Lync was already known as “Skype for Business,” but now you can remove the quotation marks, because it has become official. Microsoft recently announced the rebranding, and now Lync literally is Skype for Business. So what happens to the smooth integration between Microsoft Dynamics GP and Lync? Well, it is now a smooth integration between Microsoft Dynamics GP and Skype for Business.
But it’s more than just a name change. The infrastructure behind Skype for Business has been rebuilt so that it has a much lighter-weight protocol and a complete cloud backend. The result is a huge improvement in quality and a reduction in bandwidth usage as compared to Lync. There are also new features, such as the ability to broadcast to 10,000 people with a single conference call.
There is a new interface with simplified controls, and the other new features include the following:
- Call from Skype for Business using your desk phone for audio
- Integration with Skype directory
- Call Monitor
- Rate My Call
- Quick access to call controls
- Emoticons
Skype for Business looks and works like Skype, but it also retains essential Lync features such as Quick Action buttons that enable you to IM or call a contact with just one click. Call Monitor is a popular Skype feature that enables you to move back and forth between a full Skype for Business window, for those times you’re actively participating in a call, and a compact version that enables you to continue to monitor call progress—and mute or end the call—while focusing on other tasks.
The Rate My Call feature enables administrators to collect call data, access standard reports, and export raw data for further analysis. Users are prompted to take a survey after completing a call.
