And when all of that got too pesky (as it inevitably did), we fell back to using our personal cell phones. We used Citrix GoToMeeting ($12 Per Organizer Per Month at GoToMeeting) (Opens in a new window) for meetings and Jive Chime for group instant messaging (IM). We loaded up Skype credits to get a Skype-assigned phone number so that people could call us and we could make outbound calls to phone numbers. We used Skype on our computers with decent headsets. Skype for Business, on the other hand, does.Īt one of my past jobs, there were no company-issued phones. Skype does support conference calls and screen sharing, but doesn't provide for the level of operational control required by modern IT. There are also cool features such as Skype Translator and web-based Skype, and these features are present in Microsoft Skype for Business, too (except for Skype Translator that's a solely consumer Skype feature). And associated mobile apps make it easy to use Skype from devices other than your computer. Skype for consumers has grown up a bit over the past few years as it now lets you hold video chats with up to 10 participants for free via Skype Meetings, and offers some remote desktop features. Read our editorial mission (Opens in a new window) & see how we test (Opens in a new window). Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. It's worth a second look even if you are happy with your existing service. Microsoft Skype for Business also comes with solid video conferencing capabilities.

But it falls short of being a full-fledged business VoIP platform.Įven so, Microsoft Skype for Business hits that sweet spot for small businesses that need more than the consumer Skype, our Editors' Choice personal VoIP service, but may not be interested in an enterprise VoIP system such as Nextiva or Editors' Choice RingCentral. The company combined Lync (formerly Microsoft Office Communicator), its enterprise communications platform, with Skype's familiar user interface (UI) to create software that's easy to use and has features businesses need. With Microsoft Skype for Business (which begins at $2 per user per month, with additional fees), Microsoft is closing the gap. Despite its advantages, however, Skype is very much a consumer video conferencing and Voice-over-IP (VoIP) service, and not a business one.

The service makes it effortlessly easy to call other users and video chat. When it comes to online communications, Skype is the de facto method. Online plans don't work with hardware phones.

No integrated dial-in audio conference features.

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Skype for mac problems with audio