It’s been a long time, over two years since Microsoft first announced that Teams would be replacing
Skype for Business, but it’s here! Teams will be the way that Microsoft wants you to communicate and
collaborate. But this is no minor undertaking, which is why Microsoft has continually pushed the
retirement date for Skype forwards. But Microsoft has declared that July 31, 2021 will be the definitive
end date for Skype for Business.
Microsoft knows that it is not going to be easy for people to switch out the software that they count on
for their instant messages and video conferences, so why do it? In a nutshell, they want one central hub
for teamwork and collaboration. Skype can’t do this, but Teams can.
Teams will provide all the communication capabilities of Skype, but with the added bonus of file storage,
threaded conversations, app integration, and more thanks to its Cloud infrastructure. You can add a
OneNote notebook to your Team to organize your information, or integrate a plan from Planner to help
divvy up the work. You might start your day off by sending some instant messages to your manager,
then run up a video conference call that you record and save in your Team, and finally start a
conversation thread congratulating your coworker on her new promotion. Microsoft has been putting all
their eggs in the Teams basket, rolling out new features like the Blur my Background or adding the
option for external contacts to participate in meetings. It seems like every week there is something new
in Teams.
The shift to Teams is not just learning a new piece of software. People will need to learn a new
workflow: where to store files, how to manage meetings, how to chat and meet with people. That is why
it is critical to ensure that organizations have a solid plan to migrate from Skype to Teams and sure
employees are properly supported in this transition.
Through our partnership with OpenSesame, Intellezy can provide continuous support before, during,
and after your Microsoft Teams integration. Not only does Intellezy provide up-to-date elearning
content through the OpenSesame platform, but Intellezy can help mitigate risk with this transition and
drive adoption towards new workflows by offering change management and training services. Intellezy,
your results-driven partner for the people side of change.
Heather Walsh has over 20 years experience of delivering high-quality training and management solutions, including experience a trainer, content writer, project manager, business analyst, and client success manager. She has excellent communication skills, even when explaining complex or technical concepts. Walsh develops customer relationships that promote retention and loyalty and works closely with customers to ensure they are satisfied with the services they are receiving and to locate and improve upon areas of dissatisfaction. She partners with clients to ensure superior and consistent services with the goal of assisting the client towards meeting their metrics and growth goals.