1

Skype for Business 2016 Skype for Business is IM, calling, video calling, sharing and collaboration all rolled into one package.

Quick Tour Here's what the main page of the app looks like.

When you hover over a contact's picture, a quick menu appears.

If you click the IM button, you'll get the conversation window.

TIP You can also just double-click a contact's picture to open the conversation window and start an IM.

2

Add a Contact Using Search Here’s the quick way to add a contact.

1. In the search box on the Contacts view of the Skype for Business main window, type a name, IM

address, or desk phone number if they are in your organization. As you type, search results will start

appearing below the search box, and the tabs will change from Groups, Status, Relationships, and New,

(as shown in the following image) to My Contacts.

2. If the person or group you're searching for is in your organization, keep the My Contacts tab selected,

which is the default. When My Contacts is selected, Skype for Business searches in your organization's

address book.

NOTE Your administrator enables or disables the optional Skype Directory search feature in accordance

with your organization's search policy. If you don't see a Skype Directory tab you won't be able to search

for Skype users.

3. When you see the listing for the person you want to add, point at their picture or picture display area.

If they are in your organization (My Contacts), and you want to add them to one of your groups,

click More Options, and then choose Add to Contacts List and select one of your groups, or choose Add

to Favorites.

Add a Skype Contact on Skype for Business

1. From Skype for Business, click

Add a Contact -> Add a Contact Not

in My Organization.

2. From the list of available contact

providers, select Skype.

3

3. In the IM Address field, enter the Microsoft account of the Skype user you wish to add.

Note: Be sure to use their Microsoft account address, not their Skype ID.

If their MSA has a domain of: @live.com or @hotmail.com or @outlook.com, enter their MSA

as-is.

Example: joesmith@outlook.com.

If their MSA is NOT in one of the 3 domains listed above, use format

user(domainname.com)@msn.com.

Example: if the MSA of your Skype user is janedoe@gmail.com, enter

janedoe(gmail.com)@msn.com.

4. Ask your Skype contact to accept your contact request or to add you to their contact list. Until he or

she also adds you as a contact, you will not be able to communicate and their presence will show as

Offline.

Note: At present, Skype for Business users can only connect with Skype for Windows (desktop), Skype

modern client (included in Windows 8 / 8.1) and Skype for Mac OS X, but Skype should begin supporting

additional platforms soon.

Start an IM Conversation 1. To find the person you want to send an instant message to, do one of the following:

o Hover over their picture in the Contacts list, and click the IM button.

o Double-click anywhere on their contact listing.

o Right-click their listing, and select Send an IM.

2. Type your message at bottom of the conversation window.

(Optional) To send a file or an image, do one of the following:

o Drag and drop a saved file into the text input area.

o Copy and paste a saved file or any image from an Office program into the text input

area.

4

(Optional) To add an emoticon, change the font, or mark the message as Important, do any of the

following:

o Add an emoticon by clicking the Emoticon icon and then clicking the emoticon you

want to add.

o Change the font or font size by clicking the More options (ellipsis) button.

o Mark your message as high-priority by clicking the Importance icon.

o Send a file by clicking the paperclip and browsing to the file you want to send.

3. Press Enter on your keyboard to send the message.

Send an instant message to several people at once To start an IM conversation with more than one of your contacts, do the following:

Press and hold the Shift key for multiple adjacent contacts or the Ctrl key for multiple

nonadjacent contacts while you click the listing for each person. Then, right-click and

select Send an IM, type your message at the bottom of the conversation window, and press

Enter. Your message will go to all the people you’ve selected.

Send an instant message to a group

Right-click the group name in your Contacts list, click Send an IM, type your message, and then

press Enter. Your message will go to all group members.

Respond to an incoming message alert When someone starts a new IM conversation with you, an alert pops up on your screen. Do one of the

following:

To see the message, click anywhere on the toast notification.

To write back, type in the text input area, and then press Enter on your keyboard.

To reject the message, click Ignore. The message goes to your Outlook inbox, if you use Outlook.

Make and Receive a Skype for Business Video Call All you need is a camera and your computer’s speakers and microphone. You can also use a headset if

your computer doesn’t have a built-in audio device.

1. Open Skype for Business, and either find a contact in your Contacts list or type a name in the search

box to find the person you’re looking for.

5

2. Point to the contact’s picture, and click the Video icon.

A toast alert pops up on your contact’s screen, which they can use to accept or ignore your request.

3. If the video call is accepted, the conversation window expands to display the video. Use the views and

controls, such as mute/unmute, as needed.

4. At any time, you can do any of the following:

o To end the call, close the window, or click the hang up button.

o To stop showing your video, point to the camera icon, and click End Video. The audio

will continue.

Use video controls and views In the conversation window, choose a view by clicking Pick a Layout and then clicking any of the

following:

Gallery View to show all of the participants’ videos (if you have more than two people).

Speaker View to show the presenter’s video or photo at the lower-right corner of the meeting

window, plus meeting content.

Content View to show only the meeting content.

Compact view to show the tiles of the participants’ photos in a compact window.

To control call participants, in the conversation window, right-click someone’s video or photo, and then

click any of the following:

Mute, Unmute, or Remove to mute, unmute, or remove that person from the call.

Lock the Video Spotlight to turn off video/photo of everyone other than the person who is

talking.

To see videos or photos in a separate window, click Pop out the video gallery, and then click either:

Full Screen View, for a large view of the videos or photos.

Pop in people region to go back to normal view.

6

Answer a video call When someone calls you, a toast alert pops up on your screen. Do one of the following:

To answer the call, click anywhere on the picture area.

To reject the call, click Ignore.

Click Options, and then select the appropriate selection to do any of the following:

o Reply with an instant message instead of with audio or video

o Answer the call with audio only

o Set your status to Do not Disturb to reject the call and avoid other calls

And here's what the meeting window looks like.

Schedule a Skype Meeting using Outlook 2016 1. Open Outlook, and go to your calendar.

2. On the Home tab ribbon, in the Skype Meeting section, click New Skype Meeting.

7

3. Set up the meeting as you typically would:

o In the To box, type the email address of each person you’re inviting, separated by

semicolons.

o In the Subject box, type a name for the meeting.

o Select a start time and end time.

NOTES To look for a time that works for everyone, click Scheduling Assistant, in the Show section of

the Meeting tab ribbon.

4. In the meeting area, type an agenda. Be careful not to change any of the Skype meeting information.

IMPORTANT Scheduling a meeting with the default options, like we just did, is suitable for small,

internal meetings, such as casual meetings with a few coworkers. If you have a meeting with people

outside your company, or you’re scheduling a large event, change the meeting options before sending

the invites to better fit your meeting requirements. In the meeting request, on the Skype Meeting

section of the Meeting ribbon, click Meeting Options, and then select the appropriate options.

5. You're almost done. Just double-check the information and click Send.

Set Up Your Audio Device 1. In the Skype for Business main window, go to Tools > Options > Audio Device, and then choose the

device you want.

2. Click the green arrow next to Speaker to hear a

sample tone, and drag the slider if you need to adjust

the volume.

3. To test your mic volume, speak for a few seconds.

The volume is optimal when the progress bar reaches

the middle of the test area. Drag the slider next

to Microphone to adjust the mic volume.

8

4. Click the green arrow button next to Ringer to hear a sample ring when you get a call, and drag the

slider to adjust the ringer volume.

5. Click Check Call Quality and follow the prompts to record a short message and play it back. Adjust

audio as needed. Note that this option may not be available for your account.

6. If you have more than one audio device, you can choose to set both to ring when you get a call.

UnderSecondary Ringer, select Also ring, and then select an additional device.

You can also select Unmute when my phone rings, which will automatically unmute your speakers when

you receive a Skype for Business call.

7. Select Allow stereo audio playback when available to make sure that the best audio quality is

available during a meeting.

8. Click OK when you’re done.

TIP You can select different devices for microphone and speakers under each section. But to avoid

echoing, it's better to use the same device for both. If you have to use separate devices, minimize

echoing by lowering your speaker's volume.

If you don’t see your device in the list, make sure it’s connected directly to your computer and follow

the instructions that came with the device to install it.

Test your audio quality Before you start a Skype for Business meeting or call, make sure your audio device sounds the way you

want. Note that Check Call Quality may not be available for your account.

1. On the lower-left side of the main Skype for Business window, click Select Primary Device.

2. Click Check Call Quality and follow the prompts to record a short message and play it back.

3. If you’re not happy with the audio quality, go to Audio Device Settings to adjust your mic and

speakers, or select another device.

Set Up Skype for Business Video 1. In the Skype for Business main window, go to Tools > Video Device

settings. You’ll see what your camera sees in the window.

2. If you have more than one camera and want to switch, select it

from the drop-down list.

3. For advanced settings like color balance, contrast, brightness, and

black-and-white mode, click the Camera Settings button.

4. Click OK when you’re done.

9

Troubleshooting Skype for Business video If Skype for Business doesn’t detect a camera, you don’t see yourself, or if you see the message "We

didn't detect a camera," then:

Make sure the camera is connected and follow the instructions that came with the device to

install it.

Check to see if another program on your computer is using the camera. If so, close that program

and try again.

How do I know if I’m sharing video? When you make a video call, Skype for Business automatically displays your video in the window. But

when you join a Skype for Business meeting, you don’t automatically share video. You’ll need to point to

the camera icon and click Start My Video.

Check the icons at the bottom of the window to see the status of your video:

WHEN YOU'RE... THE ICON LOOKS LIKE THIS:

Not displaying video, the camera icon is grayed out.

Displaying your video, the camera icon lights up.