Skype for Business (Free -- at a cost)
October 22, 2018
Skype for Business (Free -- at a cost)
Score 6 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Skype for Business
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.
- Typically we have to use another provider for virtual meetings (wherein the user does not have the pre-configured software) -- Skype for Business is fine for instant messaging or inter-office communication.
- ROI is negligible given the software is included in a Microsoft Office 365 E3 license -- I would not pay for the software otherwise.
- Organizing meetings/explaining functionality to outside parties, etc. is often time consuming and redundant -- just the ability to start a meeting ad hoc with no issues is relatively non-existent. Something always flares up.
Skype for business is severely lacking when hosting meetings -- other software options are definitely better. Again, the ability to initiate a meeting (and perhaps in-browser versus locally on the device) is a major impediment with Skype for Business. Microsoft needs to do a better job with pairing to VOIP phones and/or cell/landlines.