Skype - Contacts, Presence, and IM

In this article you will find tips and tricks on using Contacts, changing your presence and the Instant Messaging features.

HOW TO FIND SOMEONE

Connect with people in your organization, or with friends who have a Skype account.

1. From the Skype console, type a name in the Search box.
   
2. As soon as you do, the tabs below the Search field change and the options appear.
   
3. If your search is pulling in too broad of a search, narrow your search with the user’s full name.

 

ADD A CONTACT

Once you find a person, add them to your Contacts list for quick access.

1. Right-click the name in the search results.
2. Click Add to Contact List.
3. Pick a group to add your new contact too.
   

VIEW A CONTACT CARD

1. Tap on a contact picture.
   
   
2. Tap the Contact Card button to open Contact Card.
   

CREATE A GROUP FROM CONTACTS

Set up a group for each team you work with so you can quickly see who is available, or communicate with the entire team at once.

1. Click the Add a Contact button.
   
   
2. Select Create a New Group.
   
   
   
3. Begin typing your new group name.

CREATE A GROUP FROM A DISTRIBUTION LIST

If you would like to always show a certain team or group of people and DES has created a DL for that group, you can add the DL in the Search box and Add them as a Contact Group.

1. Right-click the DL name in the search results.
   
2. Click Add to Contact List.
   
   
3. The DL will now appear in your GROUPS view with this icon next to it.
   
   
   

SEND AN INSTANT MESSAGE

Use instant messaging (IM) to confer with your contacts right away. 

1. In your Contacts list, point to the contact you want to IM. If you want to IM with more than one contact, hold down the Ctrl key and click each contact name.
   
   
2. Click the IM button.
   
   
   
3. Type your message and press the Enter key on your keyboard.
   

 

ADD SOMEONE TO THE IM

1. From the main Skype for Business window, drag a contact pic onto the IM window.
   
   
   
2. You can also click on this icon at the top of your message and add someone else to the conversation.

 

ADD AUDIO, VIDEO AND SHARE FILES IN AN IM CONVERSATION

SWITCH BETWEEN CONVERSATIONS

If you have several conversations or meetings going on at the same time, Skype for Business displays them all in one place, so you can toggle between them.

1. Click a tab on the left to view an IM conversation.
   
   

 

Find a previous IM conversation

Skype for Business automatically saves your IM conversation history. To view or continue a previous IM conversation or see an IM request you missed:

1. Click the Conversations tab.
   
   
   
2. Click the All or Missed tab. If you do not see the conversation you are looking for, click View More in Outlook at the bottom of the list.
   
   
3. Double-click the conversation that you want to open.
   
   
4. If you do NOT wish to keep your Conversation History, you can turn it off in Options.
   
   
   1. Click the Gear Icon and then Click Tools - Options
      
      
      
      
   2. Choose Personal from the List on the left and uncheck Save IM conversations in my email Conversation History folder.
      
      

 

 

CHANGE YOUR PRESENCE

Presence is automatically set based on your Outlook calendar but you can change it temporarily if you want to. Presence status is a quick way for other people see whether you are free to chat or not.

Here are the presence settings you can change:

If your presence is:	It means you are:
Available *	Online and available
Be Right Back **	Away from your computer briefly
Away *, **	Logged on, but have been away from computer for a period of time.
Off Work **	Not working or not available
Busy *, **	Hard at work and shouldn’t be interrupted
In a call *	In a Skype for Business call (two-party call)
In a meeting *	In a meeting (using Skype for Business or Outlook)
In a conference call *	In a Skype for Business conference call (Skype meeting with audio)
Do Not Disturb **	Do not want to be disturbed. You will see IMs, but only if you are both in the same Workgroup.
Presenting *	Giving a presentation
Out of the office	Set to OOF in your Outlook calendar
Offline *	Not signed in
Unknown	Presence can’t be detected

 

ADDING PERSONAL NOTES
Personal notes are short lines of text that appear on your contact card and will be shown to anyone who has you added to their Contacts list. They are intended to give you a way to provide more information to your contacts about your status and whatever you may currently be doing.

1. To add a personal note, first click inside the text field that appears in the speech balloon at the top of the Skype for Business window:
   
   
   
2. Inside of this text box you can type a message.
   
   
   
3. Once you are done, press the Enter key on your keyboard to apply it: