Earlier this year Microsoft announced Skype for Business will take over Microsoft Lync and in April Skype for Business update for Lync was rolled out that introduced completely new UI and UX based on commercial version of the Skype. Following are some of the highlights of Microsoft Skype for Business:

• – New look and feel
• – Call from Skype for Business using your desk phone for audio
• – Integration with the Skype directory
• – Call Monitor
• – Rate My Call
• – Quick access to call controls
• – Emoticons

The new UI is much similar to Skype and probably intended to keep the same user experience between the two different versions of the Skype. This includes the format of the IM, presence indicators, buttons, icons and other UI elements including emotions in Skype. Calling features include dialling to your desk phone if you have Skype for Business Server 2015 and it is just seamless call experience aside having rich integration of Skype directory to locate contacts. Call monitor is another good and handy feature introduced in Skype for Business which can expand to full screen and to the smaller miniature window for active Skype calls with complete call controls and quick access. Similar to the commercial version of the Skype, you can rate call quality which will help Skype for Business Server administrators to identify problems and improvements based on feedback data collected via rate my call features. However, this feature of Rate My Call works only for the on-premise deployments.

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