Enterprise large scale collaboration tool - although it's slowly getting to be a dinosaur
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
Overall Satisfaction with Skype for Business (formerly Lync), now part of Microsoft Teams
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.
- In the move to WFH for the over 90000 employees of the firm in 13 different timezones, Skype for [Business], as the primary communication tool has been the most critical factor in ensuring there's not a communication breakdown.
- An average of 7 calls a day and around 50-60 text messages are sent via Skype for [Business]. These communications are critical for [the] continued delivery of our services.
- Video/voice calling and screen sharing features of Skype have played a great role in simulating a shared workspace scenario in the virtual mode as best as possible.
Most of the above applications are more suited to the newer age smaller companies that can experiment and switch. Our primary use case for Skype for [Business] was an enterprise software for large-scale communication using Microsoft's suite of products and authentication at a time when most of the above-mentioned products were not around in the market.
Do you think Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams delivers good value for the price?
Yes
Are you happy with Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams's feature set?
Yes
Did Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams live up to sales and marketing promises?
No
Did implementation of Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams go as expected?
Yes
Would you buy Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams again?
No