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Skype for Business was an online messaging and conferencing tool, now superseded by Microsoft Teams.
Great Software!
How could I work without Skype/Microsoft Teams?
"Reliable communication application, offers seamless integrations, and has numerous features."
Skype is budget friendly, easy to use and reliable software.
"Skype for Business is a remarkable communication tool that has widespread adoption."
Skype is great for meetings
Great communication tool overall.
Skype Review
The First video conference tool I have ever used
Skype keeps employees connected!
Skype for Business - Review
"Great Communication Tool At The Click Of A Button."
Skype Business = Microsoft Teams = Power play!
Meeting and a collaborative Tool
Awards
Products that are considered exceptional by their customers based on a variety of criteria win TrustRadius awards. Learn more about the types of TrustRadius awards to make the best purchase decision. More about TrustRadius Awards
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
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Skype for Business was an online messaging and conferencing tool, now superseded by Microsoft Teams.
Entry-level set up fee?
- No setup fee
Offerings
- Free Trial
- Free/Freemium Version
- Premium Consulting/Integration Services
Would you like us to let the vendor know that you want pricing?
11 people also want pricing
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.
Features
Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software
Features related to the performance, reliability & compatibility of web conferencing and webinar (online events) software.
- 8High quality audio(188) Ratings
High quality audio connection is consistently available, with few or no interruptions.
- 7.7High quality video(183) Ratings
High quality video connection is consistently available, with few or no interruptions.
- 6.6Low bandwidth requirements(180) Ratings
Software is optimized so that meetings do not require a huge amount of bandwidth.
- 8Mobile support(144) Ratings
Attendees can access meetings/webinars from mobile devices.
Screen Sharing
Features related to remote screen sharing capabilities.
- 8.8Desktop sharing(189) Ratings
Presenters can remotely share a view of their desktop with attendees.
- 8.3Whiteboards(119) Ratings
Presenters or attendees can share notes or annotations they’ve made on a whiteboard/meeting space within the web conferencing UI.
Online Meetings / Events
Features related to hosting and attending meetings and events online.
- 8Calendar integration(172) Ratings
Scheduling capabilities integrate with users’ Calendars.
- 8.1Meeting initiation(180) Ratings
Meetings can be easily initiated, whether they are scheduled or on the fly.
- 7.8Integrates with social media(82) Ratings
Integrates with social media sites like Twitter and LinkedIn to promote meetings and webinars.
- 7.6Record meetings / events(141) Ratings
Meetings and webinars can be recorded for playback.
- 7.7Slideshows(113) Ratings
Presenters can present slideshows during the meeting within the web conferencing platform.
Online Events Collaboration
Features related to collaboration between attendees during web conferences, webinars, and other online events.
- 9.2Live chat(169) Ratings
Participants can use one-on-one and group instant messaging to communicate privately or selectively during meetings.
- 8.5Audience polling(92) Ratings
Presenters can ask for audience input.
- 8.1Q&A(92) Ratings
Attendees can ask questions during the presentation.
Online Events Security
Features related to the security of meetings and other events held via web conferencing/webinar software.
- 8.2User authentication(140) Ratings
Administrators can require users to authenticate their identities before joining a meeting.
- 7.9Participant roles & permissions(146) Ratings
Administrators can grant users different levels of access to conferences, as moderators, presenters, attendees, or participants. Permissions can be set for individual users, or based on user role/group.
- 8.1Confidential attendee list(108) Ratings
Presenters, moderators, or admins can see a confidential list of attendees that is not visible to all attendees.
Product Details
- About
- 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
Comparisons
Compare with
Reviews and Ratings
(2583)Attribute Ratings
Reviews
(1-5 of 5)How could I work without Skype/Microsoft Teams?
- 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.
- High quality audio
- 80%8.0
- High quality video
- 70%7.0
- Low bandwidth requirements
- 80%8.0
- Mobile support
- 80%8.0
- Desktop sharing
- 90%9.0
- Whiteboards
- 90%9.0
- Calendar integration
- 70%7.0
- Meeting initiation
- 90%9.0
- Record meetings / events
- 80%8.0
- Slideshows
- 80%8.0
- Live chat
- 100%10.0
- Audience polling
- 90%9.0
- Q&A
- 90%9.0
- User authentication
- 80%8.0
- Participant roles & permissions
- 80%8.0
- Confidential attendee list
- 90%9.0
- Positive -> teams productivity.
- Positive -> connection with people outside the organization.
- Positive -> real time notifications of important matters.
- Positive -> management of a global organization/team.
- Google Chat, Zoom and WhatsApp Business
- Product Features
- Product Usability
- Product Reputation
- Integration with Microsoft Office
- Interactive commands during a call - like reactions, pools, whiteboard etc
- Teams and Teams' tabs (group an audience and create different pages for engagement)
- Gifs for chatting!
- Calendar (scheduling a meeting)
- Approve new people to access a call
- Missed calls (sometimes people call but no ringing)
The mobile version is very fast and also well integrated with the desktop version. For that reason, I started using it more frequently when I needed to step back from the PC for a very short moment - if it was not that good, I would never use it just to get a glass of water at the kitchen while in a meeting!
Skype for Business Review
- 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.
- High quality audio
- 100%10.0
- High quality video
- 90%9.0
- Low bandwidth requirements
- 90%9.0
- Mobile support
- 100%10.0
- Desktop sharing
- 100%10.0
- Whiteboards
- 100%10.0
- Calendar integration
- 80%8.0
- Meeting initiation
- 80%8.0
- Integrates with social media
- 90%9.0
- Record meetings / events
- 100%10.0
- Slideshows
- 100%10.0
- Live chat
- 100%10.0
- Audience polling
- 80%8.0
- Q&A
- 80%8.0
- User authentication
- 80%8.0
- Participant roles & permissions
- 100%10.0
- Confidential attendee list
- 100%10.0
- Price
- Product Features
- Product Usability
- Immediate check on the status of colleagues (present, available, in a meeting etc ...)
- Ability to call, video call and share one or more screens with the ability to grant control
- It integrates with Outlook to be able to organize meetings with multiple interlocutors
- The granting of the remote connection can be improved, perhaps automatically using the Remote Desktop rather than the implementation made on Skype for business, since they are both Microsoft software.
- Video calls could be improved by being able to select any image quality, in order to limit internet traffic.
- The delegations with which Skype for Business and Outlook interfaces should be improved
- High quality audio
- 80%8.0
- High quality video
- 80%8.0
- Low bandwidth requirements
- 70%7.0
- Mobile support
- 70%7.0
- Desktop sharing
- 70%7.0
- Whiteboards
- 60%6.0
- Calendar integration
- 70%7.0
- Meeting initiation
- 70%7.0
- Slideshows
- 80%8.0
- Live chat
- 80%8.0
- Audience polling
- 60%6.0
- Q&A
- 60%6.0
- User authentication
- 70%7.0
- Participant roles & permissions
- 60%6.0
- Confidential attendee list
- 60%6.0
- I don't know the value of the impact, certainly positive. One tool communicates within the company efficiently.
- Compared to the normal phone, it allows you to do more things faster and efficiently
- Calls, video calls, chats
- Video conferencing
- Technical assistance to operators
- The ability to call / video call with operators and simultaneously chat with others.
- The possibility of scheduling video conferences also with personnel outside the company
- The ability to transfer files in chat without size limitations
- Product Features
- Product Usability
- Third-party Reviews
Product Features: Skype for business is a complete product for the problems it solves: chat, call, video call, participate or organize conferences with multiple interlocutors, plan meetings, transfer files, grant computer control.
Product Usability: Once framed, the operation of Skype for business is very simple to use in most of its functions. Only a few of them require more attention in use.
Third-party Reviews: The company I work for is part of a group. The group's lead company had chosen Lync for its staff and described it positively. In addition, the reviews that can be found on the internet are also mostly positive.
- Implemented in-house
- The installation of the server part
- The configuration of the server part
- Integration with Outlook
Overall, as a company, we are quite happy with the implementation of Skype for Business.
The technician contacted was careful to understand the problem and provided me with clear and precise indications to allow me to solve the problem.
I am satisfied with the support obtained and the resolution times of the problem.
- Calls, video calls and chats
- Conferences, meetings
- Remote connection
- Schedule a meeting with operators outside the company
- Grant computer control for clumsy operators
- Delegate the organization of Skype for business meetings to another operator
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.
It is much better and faster way of communication than email if you want to get fast answer. But its integration with Outlook makes it just easy if you want to shoot a question about some email that you received and you do not completely understand it or you have more questions about your project.
Less appropriate usage would be for chit chats as your employees can lose focus having fun chatting with other employees in their private conversation.
- High quality audio
- 100%10.0
- High quality video
- 90%9.0
- Low bandwidth requirements
- 70%7.0
- Mobile support
- 100%10.0
- Desktop sharing
- 100%10.0
- Whiteboards
- 100%10.0
- Calendar integration
- 100%10.0
- Meeting initiation
- 100%10.0
- Record meetings / events
- 100%10.0
- Slideshows
- 100%10.0
- Live chat
- 100%10.0
- Audience polling
- 100%10.0
- Q&A
- 80%8.0
- User authentication
- 70%7.0
- Participant roles & permissions
- 100%10.0
- Confidential attendee list
- 100%10.0
- I cannot imagine working my day job without Skype for business. When it goes down, we are cut from the communication with the rest of the organization, making it hard to do almost anything.
- If you depend on collaboration with your colleges, Skype will impact that field of your job in the best possible way.
There are no things that will distract you from finishing your daily tasks unlikely from competitors which are trying to make mix of Fun and Business, but my personal opinion is that a Business tool shouldn't have Emojis, Hashtags and social media integration, unless your job requires you to work with social networks or if you are from social networking company.
- Existing Relationship with the Vendor
So the singe most important factor in my company's decision would be that offer that Microsoft has alongside with all the other great office products. It is just Win WIn.
Skype for Business Review
- Instant messaging with members of the organization
- Integration with Outlook
- Ability to quickly send photos, files, and information
- Video chat option
- Adding users can be a pain
- Mobile application is annoying in terms of the chat history and order of latest chats. The app in general is quite cumbersome.
- High quality audio
- 80%8.0
- High quality video
- 70%7.0
- Low bandwidth requirements
- 50%5.0
- Desktop sharing
- 70%7.0
- Calendar integration
- 100%10.0
- Meeting initiation
- 90%9.0
- Integrates with social media
- N/AN/A
- Record meetings / events
- 100%10.0
- Live chat
- 90%9.0
- Audience polling
- N/AN/A
- User authentication
- 90%9.0
- Participant roles & permissions
- 90%9.0
- Confidential attendee list
- 90%9.0
- Faster communication among technicians and managers.
- Effectively reduce amount of time to solve customer issues.
- Transfer essential information at high speeds.
- Communicating among the team
- Getting answers to questions while on the phone with a client
- instant contact from anywhere at anytime
- updating status: where you are, what your doing
- integrating with outlook
- All conversations are recorded/pushed out to outlook into a folder
- We use it to review old conversations to retrieve information/answers that may have been forgotten
- We quickly order lunch together!
- We can utilize the video tool
- We can communicate with CLIENTS
- Price
- Product Features
- Product Usability
- Implemented in-house
- It took some time for everyone to adjust and get used to the new way of communicating via IM
- getting everyone to implement their own version on their mobile devices etc.
- There were not many issues in regards to the implementation of Skype For Business
- Instant messaging
- setting up a conference chat
- recording conversations
- mobile application
- rder of conversations