Skype (discontinued) vs. Whiteboard.chat

Having interacted with a new replacement tool, Microsoft Teams, it is challenging to recommend Skype, as it lacks some essential features, such as being less equipped with the latest updates, and it is not platform-independent, causing issues on PCs and phones, as well as during calls that might hinder work.

Incentivized

Whenever the engineers & architects of my team require a brainstorming session, we normally use a whiteboard, as the enterprise does provide Miro licenses with associated. Hence, a whiteboard comes in handy when troubleshooting or discussing the requirements surrounding an application or technical infrastructure for a project. As it removes the dependency on requesting an additional Miro license, we use it. The board also loads faster than a Miro board.

Incentivized

• The instant chat function is great. Very straightforward, easy to use, easy to learn, no technical issues.
• Video calls are pretty easy also, user friendly and a mostly stable connection with no issues.
• Voice calls are easy also, eliminates the need for an external landline or the need to use your cell phone. Clear connections, not really any dropped calls.

Incentivized

• Team collaboration feature where multiple users can contribute at the same time.
• It has wide variety of tools that can be use for creative brainstorming.
• Whiteboard.chat has no license cost associated with it.

Incentivized

• Skype is a RESOURCE hog. People who have limited bandwidth will have poor call quality.
• It is hard to figure out how to use emojis and upload images in the chat.
• The background images do not fool anybody....it is clearly not your real background.

Incentivized

• The UI is lightweight and works well but can be more attractive.
• The templates available are quite generic and basic; themed templates can be added.
• Whiteboard navigation is mouse-dominated, but it also has too many hotkeys that make it confusing for the user. They can be easier.

Incentivized

I have given this rating as this need to give more than that as it's very helpful for us and makes our work more efficient and fast.

Skype is not as good as Facetime in terms of ease to glance at it and figure out how it works. I think that's a result of Skype trying to be too many things at once. A lot of the menu and UI could be streamlined, and I would jettison some of the additional functions that have been tacked on over the years to simplify. That being said, while some options are slightly hard to find, they all work flawlessly once found.

Incentivized

The application, although it loads faster even at slower internet connections, and is a good alternative to Miro boards, still requires some more room for improvement. During live sessions, when multiple users contribute to the board, the updates are openly visible to all. Perhaps a privacy feature that hides text, available to the board admin, would allow me to give a rating. Being from an ersecurity background, I think the app also requires a secure sign-up process with MFA.

Incentivized

I am not aware of the current support level for Skype for business, as I have never used even though I have the product. However, the support for Skype's personal paid users is not where it could be. Users who pay for Skype features do not have a clear path to reach out to support. So, rating 6, can be better as soon as I need to use Skype for business support and get a good experience. I will say that I will renew Skype for Business subscription, which is a significant inconsistency on my end. The explanation is that Skype for Business comes bundled with Office for Business, with no additional cost, so why not.

Incentivized

It can be used on the phone via mobile application as well as on the desktop by logging in to the website. Easily installed and ready to use.

Incentivized

We use Skype in combination with Grasshopper. While Grasshopper acts as a routing toll free number with extensions, if we are making calls directly, we do it through Skype. Skype's desktop and mobile apps are easier to use, and provide unlimited local calls at a flat, affordable rate. Allowing our team to use their existing mobile or desktop devices without additional hardware for business office phone calls is important, and Skype makes that possible

Incentivized

I'd rate it lower than Miro but higher than draw.io and Lucidchart. The other two do not have a real-time collaborator feature for users; they have limited tools for designing and no provision for syncing with third-party apps. While whiteboard. Chat does provide a provision for the creation of JIRA or Azure DevOps tickets directly from a sticky note, like Miro.

Incentivized

The service provided is up to date, as discussed before buying.

• Skype made keeping in touch with an advisor in Mexico very easy. The initiative there resulted in 5 new partnerships.
• Skype has helped me with account management for at least 3 customers in LATAM--usually it's a fast way to answer a question about a support renewal.
• For about 9 months Skype helped me stay in touch with a colleague in Prague. We would meet once a week to go over sales activities.

Incentivized

• Because the app is lightweight and less expensive, it loads faster, saving time in meetings and when sharing links.
• Embeds easily with Confluence docs.
• Templates are more simple and no variety needs some improvements.
• Standardized custom templates are not saved; adding the save template feature would help.

Incentivized