Ideal for both business and personal use , Skype continues to make online communication easy. Make free, high-quality video and voice calls, chat, or send files up to MB to contacts all over the world. With Skype, you can avoid expensive international calling plans , either by making free calls to other Skype users or taking advantage of the incredibly inexpensive VoIP service.
There is a Meet Now feature that is ideal for group video chats or business meetings. Invite participants with a link and share your screen, record the call, mute and unmute microphones and much more. A regular Meet Now has a limit of 25 participants, while a Skype for Business account allows up to participants to join a room.
Users in the rest of the world will need a subscription for the VoIP option. WhatsApp: This is a great option if you just need instant messaging, voice calls, and video chats on your mobile device. There is no group video chat. Zoom: For businesses looking for a free video-conferencing solution, Zoom is a great choice. It allows you to share your screen, record the meeting, transfer files, and have up to participants.
There is a minute time limit for meetings that include three or more people. All of the basic features of Skype are free. This includes chats, Skype to Skype calls, video chat, and file transfers. However, if you want to call phone or mobile numbers — you will need to put money into your account. The price fluctuates based on where the call is made to, not from. You can either purchase a monthly subscription or add Skype Credit to make an international call.
As long as you download an official copy of Skype, it is a safe download. However, the downside of a free service is that there are plenty of users who create accounts with the intention of scamming and spamming unsuspecting users.
You can search for people by name, username, or E-mail. Skype for Business SFB is a business-focused app that allows you to instant message, phone and video call, screen share, host and record meetings, and generally collaborate with your colleagues.
Please note this is a separate product from Skype for consumers. It cannot make emergency phone calls. It serves as a lightweight collaboration tool.
Any business using the Microsoft ecosystem, particularly small businesses, should take a look at SFB. It seamlessly integrates with Outlook from where you can create Skype meetings and populate your contact list. It offers a variety of plan options at attractive prices, though making sense of that spider web proves difficult see here. Last but not least, Microsoft has already announced that Teams will be replacing SFB and when sunset occurs, it isn't clear.
At its core, SFB allows you to select another SFB user from a contact list and from there, start an instant message conversation, make a call video if you have that capability , or share your screen. Additional features build from that basic premise. The application tucks toward the side of your screen, and goes for the tall and skinny look. Your name falls at the top along with your picture, availability status available, away, do not disturb, etc. Below that sit four icons across the menu — Contacts, Conversations, Meetings, Settings.
These determine what you see in the body of the application. Your contacts each have a picture, availability status, and video capability indication. Managers can check on the idle time of their employees as SFB shows a timestamp for how long someone has been away from their computer.
From there go about your usual use case. More icons appear allowing you to make a call, share your screen, or send a file. Invite the whole office, if you'd like! Some subscription levels allow up to people in a conversation.
The SFB plug-in for Outlook rocks. Once installed, all you need to schedule a Skype meeting from Outlook is to make a new meeting, click on the SFB icon plug-in, and it auto populates your conference information in the body of the meeting. Add your attendees, an agenda, and pick a time, and you are off to your next game of conference call bingo. Flexibility for including non-SFB users to your meetings and calls help SFB stand-out as a great tool for collaboration.
The app allows for HD video conferencing, IM in meetings, presentation viewing, desktop sharing, whiteboard, lobby, and presenter access controls. The app also enables PC-based audio and video.
Luckily, Microsoft serves up a free client that you can try. According to the website, the free basic client provides presence, instant messaging, and conferencing features. If you are licensed for Office ProPlus, Office Enterprise E3 and Office Enterprise E4, you are also licensed for the full Skype for Business Windows desktop client, which includes additional features including advanced telephone support, archiving, and compliance features.
Microsoft has made it clear that Teams will replace SFB but gives no clear date when the service in question will shut down.
