Simplex-IT

Team Collaboration with Skype for Business

We tend to think Skype and Skype for Business is just for video calls, but it can be used to increase communication and collaboration in a number of different ways:

Voice Calling (VoIP) – Audio calls are easy in Skype, and you don’t pay for long distance or airtime.  And Skype for Business integrates with your previous contacts from Skype, so you’ll have one tool for your business and personal calls. 

Video Calls – One-on-one video calls can be much more personal when you can talk face to face, even if it is virtually.  With Skype for Business, you can have those discussions and be able to see facial expressions and body language, or just check out your colleague’s new haircut. 

Video Conferencing – Similar to the one-on-one video calls, but with more than two people.  This is great for bringing teams together with a more personal feel.  Who’s wouldn’t prefer to look at their colleague’s instead of staring at a conference speakerphone the whole time? 

Screen Sharing – It’s easy to share your screen during a call.  Whether you are working on a project with a co-worker and need to share your screen on the fly, or leading a scheduled presentation, Skype for Business makes it easy to share your screen with your participants.  You’ll see Simplex-IT using Skype for Business for our webinars too! 

Online Meetings – Integration with Microsoft Office makes creating online meetings easy!  In Outlook, instead of creating a “New Meeting” just select “Skype Meeting” instead.  A link to the Skype meeting will be created for you in the body of the meeting invitation.  From there, it’s the same as creating a meeting.  Your recipients can then use the link provided to join the meeting. 

Instant Messaging – For a quick message, who has time for email?  The instant messaging capability in Skype for Business makes it easy to send a message to your contacts.  It’s also great for back and forth conversation type communication, rather than the one-sided email that’s easy to lose in your Inbox.  Conversations are saved in Outlook, so you can go back and reference them at any point, with no email clutter.  You can also see your contacts availability, and let others know yours.  Leaving for the afternoon or on an important assignment and can’t be bothered?  Change your status to Off Work or Do Not Disturb to let everyone know.  You can create groups, favorites, and much more. 

Group Chat – Similar to Instant Messaging, but with more than one person.  Great for chatting with a team or group of people, everyone sees the conversation.  Great for sharing files with a group too.