Microsoft Teams is fast becoming an all-in-one collaboration kit and this week received updates that were previously exclusive to Skype for Business. While both Teams and Skype are Microsoft products, functionality differences have caused businesses to typically choose one over the other. This will no longer be a consideration of Teams vs Skype for Business as they will eventually become one and the same, creating a more robust platform that smoothly integrates the Microsoft ecosystem for the best user experience.    

Microsoft first alluded to the merge back in September 2017, and have since then expanded Teams with new messaging, meeting and calling capabilities that make it the primary client for intelligent communications in Office 365. So, here’s everything you need to know about their latest roundup:  

• New meetings and calling features in Teams 
• New tools in the Admin Center for IT administrators to upgrade to Teams-Only mode 
• Group Call Pickup, an enhancement to the current call group feature that enables users to create custom groups and have colleagues answer their calls when they are not available 
• Call Park, a feature that lets a user place a call on hold in the Teams service in the cloud. When a call is parked, the service generates a unique code for call retrieval; and 
• Shared Line Appearance, an enhancement to the delegation feature that lets a user choose a delegate to answer or handle calls on their behalf. 

Why the change? 

Simple user experience and not being overrun with applications is the latest demand that has driven the phrase ‘one hand to shake’. By merging Skype for Business with Teams, Microsoft are making more than just a unified communication product, they are making a definitive collaboration tool, all in one place. According to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, the vision is that “Microsoft teams will bring together chat, meeting, notes, Office, Planner, PowerBI, and a host of extensions and applications to help teams get work done.” 

Teams functions similarly to Slack and offers a threaded view of group and private conversations. You can access these conversations through a user-friendly interface that lets you chat with co-workers, share files and notes, and even contribute to project boards.  Interestingly, Teams also allows users to create sub-conversations. For example, if your development team is comprised of UI and Backend developers, they can form their own sub-conversations in the same channel to discuss their own independent ideas while still remaining part of the group.  

As a Microsoft Gold Partner, Timico can answer any questions you have surrounding the transition from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams. Whether you are an existing customer or you are interested in the implementation of collaboration tools, our portfolio of products and converged managed services can drive digital transformation and keep you ahead of the game. Contact us today for more information.