Microsoft has announced some new calling features are rolling out to Skype for Business with the aim of easing call queues. The two biggest additions are that of Auto Attendant and Call Queues. The former can answer and route inbound calls automatically, while the latter helps order calls so they're routed in the order they're received.
The two highlight features are joined by another new tool, Skype for Business Call Analytics. Available in preview, the dashboard lets IT administrators quickly pin down call issues.
Here's a quick look at all of what Microsoft announced for Skype for Business users today:
- Availability of Auto Attendant and Call Queues, two new calling features in Skype for Business Cloud PBX.
- Preview of the new Skype for Business Call Analytics dashboard, which provides IT admins with greater visibility to identify and address call issues.
- New meeting room solutions from our partners, including Polycom RealConnect for Office 365, which enables customers to connect existing video conferencing devices to Skype for Business Online meetings; and the new Crestron SR for Skype Room Systems, which seamlessly integrates with the Crestron control and AV systems.
- Availability of Enghouse Interactive's TouchPoint Attendant, the first attendant console for Skype for Business Online.
All of this follows up on what Microsoft is touting as a pretty successful past year for Skype for Business. The company says that the past 6 months alone have seen Skype for Business pick up iOS CallKit integration, a dedicated client for Mac, and expanded PSTN calling and conferencing features. And if numbers are your thing, Microsoft announced that more than one billion meetings per year are carried out on the Skype network, and Skype Business Online usage has doubled in the past year.
