This is the first of a series of short case study videos I will be featuring on this blog over the coming weeks. This is one of my personal favourites. It tells the story of Park Manager Luca Natale who runs the Cinque Terra National Park in eastern Liguria, Italy. Luca is somewhat of a local celebrity by the looks of it. He is a forward thinking environmentalist who has adopted Skype to help him communicate with his contacts around the world. Here he shares some profound comments on the benefits of technology to society and how it has helped his business. Watch the video, or read below to find out more.

Company background

Cinque Terre National Park is five miles of rocky coast in eastern Liguria, Italy. Recognised as a national park in 1999, Cinque Terre is visited by 2.5 million people every year and the park's tourism board employs over 250 staff.

Internal communications

The employees at Cinque Terre National Park rely heavily on Skype for their internal communications, checking their Skype messages every morning before they open their e-mails. It is standard practice for the team to start the day with a virtual meeting on Skype, and these meetings continue throughout the working day. Those working from home or away from the office can participate by simply logging on to Skype.

Bringing people closer

With 30-40 important contacts based around the world, Skype has helped to enhance Cinque Terre's global communications. Park Manager Luca Natale says: "Nowadays, geographical isolation is far less important than technological isolation. If we had to choose between building a motorway and getting broadband, we should opt for the latter."

File transfer

The staff at the national park use Skype to send files to their contacts, finding it easier and quicker than sending by e-mail. Luca Natale says: "It's definitely better to send files over Skype as you are sure to receive the information, and the person sending it can be sure than you've got it."

Mobility

Skype allows Cinque Terre employees to work from home and away from the office, offering them the ability to be part of the daily discussions and meetings even when they're not there. As Skype can be downloaded onto any computer and accessed from wherever they are, employees can be in constant contact with the Cinque Terre offices throughout the day. "That you can be at home and have a window open onto the world is of priceless value", says Luca.

Cost and time saving

By making use of Skype's free audio and video calling, Cinque Terre has saved money on its communications costs. It has also allowed staff be more productive as they spend less time sending and reading e-mails, opting to talk over Skype or use instant messaging to converse. Luca says: "Skype has become an essential tool for our work. It's an immediate way to optimise our costs and time."