Statistics on the number of people using Skype for Business are harder to come by these days. As Microsoft prepares for the day when Microsoft Teams will completely replace the previous Skype for Business (SfB) offering, all eyes are on what Teams can do. The good news for Microsoft fans is that Teams is proving to be a valuable alternative to Skype. From day one, Microsoft promises feature parity between the two solutions before customers would have to shut down their Skype accounts for good. It wasn’t long until Teams reached the parity goal either. Microsoft announced Teams was a complete calling and meeting solution in 2018. Of course, the tech giant isn’t content to stop with Teams just being as good as Skype for Business. Over the last couple of years, more new features have appeared within Teams continuously, largely outshining anything that Skype for Business is capable of. With Teams, you have everything from virtual backgrounds, to Together mode meetings and direct routing. Yet, despite all these wonderful benefits, there are still companies refusing to let go of SfB. So, what gives?
The Reasons Companies are Holding Onto Skype
Teams becomes a more comprehensive and appealing collaboration tool for business leaders by the day. It’s no secret that Microsoft has gone full throttle into making this solution the leading offering on the market. Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO, even said it will soon be as “significant as internet browsers and operating systems” in the business world. So why are companies still holding back? Here are some of the reasons we can think of.
1. Fear of Change
Human beings don’t like change. We get comfortable using a specific software or service, and we stay with it for as long as possible. That’s why so many companies make their fortune on recurring subscriptions – because people are too nervous to make a switch. Although Teams promises to have all the same features as Skype for Business and then some, some companies are still unwilling to put the technology to the test.
2. Employee Preferences
There are dozens of collaboration and communication tools available on the market today. Some of these offerings even integrate with Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business. Unfortunately, the breadth of options means that a company making the switch from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams may need to once again “sell” the Microsoft offering to their employees. Getting everyone on board with the migration may not be as simple as it seems, particularly as collaboration preferences seem to differ depending on things like generation.
3. Migration Complexities
Making the switch from one solution to another (even when the service is offered by the same company) can be a complicated process. Moving from Skype for Business to Teams means planning a complete migration strategy. While Microsoft and its partners have a range of strategies available to assist with this shift, the move could still lead to unwanted downtime and confusion for some brands. Nobody wants to go through a complex business change if they can avoid it.
4. Chat Changes
Both Skype and Microsoft Teams allow users to chat through instant messaging technology. With Skype for Business, you can add multiple contacts to a group chat. On Microsoft Teams, you use channels and direct messages. For the most part, the chat experiences are quite similar. However, on Skype, chats disappear when the user closes the window. While some companies found these disappearing messages frustrating, others say it’s an easy way to share private and confidential information.
5. Security Concerns
Speaking of privacy and confidentiality, Microsoft has always had a strong focus on ensuring the safety of all users. Unfortunately, some companies are likely to be particularly concerned about making the switch from one solution to another. Micro IM security is something that Skype for Business users particularly appreciate about the service. Teams takes a slightly different approach to security, but it can also offer role-based access.
