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What Is The Perfect Skype for Business Replacement? It's been almost two years since Microsoft announced their plan to replace Skype for Business with the new collaboration tool, Microsoft Teams.<br><br><br>Though Microsoft Teams is the fastest-growing tool ever to arrive as part of the Microsoft ecosystem, that doesn't necessarily mean you and your company will feel comfortable using it instead of Skype. After all, we all have our own unique preferences when it comes to collaboration tools.<br>
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BLOGS >> What is the Perfect Skype for Business Replacement? What is the Pe?ect Skype for Business Replacement? 18 Jun '2019 Dominic Kent It's been almost two years since Microso? announced their plan to replace Skype for Business with the new collaboration tool, Microso? Teams. Though Microso? Teams is the fastest-growing tool ever to arrive as pa? of the Microso? ecosystem, that doesn't necessarily mean you and your company will feel comfo?able using it instead of Skype. A?er all, we all have our own unique preferences when it comes to collaboration tools. For now, Microso? won't be forcing anyone to leave the Skype for Business environment straight away. However, if you haven't sta?ed planning the next step in your roadmap yet, now is the time to sta?. Table of Contents How to choose a Skype for Business Replacement - Determine what your employees need - Get your team involved - Evaluate a wide selection of options - Consider so?ware integrations - Measure the impact What is the Best Skype for Business alternative? 1. Go To Meeting
2. Cisco Webex Teams 3. Slack 4. Viber for Business 5. Hive Migrating away from Skype for Business Skype for Business has been a pa? of the Microso? po?folio since the 11th of November 2014. The application appeared on the marketplace as a replacement for Lync and o?ered companies an easy way to manage communication via instant messaging, video calls, and more. Today, many organizations still look at Skype for Business as the go-to service for collaboration - pa?icularly if they're already familiar with the Microso? productivity suite. However, as the workplace has evolved, Microso? has recognized a need for new features and functionality. By introducing Teams and replacing Skype for Business, the Microso? brand is updating its collaboration solution to provide everything from call management, to a?i?cial intelligence. So, does that mean that everyone who uses Skype for Business should automatically move to Microso? Teams? Not necessarily. There are plenty of other great tools out there that may deliver a be?er experience depending on your individual needs. Just look at Troop Messenger, for instance, this user-friendly chat app is a simple and accessible way to keep teams connected. With Troop, you can: Find crucial ?les instantly Rely on a secure breach-proof code to keep your chat safe Integrate your experience with third-pa?y apps for a DIY solution Get helpful suppo? from a commi?ed team Chat and communicate seamlessly in real-time. How to choose a Skype for Business Replacement According to surveys by the Institute for Corporate Productivity, 22% of companies rely on real-time collaboration solutions for online meetings and consistent communication. The right so?ware gives your employees more than just real-time messaging; it also ensures that everyone in your team can stay on the same page, regardless of where they are. As the demand for collaboration tools continues to rise, transitioning away from Skype for Business can't be a passive experience for modern brands. Just like any other major investment, it's impo?ant to consider all of your options. Here are a few of the crucial steps you'll need to take when choosing a Skype for Business replacement. 1. Determine what your employees need Implementing the best collaboration or enterprise chat tool isn't just about choosing the so?ware with the latest technology or best price tag. You'll need to think about the problems you want to solve for your team. For instance, if your remote workers o?en feel isolated from the rest of the team, an app that prioritizes video conferencing might be a good choice.
If you're concerned that you won't be able to keep your globally-dispersed workforce on the same page, a collaborative tool that allows employees to track changes to recent projects, set deadlines, and assign tasks may be helpful. Find out how your employees work, what they struggle with each day, and what they need to become more productive and e?cient. 2. Get your team involved Even if most of your employees use Skype for Business to stay connected to their coworkers, there's a good chance that there are a handful of people out there using di?erent tools. As mentioned above, today's team member has their own personal preferences when it comes to collaboration tools. Asking for insights from your workers will help you to ?nd out which so?ware they already like or feel comfo?able using. Ge?ing your team involved with choosing the right collaborative tools will help you to plan your new investment based on what your employees want and need. For instance, ask your teams to list the kind of tools they like using or provide information based on the so?ware they've tried in the past. 3. Evaluate a wide selection of options O?en, when companies have been using something like Skype for Business for an extended period, it's easy to feel tied to a speci?c product po?folio. If you're already used to Microso? so?ware, then migrating to Microso? Teams might seem like the easiest option. However, the truth is that since implementing Skype for Business, there's a good chance that your needs and expectations for collaboration tools have changed. That's why it's crucial to check out all of the options available on the market, before commi?ing to something just because it's familiar. Sho?list solutions that match your requirements and focus on ?nding the right mixture of available features, ease of use, and scalability. Ideally, the right collaboration tool will allow you to add and remove features as your business changes. 4. Consider so?ware integrations Another point to consider when you're looking for a replacement to Skype for Business is what kind of integrations you'll need. Collaboration tools make up a crucial pa? of the Uni?ed Communication environment for your business. However, your company can't be truly uni?ed if your employee's favourite so?ware doesn't work alongside their enterprise chat tools. Think about the CRM and ERP systems your people use every day. Will your new collaboration so?ware work hand-in-hand with those tools? Can you implement the analytics so?ware you rely on each day into your enterprise chat so that people can comment on your ?ndings? Integrations allow for more e?cient work?ows in vi?ually any business environment. Make sure your chosen application plays well with others. You could even look at combining various enterprise chat tools using a syncing tool like Mio. 5. Measure the impact Remember, when you do implement a new tool into your business environment, no ma?er whether it's a collaboration app or a new analytics service, it's impo?ant to measure the results. Roll your team tool out to a few select users at ?rst and see how they respond to it. A free or trial version of some of your sho?listed apps will come in handy here. The more comfo?able your people feel using the tools you o?er to replace Skype for Business, the less likely they'll be to seek out alternative solutions on their own. The last thing you want is issues with shadow IT to worry about when you aim to reduce silos in your workplace. What is the Best Skype for Business alternative? Now that you know how to assess your Skype for Business alternatives, it's time to sta? looking at your options. There are dozens of potential enterprise chat tools to choose from on the market today. Here are just some of the best-known and most popular options that previous Skype for Business users might want to try: Go To Meeting
Go To Meeting Created by the Go To brand, GoToMeeting is one of the best-known collaboration tools on the market today. The app earned a reputation for simplicity and accessibility, by giving businesses a way to connect with colleagues, contractors, and customers with nothing but a custom link. With GoToMeeting, you can schedule conferences for any time or place you choose. Additionally, a?endees can join from a computer, laptop, tablet or sma?phone. There's even suppo? for HD video conferencing for up to 25 people per session. Some of the features you can expect from GoToMeeting include: Personal meeting rooms One-click conference sessions HD video conferencing Desktop or mobile access Desktop/Application sharing Vi?ual whiteboarding Cisco Webex Teams
Cisco Webex Teams is the natural step into cloud collaboration for users of Cisco Jabber. Formerly Cisco Spark, Webex Teams o?ers full team messaging functionality. This includes one to one persistent chat, team messaging and interactive meetings inclusive of Cisco whiteboard experiences familiar to users of the Cisco Spark Board, now the Webex Teams board. For users with Cisco VoIP handsets, conferencing solutions, and telepresence devices, Webex Teams integrates with most devices in the po?folio to provide a streamlined, consistent experience. New features recently announced for Webex Teams include: People insights Live motion video Share anywhere with Webex Share New VDI client Improved video Slack
Slack is o?en touted as the pioneer of team messaging. As one of the ?rst persistent chat pla?orms, Slack has the upper hand when it comes to user experience and integrations as they’ve had longer to experiment and get it right. Even down to the recently introduced Slack dark mode, Slack is always striving to improve its look and feel. Another recent introduction is Enterprise Key Management (EKM). This has been introduced to satisfy the security requirements of large enterprises that had previous concerns over data retention. Slack describes EKM as “providing all of the security of an on-premise solution, with all the bene?ts of a cloud tool.” Key features of Slack include: Automated reminders Task list management Custom sho?cuts Many, many bot integrations Search channels for keywords and impo?ant documents Viber for Business Viber for Business completes the Skype for Business alternatives when looking for a collaboration or team chat environment.
Viber should be considered for businesses that have a large presence in Russia or the APAC region. Viber’s consumer app has over 1 million users and users will bene?t from the familiar look and feel – remind anyone of Skype before Skype for Business? Key features of Viber for Business include: HD voice and video Texts, photos, GIFs, and stickers Voice and video clips that can be sent later Call recording Hive Hive combines a unique blend of project management and team collaboration to provide teams the ability to manage their projects in the way they work best. Con?gurable views are available to switch easily ultimate ?exibility. Suppo?ing Gan?, Kanban and an asso?ment of tables, Hive then integrates into over 1000 other productivity apps like Salesforce, HubSpot and Marketo. Key features include: Direct and Group Messaging (Private and Public Groups) TaskManagement
Task Management File Integration with Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, and One Drive Email Integration Notes This is a sta?er for 10. Well, 5 actually. For the full list of Skype for Business replacements, read on for numbers 6-20 in the complete post here. Author Bio: Dominic Kent is the Director of Content Marketing and Communications at Mio. Mio powers seamless communication between workplace chat apps like Slack, Cisco Webex Teams and Microso? Teams. SKYPE SKYPE ALTERNATIVES BEST SKYPE ALTERNATIVES Team Collaboration like never before Give enough space to your business to grow. Make it accessible anytime anywhere. Sign Up FOLLOW US Recent Blogs 10 Best Free Gan? Cha? 10 Best Free Gan? Cha? So?ware In 2019 So?ware In 2019 Ryver Vs Slack: Which Pla?orm Ryver Vs Slack: Which Pla?orm Made Collaboration Simple! Made Collaboration Simple!