Nextiva is a business communications platform that includes a VoIP solution, CRM software, BI software, cloud storage, phone and device rentals, email marketing automation software, and a contact center solution. These products can be purchased individually or together.
$18.95
per month
Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams
Score 7.3 out of 10
N/A
Skype for Business was an online messaging and conferencing tool, now superseded by Microsoft Teams.
It is well suited for anyone who wants an easy to use very reliable VOIP service. If you have call center agents, it works very well for that situation as well. If you have people in multiple offices or work from home/remote it is a great solution. If you want everyone to be able to receive and make business calls from business numbers anywhere, this is your solution. If you are looking for a service that will integrate with many other third-party products you may use already, you may want to look at another VOIP vendor that has deeper integrations with third-party applications. If you are looking for the lowest price VOIP system, although Nextiva is not the most expensive, it is still in the middle of the pack when it comes to pricing. If you are looking for just cheap simple VOIP you may be able to find some vendors that are a little bit more affordable.
Skype is useful for collaborations across distances, including work from home, as well as a more convenient way to communicate with a large group of people. Skype is also useful to communicate with specific parties quickly, rather than relying on cellular service in areas where not as available. Skype is less useful if the team does not use computers , tablets, smartphones, etc in daily workflow as it would rarely be used.
Our teams are located in three different countries. This includes Administration, Customers Support, Technical Support, and Sales. All of us have an internal number reachable from any mobile or laptop.
Looking for the internal directory and dialing a three digit number is very easy. We communicate with workers in different countries as we where in the same building
User-friendly application with availability indicator, call settings, and personal preferences.
Instant messaging to anyone who we know only by name/email. Even if they're offline, they get the message in missed convos and a notification automatically goes to them via Outlook mail. All conversations are saved and accessible via Outlook.
Video and voice calls are a norm in the WFH scenario, and an average employee has around 4-5 calls a day. Skype gives notifications for upcoming meetings, allows easy scheduling via outlook calendar, and its audio/video quality [is] reasonably good compared to the amount of data it consumes.
Status availabilities - in the WFH scenario, you could be off for lunch, out of office, busy, sharing screens - and might not want to be disturbed. Skype allows you to do that, and in case you're off, ensures that you know that you have missed messages.
Screen sharing - we have to share screens at least once or twice a day with a coworker when working on some issues/features, and Skype easily lets us do that. One of the best things about Skype is that the screen can be shared without being on a video/voice call - which is of immense advantage because oftentimes, you could prefer sharing the screen, while it [is] too noisy to talk.
Probably the biggest area is the video element as it has historically struggled in this area.
The need to be forced to federate with another organisation by providing yours and enabling the other organisation settings is a bit tedious but once done, allows for simple collaboration between third-parties.
Functionality wise, as it's an older product and being superseded by MS Teams, it feels as if it's run its course but was very good for what it does/did at the time.
The software is simple to install and configure. It is rather simple to explain for correct use. It is possible to profile users for the different functions offered. It is integrated quite completely with Outlook and with Active Directory security. It performs all communication functions well with one or more interlocutors and the possibility of granting control of your computer is convenient.
Very easy to use. Even though Microsoft Teams has a lot of features and integrations, as a user I feel completely comfortable on finding what I need, getting information about the app extensions and using them. It's a very comprehensive tool, intuitive design and does not make me feel tired to be using it. I am glad with the current experience.
I think Nextiva is a great tool for what we use it for. It is used for tracking time and used also in our bonus structure to make sure we have the specified amount of talk time. I really enjoy this application and everything that it is used for within our company. There's not a whole lot I can say about it other than it is a really neat tool.
I have only had to reach out to the Support team at Skype for Business once with an issue, and I was pleasantly surprised and encouraged by the quickness and thoroughness of their response. The wait time was short and my question was dealt with politely and clearly, so I would say the support team has it together.
Skpe for business is utilized company wide in regards to my company. Everyone not only uses it, but uses it often. It is an effective way of communicating. It also integrates very nicely with outlook and all conversation history is pushed to a folder within the outlook system. We also have it so that if someone misses a message, they are sent an email reminder saying that there is a message that went unread.
The features that Nextiva has managed to pack into their very competitive pricing is outstanding. The call flow visualization is spot on and very easy to use. The call recording is simple to set up and even easier to use. My only complaint is the Android app that seems to be hit or miss with certain users
For the below reason I will always choose this app over its competitors: Better audio and video quality, Little to no disconnections or freezing when on a call/video conference Integrates well with mailbox/ calendar/ one drive, and SharePoint is easy to use
We almost lost our biggest client because of the poor performance early on in our implementation...the online meetings were poor quality for audio and bandwidth refreshing
Many of the employees in our company disliked the quality so much, they started to sign up for free Cisco WebEx accounts to use instead
The majority of employees in our company lost trust in our CTO because of his decision to switch from Cisco WebEx to Skype for Business
