Many small businesses and freelancers consider Skype to be the ideal solution for communicating with prospective clients and existing partners. It's cost-effective, simple, and easy to use - making it the perfect way to make long-distance phone calls without significant expense.
Skype for Business has been available on Office 365 for some time now. However, it lacked the "PSTN" breakout up until the 1st of July 2016, when a new add-on was introduced by Microsoft. PSTN stands for "Public Switched Telephone Network" - referring to the BT UK network. The breakout allows for a connection to this network, and without it, individuals could only make calls to other Skype users.
However, Microsoft has now connected the UK's Skype for Business solutions to the PSTN, meaning that calls can be made successfully to mobiles and landlines too. In other words, there's now nothing to stop you from trading your entire office phone system in for a Skype solution.
What Does This Mean for Your Business?
On the plus side, the new PSTN business calling options for Skype mean that you can get your Office 365 system set up with all the appropriate licenses in no time. Within minutes, you could be making calls with your own headset and phone number.
This also means that you don't have to worry about complicated installations and unreliable servers - all you have to do is install Skype and get started. What's more, using Skype means no huge upfront costs, just a couple of additional licenses that you might need to pay for on a monthly basis, and your existing numbers can be ported to Microsoft at your behest.
