Beyond expectation
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Skype for Business was an online messaging and conferencing tool, now superseded by Microsoft Teams.
Recent Reviews
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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Skype for Business was an online messaging and conferencing tool, now superseded by Microsoft Teams.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
Offerings
- 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Skype for Business was a unified communications tool superseded by Microsoft Teams.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Skype for Business was an online messaging and conferencing tool, now superseded by Microsoft Teams.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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January 17, 2024
Beyond expectation
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Limited features for business collaboration find it lacking in terms of advanced features.Business depend heavily on communication tools and any technical issues often lead to disruption in productivity targets.Need to follow regulatory compliance before using the product and ensure the procedure needs to follow without breaking any Compliance. Sometimes the usage may also depend on Internet connectivity.
- Communication is free of cost
- File and screen sharing facilities
- Video conferencing
- Skype for business
- Translator
- Security and privacy concerns
- Depends on internet connection
- Lack of advanced features
- Large meeting may sometimes disrupt based on connectivity
- Missing of end to end encryption
December 07, 2022
How could I work without Skype/Microsoft Teams?
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We used to have Skype as the main internal chat tool at the company. I remember liking it since the beginning - it is very easy to use, and I had complete familiarity with my personal account for many, many years. The fact that it is integrated with all the other Microsoft applications makes it very useful; I am always connected to the people in my organization. We use it internally for daily chatting, file exchange, and virtual meetings. The only "problem" I could see is the interface - compared to Microsoft Teams' look and feel, Skype is not really nice (but we could just only notice later!).
- Instantaneous messaging.
- Emojis
- Video calls.
- Activity records.
- Notifications (email and app notifications).
- Customization of user's display (colors, photo, quick links etc).
- Export chat records.
- No video recording expiration.
- Voice -to-text for chat messages.
- Better meeting/call schedule experience.
October 26, 2022
"Reliable communication application, offers seamless integrations, and has numerous features."
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Skype for Business has become our organization's de facto standard for internal communication across our departments. It lets us share screens, make voice and video calls, and update office status. It has screen-sharing, file transfer, video calling, and group calling, we use Office 365, and Outlook handles email and calendars. I appreciate how the uncluttered dialer and lightning-fast contact recognition are consistent across all of our devices and how easy it is to navigate. Its unique emojis are instantly recognizable and memorable and have many more characters. This program's features—including texting, calling, and integrating with international and local lines—make it worthwhile for professionals without overwhelming them.
- It is an installation-friendly, scalable communication tool.
- It enables more accessible internal communication, safe content sharing, and collaboration.
- Very interactive, with a wide range of functions, including informal workplace instant messaging.
- The intuitiveness with which one can interact with the software has fantastic UI and video call quality.
- It cannot communicate with an offline user, and sometimes, calling lags.
- It is necessary to make improvements to the group functionality.
- The chat history is erased upon closing the chat window; it's less functional than Zoom.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Skype is an easy to install and reliable to use software to interact with one or a number of users at a time.
- Video calls
- Perfect screen sharing
- HD voice calls
- Less data security.
- Voices can be interrupted easily.
- High internet connection required.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We use Skype for Business as one of the best ways to
connect. We can use it anywhere, boosting communication. It is excellent for
chats, calls, and videoconferencing, but I can also remotely access other
users' desktops to help them as if I were there. The adaptability of the
meetings held by our organization has vastly improved as a direct result of
this development. We can use it on our laptops or desktop computer and phone.
Skype for Business's ability to be set up on mobile devices and laptops is one
of its most appealing features. As far as tools go, Skype for Business is
right up there.
- Easy group formation.
- Office 365-compatible.
- Interviews are easy to start.
- Remote screen-sharing is easy.
- Excellent sound quality and user-friendly.
- Cross-platform synchronization is possible.
- Sometimes login takes too long.
- Video calls need more bandwidth.
- Screen sharing is causing the host trouble.
July 06, 2022
Skype is great for meetings
Skype for Business helps us to drive technical calls by screen sharing with the whole team, and for communication within the team by means of chat, file sharing, voice calls, etc.
- Screen sharing.
- Chat function.
- File sharing.
- Status setting.
- Offline email messages.
- Launch time of desktop application.
- It displays one user name multiple times with all the conversations, I would like to see it as one chat window.
- Overall performance should be made fast.
April 28, 2022
Great communication tool overall.
In my role, Skype has been useful for team meetings and gatherings. During the work from home part of my employment, it was a necessary tool, as my role included skype calls in order to help internal employees with general tech issues.
- Easy Communication.
- Simple to use when set up.
- Good user interface.
- Good integration with other Microsoft product like Outlook.
- 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 .
March 21, 2022
Skype Review
Score 6 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Skype for Business had an excellent use case. since we were using Microsoft products for Collaboration, the integration was seamless. the organization seamlessly moved from another product to Skype. The migration and transition was extremely satisfying feeling.
The functionality is well integrated with other Office 356 programs
The functionality is well integrated with other Office 356 programs
- set do not disturb during meeting after check the show me as do not disturb when i share my desktop it is available in Skype for business settings inside the status.
- you can record all video's chatting very easily in case you need to remember conversation than you will get it all with the help of video recorder and also you can set resolation.
- you can open easily Skype meeting calendar in your outlook directly
- we can share power point and word files for viewing your team members it is very useful feature.
- Documentation is not the best. It has t
- Messaging is not available in chronological order which is not easy to comprehend
- Sometimes users have not been able to make video calls, the need to restart the Skype app, unable to send messages. these issues have to be fixed first.
March 07, 2022
The First video conference tool I have ever used
We use Skype for business for almost all business meetings, being an international organization and having to work with colleagues mostly outside of the country skype for business is one of the tools which is part of the startup list in our desktops, workstations, and laptops some of us use it even in our handheld devices. The only feature which was missing in the version which our company was using is the ability to transfer files this is one of the most used tools/software for most of us.
- conference calls
- messaging with notification
- syncing with outlook calendar
- status settings
- organization of contacts
- conversation history
- connection to corporate directory
- organization charts
- file sharing
- task tracking as a group
- multi screen sharing
- Multiple presenters
- connection with other productivity applications
February 16, 2022
Skype keeps employees connected!
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
I use Skype for Business daily. It is very easy to use and allows me to easily and effectively communicate with other employees across the organization. Skype also allows me to connect with coworkers via voice and video calls and also provides the capability of sharing my desktop for enhanced efficiency.
- Communication with coworkers.
- Multiple channels of communication.
- Ability to see coworkers status easily.
- Chat rooms could be better integrated.
- Sending attachments could be more seamless.
- Integrate better with email systems.
January 26, 2022
Skype for Business - Review
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Microsoft Skype for Business has solved instant messaging and video conferencing challenges, specifically throughout the pandemic. The majority of our meetings are conducted with Skype for Business. There are different features you can benefit from including the ability to present your desktop or PowerPoint slides, as well as using a whiteboard for drawings.
- Video conferencing
- Instant messaging
- Desktop presentation
- Integration with Exchange server
- From my experience, the offline instant messaging is not good
- Client applications on mobile devices suffer performance issues
- There are problems when the number of people in a single session goes over 300
January 10, 2022
"Great Communication Tool At The Click Of A Button."
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Skype for Business is imperative that we use it in our organization during this uncertain time. A good thing about Excel and Outlook is how well they work with each other. During a meeting, switching between mobile and desktop is smooth. At the start of a meeting, useful reminders or notifications are sent. The interface is reminiscent of a sequence of Google Docs and GoToMeeting. I can do so much with this software and with my colleagues. It’s easy to tag people in chats using the Android app, which is user-friendly. Messages can be made “important” to get everyone’s attention. When I left Zoom for Microsoft, security concerns were a major factor in my decision. Connecting to my email provider is convenient, and the software is easy to use.
- Sharing presentations amongst participants and integration with other Microsoft products is a great feature.
- Each team has multiple channels for different topics and excels at graphical input.
- Other apps also help improve workflow, and participants can easily add their content and comment on it.
- More emoticons for messages and faster client upgrades would be nice.
- With low bandwidth internet connections, it appears that platform integration is problematic.
- Automatic transcription of audio and presence sharing between Skype and Microsoft Teams would be nice features.
January 07, 2022
Skype Business = Microsoft Teams = Power play!
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
I use Skype as part of Microsoft teams, business issues that this addresses since covid began it has been the new "meeting" standard and is used on a daily basis to connect with colleagues and clients.
- Video playback is excellent.
- No robotic voices or disconnects with sound.
- Ease of use.
- Would like to see more gifs added as well as improved emojis.
- A place in which you could save templates within the app for ease of access.
- Voice note functionality for PC and not just mobile.
December 25, 2021
Meeting and a collaborative Tool
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Have a quick video conversation with colleagues for project coordination that the market is solving problems. Thanks to Skype for Business, the flexibility of our meetings has been improved. I can use it on my android or laptop. It is portable, so I can use it no matter where I am. It greatly expands our contact methods from sharing to team management, everything is concentrated in one area. It simplifies everything. As opportunities for working from home increase, organizations will benefit from implementing this approach. The collaboration feature is great, allowing the team to collaborate in real time. Very suitable for working from home.
- One of the most powerful and useful application for online meetings and conferences.
- Skype for Business user interface is simple, clear and easy to use.
- It is easier for customers further away to use them, then this will be a better platform.
- It integrates with outlook to enable you to schedule meetings with multi participants.
- It's also fine to search for older messages.
- The most downside of Skype is that it charges for calls to other landlines and networks.
- It does not automatically update the location.
- More people can enter at times, but the voice is not always clear.
November 24, 2021
Your familiar Skype, optimized for business users
Score 6 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
The system is used across our internal organization which has 3 geographically distinct locations in the USA. We frequently use it for conferences with vendors, suppliers, and key opinion leaders. It is intuitive to use, loads easily, and allows one to display presentations, edit same, share other information and see the various members on the 'call'.
- Sharing presentations amongst participants
- Participants can bring in additional materials easily, comment on same
- Very good at graphical input
- To avoid multiple people speaking at once and talking over each other, it would be helpful to have a hand raise function for speakers
- Graphics can sometimes be slow in loading, so a provision for uploading presentations to each of the participants could avoid lags due to slow internet connectivity
November 13, 2021
Uniqueness goes beyond the boundaries of communication
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We use this tool because it is compatible with all Microsoft products. We used to use Skype for Business (formerly Lync), now part of Microsoft Teams, to call and text our colleagues. We still use Skype for Business, but we don't use it nearly as much as we'd like to. Using it is more enjoyable because of its unique features, and it works seamlessly with Microsoft Outlook and other office applications. The UI is simple and easy to understand. With one click, we can join a team or chat with someone in groups, rather than open an app, search for the person, and then call or text them.
- Organizations will appreciate the simple user interface and seamless integration with other Microsoft products with this excellent instant messaging app.
- Teams can have multiple channels for different topics and make video calls and phone calls, and all communication is well organized within each Team.
- Sharing documents is as simple as dragging and dropping them into a chat window. We can form our groups in a precise manner.
- Integration with third-party apps and the ease with which it can be escalated to higher levels of communication also aid in streamlining workflow.
- The conference call quality could be better, and it is expensive compared to other similar apps.
- There are problems with connectivity in large meetings and the number of people who can attend is restricted.
- File sharing and VoIP use a lot of bandwidth. Searching for old messages is a problem right from the start. Unfortunately, the search function is not practical.
November 12, 2021
Enterprise large scale collaboration tool - although it's slowly getting to be a dinosaur
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Skype for [Business] is the default communication tool used across our organization for all parallels - Tech, Finance, HR. Even interviews for our firm are done via the platform. A major part of our office infrastructure depends on Office 365 suite and [using] Outlook for mails and calendars. Thus, the need was for an instant communication platform, customizable for enterprise, that could integrate well with these, and what better option than another Microsoft product. Skype makes it easy to reach out to any person within the firm via just her/his name or email ID, start instant chats, retrieve them via outlook, share screens, video calls, and voice calls - all of which are used roughly 20-30 times a day on average by an average employee. For an organization with over 90000 employees, a tool that could integrate well with the existing Outlook infrastructure, and provide a means for communication, voice and video calls, screen sharing, and office status (Available/Busy/OOO etc), Skype was the best possible option. Noteworthy that Skype for [Business] was started being used at a time when MS Teams was not launched yet.
- 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.
- Skype's UI leaves a lot to be desired, especially considering newer platforms like Zoom, Teams, Slack, Meet, and so on. It's slow and lacks many features that are now de facto in the newer communication apps.
- Skype calendar also is often buggy - meeting times do not get updated on the calendar even if the correct time does come up on the Outlook calendar.
- It does not give you the option to mute chats - oftentimes, you want to keep some group chats on mute without leaving them entirely.
- Closing off a chat before it's saved will remove it from Skype history. You'd need to go search for it on Outlook mail.
November 07, 2021
Stay Connected with Skype for Business
Skype for Business makes it easy for us to connect and collaborate with coworkers and vendors: via message conversations and voice or video calls. We can also use SFB to exchange files quickly. The good thing about skype for business is that you can install it on a variety of platforms e.g. IOS/Android/Windows
- The application on windows 10 is lightweight. No CPU/Memory hogging
- Simple and easy to use interface
- Can be deployed in Cloud/Hybrid/on-prem
- Skype for business messages on Apple watch
- ability to mask/disable sending sensitive messages containing credit card numbers.
- Would be nice to get the option of using WebUI
August 09, 2021
Minimal UI and easy to use application
Skype for business used to be our sole communication tool within our organization. It offers the best video calling and conferences experience. We use this extensive company-wide. It is easily integrated with outlook and other office apps. It has a simple UI with a minimalistic feel to it. It lacks many features that are being offered in most of the communication tools these days. It has quite a classic appeal to it.
- Integration with outlook
- Alerts and missed conversation notification
- Saves conversation in mail
- Ability to configure time for online availablity
- Great for video calls
- No dark mode
- Updates are not regular
- No noise cancellation feature in calls
- Cluttered chat windows
- Cant send large files
- No stickers or GIFs support in chat
July 29, 2021
Skype 4 life
[Skype for Business (formerly Lync) is] used for messaging between users where users can see each others status and understand how likely your message will be answered. We escalate calls to full two way voice from messages, we also conference other people in with a drag and drop action that is very easy. We can escalate the call to full video conferencing with multiple users. We can also share our screens and uses can control each others desktops.
- See users status before contacting them
- Have a good idea that the will respond before you reach out to them
- Good quality of voice
- Easy to use
- Easy to escalate to higher forms of communication
- Integration to other platforms
- Presence shared between Skype and ms teams
- Faster upgrades to clients
Skype for Business is the only and primary tool for communication amongst team
members and with the clients. It is used for having quick chats and long meetings.
Sharing the contents while the meeting is going is an effortless and a very useful feature.
So basically it is used for communicating across an organization. Just search a name and you are right away connected to the colleague.
members and with the clients. It is used for having quick chats and long meetings.
Sharing the contents while the meeting is going is an effortless and a very useful feature.
So basically it is used for communicating across an organization. Just search a name and you are right away connected to the colleague.
- Meeting scheduling
- Calendar integration helps in looking at schedules of team members
- Screen sharing, Desktop sharing helps quickly share the work we are working on
- Integration with Other market tools helps SHARE work being done on them
- [I feel it] Must have feature to grab the screen shot and share right away while meeting is in progress
- More stability on low bandwidth connections
- An appstore to connect with market tools such as DevOps etc
June 21, 2021
Title-holding champ has lost its edge
Communication is a hard problem to solve. Everyone communicates, but everyone also does it differently.
We used to utilize Skype for Business (formerly Lync) before making a switch to Microsoft Teams. Skype for Business (formerly Lync) allows teams of people to video conference, chat, and keep in touch. Its methodologies are rapidly becoming out of date as the service declines in users as more and more people make the switch.
- Video conferencing (very few connection problems)
- Chat has historical data
- Signed in users tracking
- Chats are broken into several threads instead of one persistent thread
- Link sharing and document sharing are a major problem
- Groups and collaboration need improvement
June 14, 2021
Skype for Business Review
[My company] has been using Skype for Business for all the conversation, meetings, video conferencing, internal chit-chat etc. [It] is one of the best web and video conferencing software I have [ever] used. [...]
- Best tool for conversation within the whole organization.
- Video conferencing is very amazing.
- Very very user-friendly.
- Sharing documents over chat is very simple.
- You can create your groups in a very proper way.
- Very simple to use.
- No additional training is required to use this tool.
- You can show your status as available, busy, away, do not disturb, In [the] meeting, etc as your convenient and work.
- We can share our screen and can take control as well of others.
- We can show only one window to the others and can do our other works in other windows at the same time.
- Sometimes if [...] you have another window, like watching any video [and] you don't touch the mouse, [...] Skype will show your status as away[...].
- Sometimes it takes [a] little more time to log in.
- Meeting creation and sending [invitations are a] little tough.
- Your status will show [as] 'away' just after 4-5 minutes if you don't touch the mouse, no matter your window is open and watching something else. It is its biggest con.
June 13, 2021
Okay app for IM
Skype for business was the foremost used instant messaging and video calling software used in my organization.
Previously it was used by whole organization but now it is limited to various teams in the organization, as another software are being used now.
Skype is used to share messages between colleagues, teammates any internal team messages. It is very easy to install and use.
Previously it was used by whole organization but now it is limited to various teams in the organization, as another software are being used now.
Skype is used to share messages between colleagues, teammates any internal team messages. It is very easy to install and use.
- Very good instant messaging app f[o]r organi[z]ations with minimal UI.
- Easy to make video calls, phone calls.
- One can share screen with everyone you are calling, helpful in case of showing presentation or giving lectures.
- We can even make calls to particular phone number through Skype for Business.
- Can share documents and files over Skype for Business app.
- In todays scenario it is bit costly compared to other similar apps available in market.
- UI is way too old. It needs redevelopment.
- Searching old messages is problematic from [the] start of using this app. Search doesn't work good.
- Number of person able to attend meeting is limited.
June 11, 2021
Skype for Business Review
We are using Skype for Business in our organization for business majorly for secure internet calls. Most of the Professors are doing their research work and for that they have to be in touch with the researchers from around the globe. We are also using it to communicate with our development team who is working on the deployment and regular maintenance of the software we are using on the campus. Accept that during this pandemic time we are using it for interview purpose.
- Safe and secure Internet calls
- It is integrated with office 365
- Mobile UI is relatively simple and easy to use
- File sharing and VOIP requires really good bandwidth
- Definitely needs improvements in conference calls quality