Office 365 (Skype for Business) - General Overview for Windows

You will notice three red boxes in the picture below.

• The top box is where you can change your status.
• The middle box changes what is seen below. The person icon on the left allows you to see your contacts, and the calendar icon on the right allows you to see meetings. This is very similar to using Lync.
• The bottom box allows you to change how your contacts are sorted.

Just like Lync, an instant message conversation can be started by double-clicking on a contact. Hovering over the contact's picture offers a few circles of options varying from an IM conversation to video chat. These options can also be viewed by right-clicking on the contact.

To add a contact, type the person's name in the search box, and Skype for Business will search the directory for the listed individual. Right-click on the person you wish you to add to your contacts, and select the appropriate group to place the person.

Sharing files with contacts is easier than ever. You have the ability to drag and drop files into an instant message conversation in order to share a file. You can also add other contacts to an instant message conversation by dragging his/her contact (from my the main screen) into the desired conversation box.

You can start a Skype call via the icons at the bottom of the instant message conversation. The button on the left will start video chat, the middle button will start an audio call, and the button on the right will give different options for screen sharing. These same icons can be seen within an audio/video call. Video can be turned on in the middle of an audio call or screen share.

You can use Outlook to invite users to a Skype audio/video meeting. After clicking New Skype Meeting, a message will populate as it does with a normal meeting - this message will include a link to join the Skype meeting. This invitation can also be found in the meetings tab (displayed in the second picture below).

Many options are available to you once in a call. When clicking the screen sharing option, you are able to share your screen or even just present straight from PowerPoint. It's possible to add attachments for others to view as well. Video and audio can be turned off with each button respectively.