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Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued) vs. Small Improvements

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)

    Score6.5 out of 10
    N/ASkype for Business was an online messaging and conferencing tool, now superseded by Microsoft Teams.N/A

    Small Improvements

    Score7.2 out of 10
    N/APerformance Reviews & 360s Provide employees with structured opportunities for reflection and assessment through performance reviews and peer feedback. Customize the questions, define who participates, establish a cadence that suits an organization’s schedule, and run reviews for different departments at the same time. Ongoing Feedback Praise coworkers for a job well done and request feedback at any time from anyone. Prepare for…

    $2

    per user, per month

    Pricing
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)Small Improvements
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Engagement and Retention Add-on
    $2
    per user, per month
    Performance Starter Pack
    $5
    per user, per month
    Feedback and Performance Suite
    $7
    per user, per month
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)Small Improvements
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—We also offer volume discounts if you have over 200 employees! Please see the calculator on our pricing page to calculate your exact price.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)Small Improvements
    Considered Both Products
    Discontinued Products
    No answer on this topic
    Small Improvements
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    80%
    Would buy again
    85 Answers
    75%
    Would buy again
    6 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    94%
    Delivers good value for the price
    80 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    6 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    92%
    Happy with the feature set
    98 Answers
    75%
    Happy with the feature set
    6 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    94%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    46 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    93%
    Implementation went as expected
    56 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)Small Improvements
    Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software
    Comparison of Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software features of Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued) and Small Improvements
    Feature
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    8.0
    195 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Small Improvements
    -
    Ratings
    High quality audio9.1191 Ratings00 Ratings
    High quality video9.0185 Ratings00 Ratings
    Low bandwidth requirements5.0181 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile support9.0146 Ratings00 Ratings
    Screen Sharing
    Comparison of Screen Sharing features of Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued) and Small Improvements
    Feature
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    7.0
    191 Ratings
    13% below category average
    Small Improvements
    -
    Ratings
    Desktop sharing9.0191 Ratings00 Ratings
    Whiteboards5.0120 Ratings00 Ratings
    Online Meetings / Events
    Comparison of Online Meetings / Events features of Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued) and Small Improvements
    Feature
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    9.3
    188 Ratings
    13% above category average
    Small Improvements
    -
    Ratings
    Calendar integration10.0174 Ratings00 Ratings
    Meeting initiation9.5182 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integrates with social media8.182 Ratings00 Ratings
    Record meetings / events9.0143 Ratings00 Ratings
    Slideshows10.0115 Ratings00 Ratings
    Online Events Collaboration
    Comparison of Online Events Collaboration features of Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued) and Small Improvements
    Feature
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    7.5
    173 Ratings
    8% below category average
    Small Improvements
    -
    Ratings
    Live chat8.5171 Ratings00 Ratings
    Audience polling7.094 Ratings00 Ratings
    Q&A7.094 Ratings00 Ratings
    Online Events Security
    Comparison of Online Events Security features of Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued) and Small Improvements
    Feature
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    6.8
    156 Ratings
    17% below category average
    Small Improvements
    -
    Ratings
    User authentication9.0142 Ratings00 Ratings
    Participant roles & permissions8.5148 Ratings00 Ratings
    Confidential attendee list3.0109 Ratings00 Ratings
    VoIP system collaboration
    Comparison of VoIP system collaboration features of Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued) and Small Improvements
    Feature
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    7.8
    1 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Small Improvements
    -
    Ratings
    Video conferencing7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Audio conferencing8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Video screen sharing8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Instant messaging8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Performance and Goals
    Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued) and Small Improvements
    Feature
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Small Improvements
    8.3
    9 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Corporate goal setting00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
    Subordinate goal setting00 Ratings7.53 Ratings
    Individual goal setting00 Ratings10.09 Ratings
    Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings7.83 Ratings
    Performance tracking00 Ratings9.08 Ratings
    Performance Management
    Comparison of Performance Management features of Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued) and Small Improvements
    Feature
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Small Improvements
    9.3
    9 Ratings
    10% above category average
    Performance plans00 Ratings10.08 Ratings
    Plan weighting00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
    Manager note taking00 Ratings10.08 Ratings
    Performance improvement plans00 Ratings8.33 Ratings
    Review status tracking00 Ratings9.09 Ratings
    Rater nomination workflow00 Ratings10.07 Ratings
    Review reminders00 Ratings10.08 Ratings
    Workflow restrictions00 Ratings9.04 Ratings
    Multiple review frequency00 Ratings10.06 Ratings
    Reporting00 Ratings9.05 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)Small Improvements
    Small Businesses
    ClickMeeting
    Score9.5 out of 10
    15Five
    Score8 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    JioMeet
    Score9.8 out of 10
    Reflektive
    Score9.5 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Webex Meetings
    Score8.7 out of 10
    Reflektive
    Score9.5 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)Small Improvements
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.4
    (198 ratings)
    9.0
    (11 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.0
    (7 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    9.0
    (14 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.5
    (40 ratings)
    7.1
    (4 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)Small Improvements
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Discontinued Products
    Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams is a remote/virtual team collaboration tool must have...especially if you already use Microsoft tools. Of course, since it now part of an MS 365 subscription, it really doesn't make sense to use anything else. It is easy to use and just works. I'm not sure how anyone who works with digital files/documents and needs to work with other people doing similar work can be effective without such a tool. Of course, there are a number of alternatives like Zoom or Webex, but why pay or use another separate tool if you don't need to. :-)
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Small Improvements
    I'm honestly not sure why my company chose to use Small Improvements. We used Lattice before for the all the same use cases I mentioned here. The employee performance review feature might be a bit better in Small Improvements, but the goal-setting tool and the 1:1 tool are very weak. I may not have benefitted yet from all the features that Small Improvements have to offer, but so far it looks like a pretty basic HR tool with much better alternatives out there. If it's cheaper than the competition, that might be the only argument to go with it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Discontinued Products
    • 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.
    Read full review
    Small Improvements
    • Goal Tracking: Enables users to chart goals, track progress, and provide details about what they want/expect to achieve.
    • Praise Wall: A public place to post positive and encouraging comments about other employees.
    • 360 Reviews: Users can request and gain 1:1 feedback; this can be anonymous if desired.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Discontinued Products
    • Connection issues can be hard to diagnose when they come up(as some knowledge of server information may be needed to reestablish as the connection troubleshooting options on the sky are not as user-friendly as the rest of the platform.
    • Some issues setting up camera/sound could use more info on troubleshooting options with playback sound, video, etc.
    • Statuses sometimes are unreliable and do not display correctly .
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Small Improvements
    • Being able to edit projects more easily (and have a documented edit history) would be beneficial.
    • Possibly integrations with popular platforms (such as JIRA) to give expanded detail of project tracking.
    • Gantt charts would be a nice to have for a top level management view.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Discontinued Products
    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
    Read full review
    Small Improvements
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    Discontinued Products
    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.
    Read full review
    Small Improvements
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Discontinued Products
    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
    Read full review
    Small Improvements
    The customer support is quick and thorough, they have access to our account to answers are tailored to our needs. They also have a good knowledge base and self-help site with some video tutorials and FAQs which saved us time as opposed to just calling or emailing support. For the times that we did reach out, it only took one response to get our issue resolved.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Discontinued Products
    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
    Read full review
    Small Improvements
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Discontinued Products
    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
    Read full review
    Small Improvements
    Lattice was able to link in with core OKRs whereas from my memory, Small Improvements didn't support this goal setting and tracking framework. While it was good for sentiment and management frameworks, it was unable to connect with the greater company vision as well as Lattice - that was the reason that we moved.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Discontinued Products
    • Skype for Business has enabled a migration in part away from fixed line telephony and introduced the user to mobile working with a headset which cannot be overstated as being a game changer.
    • Being able to schedule Skype for Business meetings through Outlook has meant meetings with colleagues without a meeting room has been a great enabler.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Small Improvements
    • Before we had Small Improvements, personal goal setting was completely disorganized. Some managers made sure it was done, likewise many did not.
    • Having past goals collected in one repository has been a blessing. I couldn't imagine not having Small Improvements or something comparable.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Small Improvements Screenshots

    Screenshot of Provide employees with structured opportunities for reflection and assessment through Performance ReviewsScreenshot of Decide whether or not you want manager to approve nominations for 360 FeedbackScreenshot of Share agenda items, meeting notes, and follow-up discussions with 1:1 MeetingsScreenshot of Create templated 1:1 meeting agendas for your managersScreenshot of Identify goals, set success measures, and track the results with ObjectivesScreenshot of Give public kudos to your colleagues with Praise