No time to meet with a client? Skype 'em

Online video conferencing software Skype, owned by Microsoft Corp., can be a backup plan for advisers who can't schedule a face-to-face meeting, and at least a few are giving it a try. One is Vincent R. Barbara, an adviser with TGS Financial Advisors, who says his firm has been testing it. “So many clients have webcams now, that we wanted to see if it might be a tool we could use,” he said in a recent interview. That may signal the beginning of a trend toward financial advisers' using Skype, said Alex Wingert, social-media specialist at AdvisorWebsites.com, a web developer that specializes in financial services firms. “Advisers are finding more ways to extend their offices,” said Mr. Wingert. “Skype can be a useful tool for advisers.” Mr. Wingert said it could be handy for clients who can't make it in for a quarterly meeting, as long as both sides have a webcam and a microphone, and the adviser has fast Internet. Once you establish a session, you can share a computer screen so clients can view a presentation as the adviser explains it, he said. Skype is free, but the paid version offers more features, such as multiple-party videoconferences, he said. Another free service for screen sharing and conference calls without the video is join.me, owned by LogMeIn Inc., he said. He warns that either is probably best used only for longtime clients. “You wouldn't want to recommend Skype video calling to a client who just walked in your door,” Mr. Wingert said. That could seem “impersonal,” he said.