How To Set Up Skype For Business Account

Want to learn how to utilise Skype for Business?

The current global pandemic has forced many businesses to go remote — simply that comes with tons of communication challenges!

Luckily, Microsoft'southward Skype for Business concern is a popular video conferencing tool that can help you overcome that. But if yous don't know how to employ it properly, your advice issues are only going to get worse.

Don't worry!

This article is a pace-past-step guide on how to use Skype for Business the right mode.

However, as Microsoft volition be replacing Skype for Business organization with Microsoft Teams, support for Skype for Business will terminate past 2025. Additionally, new Office 365 users can't download Skype for Business anymore — they should download Teams instead.

To help you lot with this transition, we'll briefly cover how to get started with Teams also.

This commodity contains:

(Click on the links beneath to jump to a specific section)

What is Skype for Business?

How is Skype for Business different from Skype?

How to use Skype for Business (Footstep-past-Step Guide)

How to get started with Skype for Business organisation
How to use it for video conferencing
How to schedule meetings
How to make sound or video calls
How to share your screen during video calls
How to use Skype for Business for instant messaging

How to transition to Microsoft Teams

What is Microsoft Teams?
How to go started with Teams (Step-past-Pace Guide)
Microsoft Teams pricing

Let'south get started.

What is Skype for Business organisation?

skype for business

Skype for Business organisation (previously known as Microsoft Lync) is a popular communication platform adult by Microsoft. Information technology supports remote communication through various channels similar text, sound and video chat.

Key features of Skype for Business organization include:

Instant messaging
HD video conferencing
Voice calls
Phone call recording
File sharing
Whiteboard collaboration
Broadcasting online meetings

How is Skype for Business dissimilar from Skype?

Skype for Business organization and Skype are both used for virtual communication.

So how are they different from each other?

Here'southward how:

Skype: Meant for small businesses (~xx people). It's free to use, only if you want services like mobile or landline calls, then you would have to go for the paid plans.
Skype for Concern: Meant for larger businesses (~250 people). It offers enterprise-level security, account management and integrates with other Part 365 applications similar Microsoft Outlook, PowerPoint, SharePoint, etc.

How to utilise Skype for Business [Step-past-Footstep Guide]

As Microsoft Teams is replacing Skype for Business, new Function 365 users can no longer download Skype for Business organization.

This section is only meant for those who take already downloaded Skype for Business equally a virtual communication tool.

Skype for Business organization has two versions:

Skype for Business Server

An on-premise application used past highly regulated large organizations. It requires specialized hardware and dedicated It support and maintenance.

Skype for Concern Online

A cloud-based awarding that can be accessed past users anytime, anywhere! There are no boosted hardware or maintenance costs hither.

As COVID-19 quarantines have forced most teams to work remotely, nosotros'll focus on how to use Skype for Business organisation Online.

This step-by-step guide covers how to:

Go started with Skype for Business
Utilize it for video conferencing
Use it for scheduling meetings
Utilize it for audio or video calling
Use information technology for screen sharing
Utilise it for instant messaging

A. How to get started with Skype for Business organisation

Here's a footstep-by-step guide to assist yous get started with some basic features of Skype for Business:

1. How to fix a presence status in Skype for Business concern

Setting an availability status makes it easier for team members and business clients to communicate efficiently.

Skype for Business lets you brandish your availability (or presence) with various statuses similar Available, Busy, Abroad, etc.

Hither's how you tin can add or edit these:

Stride 1: Sign in to your Skype for Business business relationship.

skype for business sign in

Stride two: In the new window that appears, click on the drop-down arrow in the status menu nether your proper name.

Hither, you can choose from a list of status options, like:

Available: online and active.
Busy: shouldn't exist interrupted.
Abroad: logged on, merely away from the computer for a long time.
And more than!

Y'all tin as well use "Reset Status" for Skype to automatically prepare your presence status based on your app activity. (On Mac, use the "Automatic" option instead.)

skype status

As Skype for Business organization Online integrates with your Microsoft Outlook account, y'all can even cheque your colleagues' presence statuses or edit your own status via email.

Notation: If there'due south no keyboard or mouse activity for over 5 minutes, so your status automatically changes to "Inactive".

ii. How to fix upwardly contacts in Skype for Business

Skype for Business organization lets y'all add people to your contact list from within and outside your organization.

Here's how to add contacts on Skype for Business organisation:

Step one: Click on the "Add a contact" icon to admission diverse options to add contacts. The "Create New Group" option lets y'all create groups that yous can add together your contacts to.

Step ii: To add people, type their name into the search box in the main Skype for Business concern window.

skype search box

Step 3: Right-click on their flick, select "Add together to Contacts List" and choose the right contact group.
Now y'all're all set up to communicate with your contact listing!

B. How to utilize Skype for Business organization for Video Conferencing

Skype for Concern' video conferencing features combat the lack of face-to-confront interaction when working remotely.

Simply video calls aren't all y'all tin do.

Skype for Business concern users can share their screen with attendees during a phone call or even conduct a webinar easily.

Hither are the steps to start a video conference in Skype for Concern:

Pace i: Launch your Skype for Business awarding and set your presence condition to Available.

Step 2: Go to the "Meetings" tab and click on the "Meet At present" option.

meetings tab

Stride 3: The coming together screen will immediately announced every bit a pop-upwardly. Here, yous tin can add together participants by clicking on the "Invite" button at the top right corner.

C. How to schedule a Skype for Business meeting

As Skype for Business organization Online works with Microsoft Outlook, you lot can follow these steps to schedule a meeting quickly:

Step 1: Open Microsoft Outlook.

Step two: Go to the "Appointments" tab.

Step iii: Click "Skype Meeting".

This volition add the phone call info to the meeting invite.

Fill in the required meeting details and hit "Send."

The recipients will receive Outlook calendar reminders and a "Join Meeting" pop up when the coming together is nearly to first. Merely click on it to join the conference telephone call!

outlook calendar reminder

D. How to make audio or video calls

Here'due south how to make audio or video calls to someone via Skype for Business:

Step 1: To make a call, notice the person in your contact listing and click the "Sound" or the "Video" icon.

Pace 2: When you receive a call on Skype for Business, a pop upward offering various call settings appears.

These include:

Mute (Microphone icon): Your microphone is muted.
Video on/off (Camera icon): Click on this to plough your webcam on or off.
Options (three dots): A list of additional options announced:
- Behave an audio call merely.
- Respond with an instant bulletin only.
- Set your condition to "Practice not disturb" and reject the incoming call.

E. How to share your screen during Skype for Business organisation calls

Let's say you need to hash out that PowerPoint presentation you fabricated concluding night with some other individual. Or perhaps bear witness someone how to perform a specific job.

How do you do that virtually?

As a presenter, you tin easily share your screen via Skype for Business for this.

Here'south a closer wait at how:

Step 1: Click on the "Present" icon (shaped like a monitor) in the meeting window.

This will open a popular-up, giving you several options to share your screen:

Present Desktop: Share your entire screen.
Present Programs: Share an open Give-and-take or Excel file.

share screen on skype

Step 2: When you lot share your screen, the "Now Presenting" tab will appear on your device.

Additionally, your presence status will car-change to "Presentation" to restrict other Skype users' alerts.

Step three: Each participant will receive a request to accept your shared screen/content.

If you want another attendee to demonstrate something, you can requite them control over the sharing session by clicking "Give Control". You lot can click on "Have back control" to revoke these admission rights anytime you lot desire.

Step iv: Utilize "Stop Presenting" to stop sharing your screen.

F. How to use Skype for Business for instant messaging

Skype for Business lets y'all communicate with your contacts list in real-time via instant messaging (IM). This is faster than a phone phone call and less formal than an electronic mail.

Hither'south how to exercise this:

Step 1: Hover over the contact you lot desire to commencement IM with and click the "Message" icon (shown below). Their chat box will appear, where you tin can start a real-time chat instantly.

skype message icon

Pace ii: When someone starts an IM chat with yous, a pop up appears on your screen.

To respond, click on their photo and type in your message.

To refuse the message, click "Ignore."

Pace 4: You tin add more people to your IM conversation window by dragging their contact picture into your IM conversation. Alternatively, click the "Invite More People" button at the summit of the window to do this.

Step 5: To send an IM to all the contacts in a group, right-click on the grouping in your contact list and click on "Ship an Instant Message" to deliver the message to all group members.

How to transition to Microsoft Teams

Whether y'all're using Skype for Business or not, it'south best to switch to Microsoft Teams every bit early every bit possible.

This way, you lot won't face any difficulties when Skype for Business is rolled dorsum!

To help you lot out, we'll briefly cover how to get started with Microsoft Teams.

Note: You can check out our extensive guide on Microsoft Teams for more information.

A. What is Microsoft Teams?

microsoft teams homepage

Microsoft Teams is an online communication platform that'southward part of the Microsoft Role 365 suite.

Meant for larger businesses (>250 people), information technology lets you host large audio or video conferences with individuals within or exterior your company.

Key Features of Microsoft Teams:

Centralised hub for all Function 365 applications
Enhanced security and compliance
File creation, sharing and editing within the application
Can be accessed hands via desktop, a mobile device or web browser
Audio and video calls (with VoIP support)
Instant messaging (IM)

B. How to become started with Microsoft Teams? [Step-by-Footstep Guide]

Follow this footstep-by-pace guide to get started with Microsoft Teams:

one. Create an Business relationship

A) For desktop

Pace ane: Visit the Microsoft Teams spider web page and click on "Sign in."

Step 2: Click the "Create one!" tab on the new "Sign in" page.

Footstep iii: Blazon your work e-mail address into the "Create account" window and click on "Next."

create microsoft account

Pace four: Create your password and so enter the required details on the pages that follow.

create password

Afterward creating your account and verifying your electronic mail, y'all can start using Microsoft Teams via its homepage.

B) For mobile

Follow the steps above to create your Microsoft account via mobile phone.

two. Download the Microsoft Teams app

A) For desktop

Stride 1: Visit the Microsoft Teams homepage and click on "Download Teams."

microsoft teams homepage

Step 2: Click on "Download for Desktop."

Based on your operating system, you volition get a download link for either Mac or Windows.

download microsoft teams

Step 3: Once downloaded, follow the on-screen instructions to install Microsoft Teams.

B) Mobile version

Stride 1: Based on your phone, you tin can download the Microsoft Teams app from the Google Play Store for Android or the iOS App Store for Apple.

Step 2: Subsequently installing the app, log in to Teams via your Microsoft account.

C. Microsoft Teams pricing

Microsoft Teams offers 4 different plans that you can cull from as per your business needs:

i. Microsoft Teams (Costless)

Offers features like instant messaging, sound and video phone call, file sharing and file storage.

2. Microsoft 365 Business concern Basic: $v/user per calendar month

Offers all "Free" features along with video conferencing (up to 250 people).

3. Microsoft 365 Business organization Standard: $12.50/user per month

Offers "Microsoft Teams Business Basic" features + desktop versions of Office apps like Excel, Give-and-take, etc.

iv. Office 365 E3: $20/user per month

Includes "Concern Standard" features + unlimited file storage per user on OneDrive + enterprise-level video service to hold video conferences across the organization for $xx.00 user/month.

Determination

With COVID-19 disrupting businesses everywhere, having a remote advice tool is now more than essential than ever.

And while Microsoft Skype for Business is a good option to interact with your co-workers, it doesn't await like it'south going to exist there for the long run. Recently, Microsoft announced an end-of-life date to Skype for Business. That's why it makes sense to switch to other platforms similar Microsoft Teams or Zoom instead!