Single Click Skype Click2Call within Google Maps
As mentioned previously, installing the Skype Web Toolbar for Firefox provides an opportunity to directly turn phone numbers into Skype Call hyperlinks with a single click. Let's do a Google Local search for Barnes and Noble in Berkeley, CA:
Note two locations for phone numbers: one the store listing on the left and also on the store banner that pops up near the geographical location for the store. But the store listing on the left includes a Click-to-Call button from Skype's Web Toolbar. One click and your call is on its way to your PSTN (or Skype) destination. Use of the "phone" links in the banner on the right is a multi-click process. But with Skype there is "No Call Back, no waiting telephony".
Oh, and (i) this works for locations worldwide with no "call back"! involved, whereas the Google feature requires that you be on a US-based wireline network, and (ii) it works using single click telephony via Skype! Keeping it simple!
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Comments
A few points in rebuttal, playing devil's advocate.
First, the phone number inside the pop-up balloon wasn't Skypified by the toolbar. Pretty sure the toolbar only renders the main page and not subsequent html loaded via AJAX or the like.
Second, yes, if you have Skype installed, the toolbar or a Greasemonkey script will do this for you (and across all web sites).
Problem 1. The user-operated approach requires users to do something in advance of seeing the opportunity for a call (i.e. decide to get Skype, download 20MB of Skype, set up an account, download and install the toolbar, buy SkypeOut credits). That's a lot of delayed gratification and many points of customer abandonment.
Problem 2. The web service hosting the page (in this case Google) has no influence or control over this prerequisite behavior. While Google's current solution is kinda bone-head simple, it's also something Google can manage, measure, adjust, adapt. What companies will just assume that everyone has Skype installed? Vs. having a phone?
Problem 3. Google clearly wants to meter these calls so they can bill advertisers. Without some serious software magic, Skype client calls won't give them the call records that justify Google's investment and inform their product evolution.
Problem 4. For now, call quality is unpredictable with VoIM but well managed via traditional VoIP and PSTN telephony. If you think acoustic quality helps/hurts your brand, you'll choose control every time.
Bypassing those problems, with two clicks without leaving your web page (because you only put your phone number in once), Google is able to call-enable their maps.
In fact they can call-enable any phone number across any of their services, from Orkut to Calendar to Blogger to AdWords. Regardless of the mechanism, this is evidence that Google gets it; their role is to trigger conversations with context as much as drive people to web pages from search results.
This is also one of those situations where the social capital you've invested in your Skype contacts doesn't matter. You're calling someone new, a stranger. Someone you're unlikely to add to your buddy list. So ringing your phone (and, by the way, Google's approach let's you choose any device with a phone number) is very natural and just works.
Your original point is well taken, but the value depends on your point of view: as a user or as a business operating a web site.
Posted by: Phil Wolff | June 2, 2007 01:02 AM
Phil you have made a lot of good points. I will comment more on this subject in a specific blog post.
Posted by: luca | June 4, 2007 12:15 PM
What happened to browser toolbars? When you click on the link in your post, to get an Outlook toolbar. There does not appear to be a Firefox or IE plugin available.
Posted by: Kevin Baggs | December 3, 2007 01:38 PM