How to Contact Skype for Business Users from Skype

Skype for Business is a corporate communication software provided by Microsoft. The program was initially known as Lync. Skype for Business allows colleagues, business partners and customers to easily communicate with each other through IM. If you are using Skype, it is easy to add a contact from Skype for Business. This article discusses the steps required to contact Skype for Business users from Skype.

How to Contact Skype for Business Users from Skype

Adding Skype for Business users from Skype can be done by following these steps:

1. Open Skype.
2. Click on the Search field.
3. Type in the email address of the Skype for Business user. It can be an Outlook email address or a corporate email address.
4. Click on Search Skype.
5. Double click on the contact’s name from the search results. By doing so, Skype will send a request to the Skype for Business user to add you.
6. Once the Skype for Business user approves you as a contact, you will be able to communicate with each other.

Once your request has been approved, you will be able to do the following:

• Make voice and video calls.
• Send instant messages.
• You can see their online status.

It is not possible to share desktop between Skype and Skype for Business users.

How to Approve a Request for Connection from Skype

If you are a Skype for Business user who just received a request to be added from a Skype user, perform the following steps to add your contact:

• From the main Skype for Business window, click on Contacts.
• Click on New tab.
• The Skype username of the person who added you will appear.
• Verify that you know who this contact.
• Double click on the name and click on Add.
• If the Skype username is unknown to you, right click on the name and select Block Contact.

How to Add a Skype user in Skype for Business or Lync

Adding a Skype user in Skype for Business is slightly different. Each Skype user has a unique email type ID provided by Skype. The ID is as follows: yourskypeid@skypeids.net. So, if my Skype ID is dummytech, the email type ID is dummytech@skypeids.net. Here are the steps to add a Skype User in Skype for Business:

• Open Skype for Business or Lync.
• Under Contacts, type in the contact’s email type Skype ID in the Find Someone field. For example, dummytech@skypeids.net. The contact will show up as an external contact.
• Right click on the contact’s name and select Add to Contacts List.

The Skype user will now be added to your Skype for Business contacts list. You can see the Skype user’s status, send text messages, and make audio and video calls.

How to Send an Instant Message to a Skype for Business User from Skype

Once the Skype for Business user approves your request to connect, you can easily start messaging each other by click on your contact’s name and simply sending a message. Voice and Video calls can be started by clicking on the respective icons. Both software will show when a person is typing a message. If the Skype for Business user is offline, you will not be able to send a message until your contact is online again. The message field in Skype will disappear.