1

Skype for Business – Quick Start Guide

Contents:

Installing Skype for Business

Connecting for the First Time

Troubleshooting a login error message

Getting Started

Setting your Status Message

Changing Your Presence State

Adding Contacts

Sending an Instant Message

Receiving an Instant Message

Finding your Conversation Records

Disabling Conversation Records

Creating a Skype for Business Meeting

Advanced Skype for Business Meeting Settings

Joining a Faculty of Medicine VC Bridge Meeting

Basic Troubleshooting

Connectivity (Wi-Fi)

Setting up your headset

Presenting content

More Information

2

Installing Skype for Business

A copy of Skype for Business 2016 or Skype for Business 2015 can be downloaded from the Microsoft website.

Depending on your version of Microsoft Office, you will need to select either the 32 bit or 64 bit version of Skype

for Business. If you are unsure of which version to install, please contact UBC IT Desktop Services.

Minimum system requirements:

PC:

Higher than Office 2013 version

Mac OS X:

Skype for Business Server 2015 or Lync Server 2013

OSX 10.11 (El Capitan) or OSX 10.12 (Sierra)

Outlook Mac build 15.27 (161010) required for Outlook integration

Skype for Business 2015*

Version Link File Name

32-bit https://www.microsoft.com/en-

ca/download/details.aspx?id=35451

lyncentry.exe

64-bit https://www.microsoft.com/en-

ca/download/details.aspx?id=35450

lyncentry.exe

Skype for Business 2016

Version Link Fine Name

32-bit https://www.microsoft.com/en-

us/download/details.aspx?id=49440

Lyncentry_4351-1001_x86_en-

us.exe

64-bit https://www.microsoft.com/en-

us/download/details.aspx?id=49440

Lyncentry_4351-1001_x64_en-

us.exe

*These links from Microsoft still say it’s Microsoft Lync Basic 2013 but the version of Lync should be 15.0

meaning it will be Skype for Business 2015

3

Follow the steps presented by the Skype for Business installation wizard to complete your Skype for Business

install.

Connecting for the First Time

1) Open Skype for Business. If a shortcut wasn’t created on your Desktop, you will be able to find Skype for

Business 2015 by going to Start All Programs Microsoft Office 2013 Skype for Business 2015.

Or if you have Office 2016 installed Skype for Business 2016 will be found via this pathway: Start All

Programs Microsoft Office 2016 Skype for Business 2016.

2) If your workstation is joined to EAD, Skype for Business will automatically log you in and you can skip to

the next section of this document. If your workstation isn’t joined to EAD, continue to the next step.

3) When Skype for Business opens, you will see the following login screen:

In the Sign-in address box, enter your address in the format of firstname.lastname@ubc.ca. For

example, if your name were “John Doe”, your address would be john.doe@ubc.ca. If you are unsure,

please check the UBC Directory to confirm or check with your department’s Directory Administrator. Click

the Sign In button to continue.

4) A Password box will appear on the login screen. Enter your CWL password and click the Sign In button

to continue.

4

5) Skype for Business will ask you if you wish to save your login information. Click Yes.

6) If you receive an error message “Can’t sign in to Skype for Business”, follow the instructions below.

Troubleshooting a login error message

1) If your workstation isn’t joined to EAD, then you may see an error message reading “Can’t sign in to

Skype for Business”.

2) You will see that the login screen has changed to display an additional field for a username. In the User

name field, enter your CWL username in the format of “ead\<CWL username>”. For example, if your

CWL username were jdoe, you would enter “ead\jdoe”.

5

3) Skype for Business will ask you if you wish to save your login information. Click Yes.

4) You will now be successfully signed-in to Skype for Business.

6

Getting Started

When you first sign-in to Skype for Business, you will see a number of controls. Let’s quickly review them.

Setting your Status Message

You can change your status message by clicking on the speech bubble above your picture. Once you’ve entered

a message, save it by pressing enter. If you don’t wish to have a status message, simply delete your text and

press enter.

Changing Your Presence State

Skype for Business will automatically set your presence based on your Outlook calendar, as well as your activity

(i.e., if you’ve stepped away from your computer). If you would like to manually set your presence state, simply

click on your current state and change it to another value.

7

To let Skype for Business automatically manage your presence again, click on your current state and select Reset

Status.

What different presence states mean

Presence Status Description

Available You’re online and available to contact

Busy You’re busy and don’t want to be interrupted

In a call You’re in a Skype for Business call (a two-way audio call) and don’t want to be

disturbed

In a meeting You’re in a meeting and don’t want to be disturbed

In a conference call You’re in a Skype for Business conference call (a Skype for Business Meeting

with audio) and don’t want to be disturbed

Presenting You’re giving a presentation and can’t be disturbed

8

Do Not Disturb You don’t want to be disturbed and will see conversation notifications only if

sent by someone in your Workgroup

Be Right Back You’re stepping away from the computer for a few moments

Inactive/Away You’re logged on but your computer has been idle, or you’ve been away from

your computer for a specified (set by you) period of time

Off Work You’re not working and not available to be contacted

Offline You’re not signed in. You’ll appear as Offline to people whom you’ve blocked

from seeing your presence.

Unknown Your presence isn’t known

Adding Contacts

You’ll want to add someone as a contact if you will be communicating with them frequently.

1) In the search box (“Find someone or dial a number”), enter the name or email address of the person

you’re trying to reach

2) In the search results, right-click on the person and do one of the following:

a. Add to Favorites – if you will be contacting them often, on a daily basis

b. Add to Contacts List – if you would like to add them to another contacts list you’ve created

Optionally, if you would like to know when a contact’s status changes, right-click on the contact and select Tag

for Status Change Alerts.

Sending an Instant Message

1) In your Contacts list, double-click on a contact

9

2) A message box will appear. Type message in the area at the bottom of the message box and press enter.

Receiving an Instant Message

When someone sends you an instant message, an alert will appear in the lower-right corner of your screen. You

will be able to do one of the following:

To accept the conversation invitation: Click on the alert

To decline the invitation, click Ignore

Finding your conversation records

10

Outlook: You will find a folder under your Inbox in Outlook called Conversation History.

Skype for Business:

1. In the main window click on the Conversation tab, all conversations will be listed with the most recent on top;

double click on one to open and view a conversation.

OR

2. In the main window, click File in the top ribbon, and then View Conversation History.

Disabling Conversation records

Within Skype for Business, you can stop saving conversations by disabling the option in settings (Tools

>Options>Personal tab).

11

Creating a Skype for Business Meeting

You can schedule a web conference involving both internal (Skype for Business) users, as well as non-Skype for

Business users at UBC and external institutions. If users don’t have a Skype for Business installed, a browser

plug-in will be automatically downloaded when they join the meeting.

To schedule a Skype for Business meeting:

1) In Outlook, click on New Items and select Meeting

2) Add attendees as usual, and then select the Skype Meeting button

3) The meeting description will be populated with a Skype for Business link, and telephone bridge

information.

4) Click Send to mail the meeting invitation.

How and where do I find Web link in Skype Meeting to share with the users to join by web?

Basically there are two ways that link can be found and shared with the users to join by web client:

1. For a scheduled SfB Meeting, the link is included in the outlook invite as shown below

12

2. If you are the meeting host and created an ad-hoc meeting using “Meet Now” then the link can be found or shared using below :

Note that this option is only available for the host and will not be available for point to point call or participants

to share which makes sense.

So once you click, “Meeting Entry Info” above, you see the pop-up window as shown below:

13

If you enter that meeting link shown above in any web browser, the Skype Web App will initiate to join the call.

It is very helpful for users who do not have SfB Desktop clients installed or having trouble joining by SfB Meeting

using the desktop client.

If you click on the “Copy All Info” button, it actually copies all of the meeting info which can either be pasted in

an email or texted to the user to join. Once pasted, it looks like below:

Join Skype Meeting

https://meet.ubc.ca/asif.hayat/L2435VDG

Join by Phone

Number: 1 (604) 822-3636 (Vancouver Local)

Conference ID: 791272

Find a Local Number: https://dialin.meetme.ubc.ca

14

Advanced Skype for Business Meeting Settings

Skype for Business includes some advanced meeting settings that enable you to adjust how others join your

meeting.

After reaching step 3) in the above instructions (Creating a Skype for Business Meeting), the following box will

appear in the appointment:

1. Click on the “Meeting Options” button

2. You will see that you can manually adjust the settings to create either a “Dedicated Meeting Space” or a

“New Meeting Space” with different permissions:

15

3. These settings enable you to create a “lobby” – where participants wait until you admit them, and also

control who can present.

NOTE: Under the “Dedicated Meeting Space” function (default), people from outside your company

(including those within UBC / FoM who do not have Skype for Business) have to wait to be admitted. To

enable anyone to be admitted immediately, select the settings in the image above.

Joining a Faculty of Medicine VC Bridge Meeting

You can join a Faculty of Medicine VC Meeting directly from Skype for Business. To do this, you will need the

bridge ID from the meeting invitation (e.g. 30226). Type <bridgeID>@vc.ubc.ca into the search bar and the

meeting room will appear below:

16

To join the meeting, double click on the icon and the box below will open. Click the camera button and “Start my

video” to joing the meeting,

17

Basic Troubleshooting:

Connectivity (Wi-Fi) Settings

Turning off Wi-Fi

1. Using a wired internet connection will result in the best quality video. To ensure that you are using a wired

connection, plug in your network cable and switch off your Wi-Fi by one of the following:

1. Pressing the antenna button on your keyboard.

2. Click the Start button on your Windows taskbar. Select Control Panel>Network and

Internet>Network Connections. Right-click on Wireless Network Connection, and select Disable.

In rare cases, you may experience poor quality video due to network bandwidth issues. Disabling your video

feed by clicking on the video icon during an active video call may alleviate some of the congestion. Others will

not see you but the overall experience may be improved.

Dropped Calls

The most common reason for dropped calls is internet connection. Skype for Business works best on a wired

connection, so plugging your laptop into a network cable and disabling Wi-Fi may prevent this from happening

Setting up your Headset

2. Using a properly set-up camera and headset will result in the best experience. To test these, select the

“gear” icon > Tools > Audio Device Settings / Video Device Settings to see if your hardware is working.

Make sure your headset or USB device is plugged directly into your computer and not through your monitor,

docking station, or a USB hub. If the problem continues when the USB headset is directly plugged in to your

computer, try a different USB port to see if that eliminates the issue.

Setting a default audio device

18

Audio Devices:

To set your default (audio) communication devices, right click on the sound icon in the system tray, select

“playback” devices for headphones, and “recording” devices for microphones (you can switch the tabs once

you’re in between both as well).

You have the option of setting a default device (indicated by a green checkmark) or a default communications

device (indicated by a green telephone). Skype for Business will look for and default to the default

communications device. To automatically have your headset detected and configured when you plug it in, set

the headphones and microphone to the default communications device.

Setting up your Audio Device – MAC Users

To verify your audio communication devices are correctly set in Skype for Business (Mac), click on “Skype for

Business” in the top left corner and select “Preferences”.

19

In the new pop-up window choose the Audio/Video tab to verify the correct microphone, speakers and camera

are selected. These menu options will change if you are using headphones with or without a mic.

Presenting Content

Skype meetings can take up a higher % of CPU processing/usage, particularly if presenting content. If the user

has many applications open (as most administrators would) it is best practice to close other major applications

when presenting.

20

More Information

Microsoft has detailed guides and additional information about Skype for Business Basic available online.

https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Discover-Skype-for-Business-8a3491a3-c095-4718-80cf-

cbbe4afe4eba?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US

There is also Skype for Business on-demand training at the following location:

https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Introducing-Skype-for-Business-e705627e-8e94-4bae-ac8b-

4ccea5a9c4c0?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US