2015 What s new in Skype for business
Contents Introduction 1 What s Skype for Business? 2 New look and feel 4 Call via Work 6 Skype directory integration 7 Dual user experience 7 Call Monitor 8 Rate My Call 9 Quick access to call controls 9 Emoticons 9 Introduction If you already use Skype to stay in touch with friends and family in your life away from work, you ll appreciate the power and simplicity of Skype for Business where it s easy to find and connect with co-workers. And you can use the devices you already have to reach businesses through an enterprise-grade, secure, IT-managed platform. If you re coming to Skype for Business from Lync, you ll recognize all of the features you already use but in a fresh new interface with simplified controls and some great new additions:- New look and feel Call via Work Skype directory integration Dual user experience Call Monitor Rate My Call Quick access to call controls Emoticons 1
What s Skype for Business? Just a super efficient way to quickly connect with co-workers and business partners! Skype for Business is IM, calling, video calling, and sharing and collaboration all rolled into one package. Here s what the main page of the app looks like:- When you hover over a contact s picture, a quick menu appears. Type your comments here, for others to see when they look at your contact info All about you Tabs Search for someone in your org or outside (in the Skype directory) Settings Your contacts 2
If you click the IM button, you ll get the conversation window. This is who you are IMing with Add another contact to this conversation This is their side of the conversation This is your side of the conversation This is where you write your responses. Press Enter to send. Attach a file, stress importance, or add an emoticon Start a video call, audio call, or present your desktop or a program Open the Recording manager, change the font or font size, or get help 3
And here s what the meeting window looks like. New look and feel If you re a regular user of the commercial version of Skype, then Skype for Business will seem very familiar: the Contacts list, presence indicators, buttons and icons, and even the app sounds should make you feel right at home. 4
But you ll see one important difference when you point to someone in the Contacts list: with the Quick Actions buttons you can IM or call a contact (and more) with just one click or tap. Contact quick actions: IM, Audio Call, Video Call, Contact Card, More options In the Skype Meeting window, the simplified arrangement of controls and menus makes it easy to find the command you need. In the conversation window, chat text is formatted so you can easily see who s talking, and tabbed conversations allow you to keep track of several discussions at once. You The person you re chatting with Meeting window detail with Present menu IM window with two conversations and a new message in the first tab 5
Call via Work Call via Work allows enterprise users to make voice calls from the Skype for Business client. When a user places a voice call, it is routed from Skype for Business to the originator s desktop phone. Once the originator answers the phone, the call is then directed to the destination number. The call recipient answers, and the call is established with Skype for Business serving as the control panel. The originator can manage their presence and call controls from Skype for Business. (Call via Work can only be used for outbound calls.) Simple PBX phone integration with Skype for Business 1 2 1. Call handling > Outgoing calls set to your desktop phone number. Start a Skype for Business call from client. 2. Your desktop phone rings. 3 3. You pick up the receiver 4 4. You hear the other persons phone ringing 5 5. You pick up. You say Hey. They say Hey 6 6. You both talk while collaborating using Skype for Business features like IM, desktop and app sharing and file transfers. Server admins enable and configure Call via Work for the enterprise. End users have limited configuration capabilities, which include turning the feature on or off for their individual account (once Call via Work is enabled at the enterprise level) and setting the PBX or PSTN phone number that Skype for Business should call. If the number has been set and locked by the administrator, the call outgoing call options will be unavailable to the end user. 6
Note Call via Work requires Skype for Business Server 2015. Skype directory integration Skype for Business users can connect over the Internet with hundreds of millions of Skype users in business-to-business and business-to-consumer scenarios. From the Skype for Business client, users can search the Skype directory and add contacts. Audio and video quality are improved through the use of the SILK codec that Skype already uses. The same trusted security mechanisms already in place for Lync are used to encrypt both signaling and media using TLS/SRTP; firewall traversal is handled through STUN, TURN, and ICE protocols. Note Skype directory integration requires Skype for Business Server 2015 Dual user experience Skype for Business includes the new user experience described above and the Lync 2013 user experience released previously. Admins choose the preferred experience through an in-band setting: Set-CSClientPolicy -EnableSkypeUI: true Or Set-CSClientPolicy -EnableSkypeUI: false 7
Dual user experience The inclusion of both experiences allows enterprises to manage change for their users by controlling the process and timing of the new client roll-out. The default user experience depends on which version of the server you re using. This table explains: Platform Default Client Skype for Business Server 2015 Skype for Business Skype for Business Online Skype for Business Lync Server 2013 Lync 2013 Lync Server 2010 Lync 2013 Some features are only available in the new experience. The following table explains: Feature Skype for Business Experience Emoticons Yes Yes Skype Directory Search Yes No Call Monitor Yes No Call via Work Yes No Remote Call Control (RCC) No Yes Rate My Call Yes Yes Server Side conversation history Yes Yes Skype / Lync video interoperability Yes Yes Skype ID interoperability Yes No Lync Experience Call Monitor Call Monitor is a popular Skype feature that s now available in Skype for Business. It enables you to move back and forth between a full Skype for Business window, for those times when you re actively participating in the call, and a miniature version so you can continue to monitor call progress while focusing on other tasks. The miniature version includes mute and end call buttons. You can use Call Monitor with both audio and video calls. With Call Monitor, you can switch between the full window and a miniature version. Call controls remain visible 8
Rate My Call The Rate My Call feature lets Skype for Business Server 2015 administrators collect call data, access standard reports, and export raw data for further analysis. This feature is available for on-premises deployments only. Users are prompted to take a survey after completing a call. Quick access to call controls Access to the dial pad and call controls is much improved. For public switched telephone network (PSTN) calls, the dial-pad and call controls remain visible throughout the call. For non-pstn calls, the dial-pad and call controls are accessible with one click. Dial-pad remains visible during PTSN calls. Dial-pad is one click away during non-ptsn calls. Emoticons Skype for Business now includes the same set of emoticons found in the consumer version of Skype. You can turn off emoticons in Skype for Business by going to Options > IM. No server setting is available. 9
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