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Limited features for business collaboration find it lacking in terms of advanced features.Business depend heavily on communication tools …
Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft TeamsFormerly Lync
Overview
What is Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams?
Skype for Business was an online messaging and conferencing tool, now superseded by Microsoft Teams.
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Popular Features
- Desktop sharing (189)8.888%
- High quality audio (188)8.080%
- High quality video (183)7.777%
- Low bandwidth requirements (180)6.666%
Reviewer Pros & Cons
Pricing
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What is Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams?
Skype for Business was an online messaging and conferencing tool, now superseded by Microsoft Teams.
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- No setup fee
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- Free Trial
- Free/Freemium Version
- Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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Alternatives Pricing
What is Microsoft Teams?
Microsoft Teams combines video conferencing software with team collaboration tools. The communications platform allows MS Office users to conduct conference calls and share files via SharePoint, and join or initiate a group chat.
What is GoTo Connect?
GoToConnect, from GoTo, is a cloud-based business phone system with built-in web-based video conferencing solutions. It includes features such as call analytics, call recording, softphone, fax to email, voicemail to email, and desktop integration.
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Product Details
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- Tech Details
- FAQs
What is Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams?
Skype for Business was a unified communications tool superseded by Microsoft Teams.
For personal use, Skype Desktop and Mobile apps are still available for download, but for business functionality the vendor now fully supports Microsoft Teams as the replacement for Skype for Business.
Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams Technical Details
| Operating Systems | Unspecified |
|---|---|
| Mobile Application | No |
Frequently Asked Questions
Skype for Business was an online messaging and conferencing tool, now superseded by Microsoft Teams.
Reviewers rate Live chat highest, with a score of 9.2.
The most common users of Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams are from Enterprises (1,001+ employees).
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Reviews
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March 23, 2019
Perfect and effective communication software
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Since the implementation of Skype Business in our organization, the way of communicating and getting relevant information in the department or throughout the organization has been excellent. Because of our nature of production, we can not always be at a single work site and sometimes distance meetings tended to be a bit lacking in personnel attendance.
We currently implement Skype for Business to organize meetings by video conferences, send relevant information to clients and colleagues, and easily link with personnel who are not physically at the project. It has allowed us to improve our important decision-making process, to be always connected with the management staff, and to reduce costs, among others.
We currently implement Skype for Business to organize meetings by video conferences, send relevant information to clients and colleagues, and easily link with personnel who are not physically at the project. It has allowed us to improve our important decision-making process, to be always connected with the management staff, and to reduce costs, among others.
- Highly reliable and safe since it has compatibility with Microsoft 365
- It is equipped with excellent tools and very useful features that allow you to always be linked with your colleagues and teams without having to be physically present
- Organize your conferences, meetings in an exceptional way through the videos called in high quality.
- Sometimes when I try to share a screen with some staff, after a while the system closes the Skype window on its own
- It often happens that I have several conversations open and the program stops responding and even blocks them and I lose all conversations
- You need a very good internet connection when you use this product. Sometimes conversations and video conferences cannot be carried out
November 12, 2018
Borderless communication with Skype for Business.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Skype for Business is an excellent tool that we use to communicate with customers, suppliers and other branches of the company, through this application we can organize meetings and train staff through videoconferences for the development and training of employees.
- Skype for Business modernizes and simplifies telephony in your business.
- Skype for Business offers a solution for each type of meeting. Your business can host all kinds of meetings from relaxed meetings, highly interactive collaborative sessions to more formal meetings with thousands of attendees.
- All communications through Skype for Business, especially mobile, are secure. Skype for Business has the advantage of offering a variety of technologies and services to keep the owner's data secure.
- With Skype for Business, the basic voice concepts are all those that respond, forward, redirect, transfer, and put on hold.
- Enterprise Voice users can call co-workers in their VoIP or organizational PBX network, and they can also call any phone number even outside their organization.
- Before joining a video call, make sure your camera is ready. You will see how you will look, the lighting, and the environment before going live.
- Although it can also be used from the web, the most effective is that you install Skype on your computer or mobile (and your client as well). This is usually problematic for people who are not used to using technology.
- Use the Microsoft system completely free of charge for a trial version so companies can validate if this application meets the expectations of the company.
- Have a fully customized videoconference room with the logo and corporate colors of the company, with the Skype for Business account.
October 22, 2018
Skype for Business (Free -- at a cost)
Skype for business is used day-to-day for inter-office communication alongside hosting meetings with clients or employees working remotely. It addresses being able to share screen(s) when not close by, plus troubleshooting errors that would typically be resolved when in person. It is especially helpful to "show" clients your monitor(s) without having to travel or use expensive software. It is included in our Office 365 license.
- Ease of use -- if you can send a text message or email in Outlook, you can manage Skype for Business. Relatively uncomplicated.
- Interconnectivity with Outlook (allows user to send Skype meeting request in an email -- embedded).
- Given its cost (free with an E3 license of Office 365), it is a good value. If your business already has the aforementioned license of Office 365, I'd recommend using this software versus paying for another service -- for simple messaging.
- Mobile application for iPhone and Android -- allows you to send messages remotely via a connected device.
- Ease of joining calls with audio/phone -- the ability to join a meeting with a call-in number is exceptionally tough. Typically we have to resort to calling the individual directly versus having it hosted on Skype.
- Implementation with non-users -- if a client does not have Skype for Business, it can be difficult to arrange a meeting with screen sharing, etc.
- Apart from the basic messaging feature -- the voice, video, and screen sharing functions are often flaky. Low dependability and ease-of-use (for advanced features). Ad hoc meeting generation is also daunting for an infrequent user.
September 10, 2018
Handy with our existing O365 environment
Skype for Business is available across our two campuses but mainly is only used by the IT Services department. We use Skype for Business to quickly and easily see who is in the office, message individuals and groups, and ask coworkers for help while we might be solving an issue out in the field.
- IM
- Tracking
- Online Indicator
- Lots of pop-ups
- Can't send images from an iOS app
- Sometimes annoying to use
September 07, 2018
Skype for Business - User Review
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We use Skype for business for our Internal and external communication.
- Internal communication
- Screen sharing
- Video communication
- Sometimes it takes a bit longer to upload, but that could be my machine. Most of the times it's quick enough.
- The screen design could be improved a bit to make it more user-friendly.
- I can't think of another, it really is a user-friendly application
August 17, 2018
Simply the best and economical conferencing tool
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Skype is being used by our whole organization for years but our department was using ooVoo instead. When i became the team lead i decided to switch our department to Skype because its the best program for Video calling and conferencing. With the help of Head of our Department my request was acknowledged and this is how we started using Skype two years ago. We use skype for calls and meetings with our international clients.
- When it comes to conduct meetings with your clients, Skype is best option. It lets you conduct conference with 250 people at a time.
- HD video calling feature allows the user to connect with 6 people on a video call and you can enjoy the view of 1080p resolution.
- You can present your Powerpoint presentation via Skype with high resolution display.
- Skype could improve the video calling feature, it lags sometimes.
- On mobile app, Video calling lags sometime and disconnections are also there.
- Skype should be designed in a way that it could deliver the best results according to the user's internet connection. On slow or below average internet, video should automatically be switched from HD to SD, keeping the Audio quality best possible.
July 17, 2018
Remote meetings becoming easier
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
The company uses Skype for Business to keep in touch with branches that are located in other states, even in other countries, to hold meetings and make important work decisions as a team through a link and with just a click you can join the meeting, where you can meet more than 250 people, you can make presentations in power point and have a board where you can write all the members of the meeting, Skype for business is being used by the entire company since it has offices in all states from the country
- Weekly meetings with all the managers of all the offices to make decisions in the organization
- The video is clear, just like the sound is perfect
- They can perform work in real time
- Write all together on the board in which you can annotate, delete, edit
- We can make many presentations in power point
- And there is also instant messaging which is ideal while others talk
- You must have a good internet connection so that the image looks good
- If some of the members may have poor resolution in sound and videos which may cause the call to be cut and lose the thread of the meeting
July 14, 2018
Skype for Business is user friendly
Skype is being used by the customer service department of the organization. This is a very useful tool, and it is excellent for conducting meetings. This addresses the problem of faster communication. While there are other ways to speak to clients remotely, Skype is generally faster and much more reliable.
- One strength of Skype is its ease of use. This software is very user friendly, and most people have used it on a personal level, so they know how it works
- Connectivity is faster. With some software, it takes longer to establish a connection to the other party, but with Skype, it is almost instant
- There are technical issues when more than 25 people are participating in a meeting.
- A minor connection issue can cause you to be signed out of the app
Skype for Business, is being used by the general operations management to strengthen communications with its workers and other professionals involved in the production chain. One of the most common problems has been to achieve an assertive communication with each of the people involved in the production process, considering that it is very complex to achieve communication immediately. With the application of the SKYPE for Business program, communication with staff has been continuously improved, significantly reducing work execution times and, consequently, we are more efficient. In the same way, logistical expenses have been significantly reduced because, thanks to the Skype tools, we no longer need to mobilize to other spaces for the organization of work meetings.
- It offers work tools that manage to maintain a stable connection and quality in each individual and group call.
- Allows sharing the computer screen for excellent communication.
- It is a tool that adapts to the current business dynamics that requires it to be efficient in communication through rapid and assertive communication with clients or interested parties.
- Video calls for the organization of work meetings have become a common experience in smart organizations because they understand that in order to adapt to a constantly changing world they must use more effective work tools.
- You can make individual and group video calls, send images, emoticons, text messages, voice messages, share files, share the screen in two or group with other communication tools.
- It requires an excellent connection to the Internet because not all the territory of my country has an adequate Internet connection for the efficient operation of Skype. Being a limitation for the communication by video call with the personnel that is in communities of difficult access.
- They must improve the coincidence of the audio of the call with the video view, considering that they do not coincide in time, a situation that affects the work.
- They should improve the process to make a call because it is confusing.
July 02, 2018
Microsoft Skype for Business
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Skype for Business by Microsoft was previously known as Microsoft Lync and Microsoft Office Communicator. Today, it’s a popular instant-messaging client that can be used alongside Skype for Business Online or Skype for Business Server – solutions available with Microsoft Office The Skype for Business system was effectively designed to replace the old Windows Messenger solution that ran alongside the Microsoft Exchange Server. Skype for business is allowing us to have online conference calls with colleagues in other locations around the world.
- Video conferencing
- Integration with other Microsoft Software, such as a contact list stored on the Microsoft Exchange server,
- Desktop sharing
- Whiteboard document collaboration
- PowerPoint document collaboration
- Not a full-fledged VoIP platform
- No integrated dial-in audio conference features
- Online plans don't work with hardware phones.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Skype for Business is being used across the whole organization. We mostly use it for a quick conversation, quick questions, and answers.
The whole Idea being connected with everyone from your organization that numbers 10.000+ users is perfect. Team collaboration has never been easier. No matter where you are stationed you can jump into a Quick conversation, meeting or video call to elaborate on hot topics.
My team which has around 350+ people use it daily. I, for instance, have 20 separate Chats/Conversations. Some of them are really big chats where we have more than 50+, and some of them are just private e.g. Leadership chat.
In those big chats, we have employees asking questions about work, and someone is always available to provide them with an adequate answer, which boosts our team productivity enormously.
The whole Idea being connected with everyone from your organization that numbers 10.000+ users is perfect. Team collaboration has never been easier. No matter where you are stationed you can jump into a Quick conversation, meeting or video call to elaborate on hot topics.
My team which has around 350+ people use it daily. I, for instance, have 20 separate Chats/Conversations. Some of them are really big chats where we have more than 50+, and some of them are just private e.g. Leadership chat.
In those big chats, we have employees asking questions about work, and someone is always available to provide them with an adequate answer, which boosts our team productivity enormously.
- Status: Integration with Outlook and Outlook calendar makes it easy for you if you accept a meeting invitation. Skype will read your calendar data and change your status to "In a Meeting" where you won't get disturbed by side chats or notifications.
- Remote connection: another great tool if you need to connect with someone and show them how something is done. For example, you need to install your company printer on their machine, it is easier to take control than to explain chatting.
- Video and Audio calls: Skype always had high-quality calls, nothing has changed in that department, you can always call a colleague and have a talk about something that must be explained quickly.
- Ability to add Skype contacts outside of your organization. It makes Skype for Business also your personal Skype, but you shouldn't share your organization email easily with everyone.
- Having multiple Chats/Conversations open, make Skype unresponsive from time to time. Sometimes it has tendencies of crashing even on high-end machines.
- Grouping chats - Works well, however, there is no option to group appointed meeting conversation with other regular conversations/chats that were not initiated by calendar event.
- Should be able to have some themes to choose from. Microsoft is going for a dark theme in Windows insider program. Personal Skype already has it why wouldn't Skype for business have it? It is pleasant to the eye, at least in my opinion and for my eyes.
We are a multinational company, so the need to connect across the globe is great. Skype allows us to hold meetings and conference calls, share screens, or just have a quick chat with coworkers in all locations.
- Screen sharing
- IM
- Multi-user chats
- Sound quality - international skype calls can be tricky
May 04, 2018
Skype for Business is leading the pack!
We use video conferencing to connect our doctors to their patients and out of all the product we use, Skype for Business is a definite leader among a plethora of options. We have to use and/or have used most of the products out there due to the different requirements at each location and if asked I'll recommend Skype for Business every time.
- Great audio / video
- Easy to deploy and manage
- Secure
- Pricey
- Copy & Paste of screenshots into the IM tends to freeze the program
April 24, 2018
Skype for your communication needs
Skype for business is the primary mechanism by which our users across the country stay connected. It is used for chatting, meetings, screen-sharing, and support.
- Great for screen sharing
- Excellent for remote meetings
- Very useful for chat sessions with one or more users
- It would be nice if a chat session with individual users would remain active for individual users for a business day rather than moving the message to conversation history
- Otherwise, it works great!
March 15, 2018
Fast Efficient and Easy
Skype is used to communicate with our employees on site and who work remotely while traveling or are in permanent remote locations. We use it for meetings, project collaboration and process training classes. It is used company-wide across our global corporation. It addresses the communications issues of alleviating the need for a telephone if one is not available with voice over IP capability and in the rare event there are no conference rooms available we have our meetings as online only and participants can remain at their desks.
- Shared screens for projector use is clear.
- Allowed comments and instant messaging from viewers during presentation mode - we can collect and organise questions in real time.
- Ability to conference in another user to an IM conversation.
- Ability for meeting participants to zoom their view while the presenter is in control of the presentation.
- Set a default dial phone number in the call me feature if there are multiple phone numbers listed.
March 07, 2018
Skype for Business is a good option
We use Skype for Business to hold meetings with internal and external customers across the whole organization. We are able to connect with people all over the world, we usually share presentations, record meetings and discuss all kinds of topics.
- It's easy to use since it's integrated with outlook, you can schedule calls and it includes the information to join the meeting automatically.
- You can easily call or chat co-workers when needed.
- I like the functionalit to tag for status alerts, to know when someone is online.
- I would like to be able to record a meeting even if I'm using the phone.
- It should include a way to raise a hand to ask questions.
- Sometimes you are kicked out from meetings, without any notice or apparent reason.
January 24, 2018
Skype for Business should be one tool rather than many
It's used by our whole organization and also with our customers and potential customers. We mainly use Skype for Business with Outlook to plan online meetings and also to make online meetings with potential customers. Last month I think we made more than 20 meetings like this and I think that we will have more and more like this.
- online meetings with customers
- online meetings with potential customer
- share screens with customer
- share videos
- usability to set up new online meetings
- usability to [collaborate] and see all my colleagues within my team
- make group talks
January 23, 2018
Does not support external phone line/calls
We are a small start-up and tried to drink the Microsoft Kool-Aid by going with Office 365 for Business, which Skype for Business comes with. We really wanted to use this tool for our phone (VoIP) and team/customer chatting. We spent numerous hours trying to figure out how to get business and individual phone lines. Skype for Business is not set up that way, there was a workaround that we could have implemented but it was very confusing and the time and the expense was not worth the headache.
- Chatting - very easy to chat with internal teams and external customers that have a Skype account.
- Outgoing phone calls - worked fine.
- Screen sharing - worked well internally.
- No way to receive external phone calls unless they have a Skype account. This was a deal killer for us.
- No way to schedule meetings with customers and share screen if they are calling in from an external number - they must have Skype and you have to be connected.
January 18, 2018
More powerful than people realize
Our office recently switched to an open 360 format. Skype for Business has helped us manage short person to person or group conversations instead of having loud conversations in an open office or exchanging multiple emails. We also use it to have side conversations or exchange documents when on calls or in meetings. Most of the dialogue is professional in nature but it is also a way to connect privately with a colleague to get a quick opinion or send a meme/emoji.
- Sending example text or documents quickly without adding to email back-log.
- Allowing side conversations during meetings and calls.
- We use it organization-wide so I can contact a colleague when they may be on the phone or in a meeting. (My boss is always in a meeting but will respond to me instantly via Skype...as long as she is actually in front of her computer.
- More people are working from home or remotely and we can set our contact mode to sync with our Outlook calenders to let people know where we are and when we will be available....and for how long we have been away from our computer.
- Currently, my "favorite" contacts are organized alphabetically which can lead to contacting the wrong person. I wish it would organize my list by most contacted.
January 18, 2018
Skype for Business - Quick & Easy with Microsoft Office Suite
I use Skype for business within my organization and with clients.
- Quick and easy chat among colleagues.
- Clear phone and video calls.
- Easy and fast screen sharing.
January 18, 2018
Skype for Business connects you to your team!
I use Skype for Business at the request of a publication client who uses it to communicate with his team which includes me, the designer, editors, authors, marketers, etc. Skype has been essential for our meetings since we are all located all over the United States. People can enter the calls via voice or video and it can recognize who is talking based on the microphone in order to let you know who is speaking in case they are not visible on video.
Another nice thing is it's compatible on Windows and Mac devices, whether it's a computer or PC, tablet or smartphone.
Another nice thing is it's compatible on Windows and Mac devices, whether it's a computer or PC, tablet or smartphone.
- Device compatibility is excellent between all the different types of technology we have nowadays. You can patch in via smartphone, PC, Mac, or tablet.
- It's great for people in different time zones so they can all connect at the same time to make plans and follow through.
- If two people are competing to speak, there can be issues with distinguishing who is talking as it will lower the sound of the quieter voice.
- If you're using the app on mobile and there are connectivity issues, it sometimes boots you out completely which can be frustrating and difficult to jump back into the call.
January 18, 2018
Just a good tool for collaboration
Skype for business was used as an instant messaging and audio conferencing tool across the entire organization. It was a great tool for collaboration within geographically distributed teams, users were able to text or call each other whenever they needed without using phone lines, which were a bit expensive for international calls.
- Good IM tool
- Good web conferencing
- Has web application for conferencing with people outside your organization
- Sound quality could be better
- VDI integration was not very smooth, IM worked fine but voice was very ugly
- Having linux desktop client could also be good
January 17, 2018
Skype for Business at a glance
It is used across the whole organization, mainly to solve two issues: - allow multiple participants in restricted meetings - making more frequent (and short) meetings, changing the concept of "meeting" to "communication among colleagues.
- multiple participants
- excellent quality of sound
- management of the different windows for participants
- video quality could be improved
- file sharing
- camera options - allow various captures, zoom
January 16, 2018
Don't sleep on Skype for Business
Skype is being used across the entire organization as an instant messaging tool and screen share tool. It provides a consistent means of communication for everyone since we are all on the same IM platform. It also shows the status of someone so we know if they are present at their computer or not.
- Integrates really well with Outlook and our business calendar.
- Screen sharing is very easy and fast.
- Easy to set up group chats.
- They need to make it easy to copy/paste images/gifs/videos in chats. The image paste that exists now is bad.
- Allow a person to add their personal Skype contacts.
January 15, 2018
Skype for Business bridges gap between chat client and voice/screenshare/video meetings
Skype for Business is used at my organization to stay in touch with external vendors and clients. It is additionally used for company meetings, client meetings, and vendor meetings when having a reliable connection for voice and video conferencing is required. Additionally, I use it to stay in individual contact/be available to off-site teams. It is excellent for synchronous communication, both text and voice, and provides decent sound quality when used on a broadband connection.
- Synchronous communication: immediate, instant text chat and video chat.
- Group chat/meetings: easy to communicate with multiple people at once.
- Cross-platform: available on Mac, Windows, and on smartphones - great app support across all these platforms, making it straightforward to never miss a message.
- Automated available/busy time: some kind of integration to automatically snooze Skype (maybe integrated with Outlook calendar or something), or outside of business hours.
- Screen share can lag a little during larger calls or meetings.