While it remains to be seen what they'll ultimately bring to market, in going over some of the coverage about the Ebay/Google partnership, a few voices have noticed their offering may be lacking a way for consumers to connect with businesses by phone, and instead require that consumers have either Skype or Google Talk downloaded to their computers.

As Greg Sterling points out, "So eBay and Google must see this also as a way to generate adoption of Skype and Google Talk. I can understand eBay trying to leverage and promote its Skype acquisition/asset. But if they want to accelerate the adoption of Click to Call (as the basis here of PPCall), why are they throwing up barriers to its use on the consumer side by requiring a software download?"

In our experience, we’ve seen how click to call can increase sales conversions and improve the overall buyer experience, but across the globe we’re seeing that largely, consumers still prefer to speak over the phone than through their PC.  That's why it’s important to give customers options that allow them to communicate with the business in a manner in which they’re comfortable. This means giving consumers the choice of either talking to the business via their PC or over a regular landline or mobile phone without requiring that the merchant or the buyer download additional software. Forcing buyers and sellers down a single path creates an unnecessary barrier that could interfere with the sale.

In order for pay per call to work...you need options.  For some customers, talking through a PC won't pose a problem, but do you really need to have them download additional software for that to happen?  Others will prefer an immediate callback to their mobile or landline phone so that they won't have to be tied to the computer when talking to the business. 

Still, some people may just want a regular phone number...that can be tracked by the advertiser of course. 

Anything short of providing these options and you're likely to lose potential buyers and do a major disservice to your advertisers.