The relationship between Microsoft and Salesforce has been on very rocky ground of late, but that hasn’t affected business. On Thursday, the Redmond giant announced the beta of Skype for Salesforce.
The service owes its creation to the new Skype Web SDK, which can deliver customized communication straight from the browser.
Skype for Business Integration
Skype for Salesforce provides Skype for Business Online features directly from Lightning Experience. You can hover over names and immediately see if someone is online.
According to Microsoft, this lets users decide what the most effective form of communication is and integrates messaging, voice calls, and video calls. The one-click access reduces set up and turnaround time significantly.
Naturally, you’ll need a Skype for Business online license, as well as Salesforce Enterprise or Unlimited Edition.
Skype for Business comes with the following plans:
- Office 365 Business Essentials
- Office 365 Business Premium
- Office 365 Enterprise E1
- Office 365 Enterprise E3
- Office 365 Enterprise E5
Though you’ll be able to chat on any browser, there are some limitations. Audio and video calls will only work in Edge and Safari, with support for Chrome and Firefox is “coming soon.”
Enabling Skype for Salesforce
To get access to the new service, you’ll have to complete a few extra steps. Firstly, you must have permission to customize applications in Lightning Experience.
Once that’s sorted, you simply do the following:
- “From Setup, enter ‘Skype for Salesforce' into the Quick Find box, then click Skype for Salesforce.
- Click Enable Skype Presence and Chat.
- Click Authorize Skype for Salesforce, and ask your org’s Microsoft Office 365® administrator to log in. This gives Salesforce access to Skype for Business.”
Users with the Skype Conversation permission will then get an Office 365 prompt. Once they have linked an account, they’ll get access to the aforementioned features.
You can find more information on the Office blog.
