I want to take just a second to review a few ground rules and common behavior that will help us get the best out of this new tool.

1. Use group chat only for help with support, not for personal communications. Start group sessions when you are stuck with a support issue and need some help. If you know someone who might have the answer, chat to them directly without involving the entire group.
2. Try your best to be clear and to the point in your request. Use few words to get the words across. At MinuteFix, time is of the essence.
3. Don’t overuse it. We need to keep this tool useful, and if it becomes annoying due to overuse, technicians will tend to shy away from it. Use the forums for open conversations.
4. If you are starting a group chat to get some help, let the customer know. Use words like “I am putting this request out in the community, do you mind holding for a moment?”
5. If you are currently engaged in a chat session, remember that your priority is your customer. He or she is paying for your time helping them, not helping someone else. You can either ignore the chat session by leaving the group chat, or respond only if it does not cause a delay in your current session.
6. Skype allows you to set your online status. Please make sure that you set your true online status at all times. If you are online, you might get a chat request.
7. Skype does not currently allow management roles for shared groups. I will manage the groups centrally by adding Technicians to the respective groups. Contact me if a change needs to be made.

So please keep your eyes open for invites from me to particular Skype groups. I think this is an exciting advancement for us and I look forward to chatting with each of you!