Skype Click to Call

Skype Click to Call is an advertising program that provides an efficient and measureable way to acquire new customers by using Skype to drive inbound calls. Skype provides this offering in the U.S., Canada, and Western Europe through a partnership with Marchex Inc., a leading call advertising company, who manages, operates and sells Click to Call with Skype.

Prospective customers can simply click a button and start speaking directly with an advertiser through their computer. Participating advertisers’ phone numbers are highlighted with a blue button across the web where the phone number is displayed. The phone number is displayed if the person using Skype has phone number highlighting enabled. When a potential customer clicks the button, the Skype software launches and the call is connected. The call is free for the caller because the advertiser pays for it.

We believe Skype Click to Call is a useful tool for advertisers who want to drive calls to their business. With its large user base Skype is a global leader in online calling. We believe that Skype Click to Call provides advertisers a promising opportunity to acquire potential new customers using Skype in a highly efficient and measureable way. The experience is also beneficial for people using Skype because the calls are free and the experience is fast, easy and convenient.

Advertisers wishing to participate in the new program should visit marchex.com/skype. The advertiser can work with an account representative from Marchex to begin driving calls to their businesses.

Not at the moment, but we are working towards that goal in the future.

Advertisers are charged only for calls where users dial through and choose to speak with a sales representative. If the caller is calling for a non-sales reason (i.e. reporting a service outage), then we do not charge for that call.

This program is performance-based so we expect every advertiser to use our analytics or their own to quickly determine the value of these calls and manage their business decisions accordingly.

Skype has partnered with a third-party called Marchex. Marchex supports the Skype Click to Call back-end operations, sales and analytics for advertisers.

People who have Skype software installed on their computer and phone number highlighting enabled will see blue buttons appearing on web pages. The experience is great for them because the calls are free, easy and convenient - they simply click on a blue call button, with the call paid for by the advertiser.

Skype Click to Call relies on a user having Skype software installed on their computer and Skype’s browser plug-in which is downloaded automatically for Skype for Windows 4.0 or later. If a user has an earlier version of Skype, they can download the plug-in.

Today, Skype Click to Call only works on PC computers. Skype Click to Call is not available for mobile devices, as we believe it is most important to address the largest base of our users who are typically on computers when they use Skype.

Yes, calls are trackable in two ways: first, each call is redirected to a special tracking number that allows advertisers to recognize each call that came from their campaign on Skype; secondly, Skype/Marchex is about to provide standard call metrics — including call duration and geography of where the call is from.

No Skype Names or personally identifiable information is not shared with the advertiser or Marchex. Only standard call metrics are provided including call duration and geography of where call is from.

This is an option that will soon be available by Marchex. Call recordings are only offered where legal and appropriate, under standard legal requirements and where the caller is informed that the call is being recorded.