Giving you all the answers on Skype for Business!

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Let’s face it, we all loved Lync. Just being able to send a quick instant message about your weekend to your colleagues whilst popping in a few cheeky emoji’s cheered us up and kept us going through the stressful days. But now Skype for Business is finally on our doorstep and a storm of change is heading our way… Or is it?

We’ve been one of the lucky ones to get to know the system a little bit better and now we have all the answers you need on the upcoming release.

If your organisation is already big on using Lync…

Skype is just a makeover of Lync right? Well that’s what we thought initially, but it’s only when you use the software that you appreciate the subtle differences. Historically, Skype was for people and Lync was for business, but as always the line has blurred. Microsoft have made Skype for Business much more about people and making our lives so much easier day to day. In a modern work environment you often need to switch hats between your business and personal life and it seems that Microsoft have focused all their skills and expertise on making every aspect of Skype for Business easier for ordinary people.

Skype4B has got simplicity on its side, although the Skype visuals are infinitely more pleasing on the eye with lovely round icons everywhere, it’s more the intuitive updates such as the ability to transfer a call in one click, rather than three that you’ll notice. Another subtle change is the file transfer update, you can now clearly see exactly what file, the full title and the size of what you are downloading – it’s a simple change, but a good example of how Skype4B is so much slicker and user-focused.

This will be the most up to secure and reliable unified communications software available, combining Skype’s expertise of maintaining 300 million calls a day, and the security of Lync we’ve all come to expect.

Feel like you don’t take advantage of Lync?

Now is a great time to learn more, and see how your business can take advantage of Skype for Business. We work with a lot of businesses who feel that working from anywhere is impossible in their industry, either due to security constraints or environment and we always prove them wrong. We have worked in almost every industry and there is always a solution with a return on investment that is about a lot more than increased productivity.

By 2015, over 1.3 Billion people will be telecommuting or working from home, studies show that employers who embrace this technology see employees work harder and longer, as they don’t have to deal with commuting. It’s an old fashioned notion that you need to be stuck in the same chair every day to do your job, those that are allowed the option of working from home tend to stay at a company longer, and work better with others. We do it, and employee satisfaction is why we are one of the top small businesses to work for.

There’s more to Skype than working from home though, it can open up new ways to connect with customers emotionally. People naturally trust a voice more when they can match a face to it, and video support is a great way to increase customer retention without really changing much in your organisation. Skype for Business chat functions, mean you can quickly point hundreds of customers in the right direction without being intrusive or forcing them to pick up the phone. The investment in Skype for Business is worthwhile when you embed it into your company culture and embrace modern ways of working, everyone will move there eventually – the sooner you adopt it, the sooner you can see the benefits.

If you would like to know more about Skype for Business, sign up to attend one of our events at www.risual.com/events, or drop us an email at enquiries@risual.com

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