In this day and age, web development companies tend to be widely distributed – perhaps with an office in a few Australian capital cities or even overseas – and the client base can be even more so. Because of this, many companies have had to look for alternative ways for their developers to communicate with each other and with clients, as overseas (and even interstate) phone calls can soon add up. Here are 3 creative ways to achieve this:
Instant Messaging
Also known as IMing, this method of communication simply involves a web developer and a client typing out their conversation and pressing send, much as you do with an email except that it occurs in real time (when both of you are online). MSN Messenger or even Facebook Chat are great ways to conduct this conversation, as are the numerous online IM programs.
Voice Chat
This method of communication requires the web developer and the client to have a discussion through microphones hooked up to their computer. Basically, you are making a telephone call through the internet (which is much cheaper than picking up the landline). Skype is one of the most popular ways to conduct a conversation with voice, as it is a really easy program to set up and use.
Video Chat
This method of communication requires the web developer and the client to have a face-to-face conversation using a webcam. Some of these programs will couple of the video aspect with a typed conversation, whilst you can use a microphone and have a voice chat with others. MSN Messenger and Skype offer a video chat function, which is very popular.
Being able to contact your clients and have a productive conversation is very important in the web development industry, but when your clients are interstate or overseas achieving this can be highly problematic and expensive. By conducting an IM, voice or video chat, you can save a lot of money and get your project finished on time.
