Pigeon Messengr vs. Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams

Pigeon Messengr functions well as a general communication tool. In my experience, the only area it is not well suited for is transferring documents with specialized file formats. I also am not aware of what its auditability is like, but we are using it so it must be there.

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.

Incentivized

• Notifications - I can minimize the window while I'm working and new messages will pop up on my screen so I don't have to remember to check the channel.
• Statuses - we always put up a status of what we're working on, I like how you can hover over user names and it will show you their statuses.
• Overall look - I don't know if my company chose the color scheme but it's really sharp. Also love that I can use Dark Mode, easier on my eyes for sure!

• 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.

• Sometimes a message will get broken up and I am unable to view it all at once.
• It would be nice if it had a way to select a message as being unread. I like to leave messages unread as reminders but sometimes need to just read them first.
• It won't allow me to upload a picture because it has to be of a very small size. Would be more personal if I could use a picture on my profile.

• 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.

Incentivized

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.

Incentivized

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've never had it be not available.

Occasionally, files can take forever to upload and download, and the calendar integrations also don't work sometimes.

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.

Incentivized

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.

Incentivized

Pigeon Messengr has everything in one, although there are some things that could be improved, what product doesn't? I prefer it over some of the other platforms because it is more organized for our business needs and communications, and it has several updates a month to make sure everything is working properly.

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

I have not noticed any issues for a company of about 400 employees. I imagine the channel functionality would enable fairly unlimited scaling.

• Positive - less time wasted on emails
• Positive - less expensive than having a chat tool and a video tool (and phones!)
• Negative - sometimes tone is hard to convey in text, and this has led to a couple of misunderstandings

• 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

Incentivized