Microsoft (MSFT) Building a Slack Killer?

Redmond tech giant Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is not done developing its own messaging platform. After failing to acquire Slack for $8 billion, Microsoft has teamed up with Skype to build a similar app. Slack, which is the direct competitor of the Skype Brand, has become an increasingly popular team management tool.

Microsoft’s Slack killer is called Skype Teams and it will come with features that are similar to Slack. For instance, Skype team enables you to chat in various groups within a team, known as channel. In addition, users can chat with each other directly or in a team channel.

“Skype Teams will allow you to chat in different groups within a team, also known as ‘channels.’ Additionally, users will be able to talk to each other via Direct Messages on Skype Teams,” MSPowerUser reported.

But unlike Slack, Skype Teams will feature a threaded conversation, allowing you to respond to a message on a specific channel by hitting the reply button. Any user can jump into the thread. Also, Microsoft’s Slack killer will also come with Skype’s core features. You can make video calls in a channel or directly to another user. In addition, you can schedule online meetings, similar to Zoom, another messaging app. Users can share files, notes, and other documents.

Apart from the basic chatting features, Skype Teams work with other services, giving it more flexibility than its competitors. In fact, Microsoft is allowing bots from Bot Framework to collaborate with the project. Finally, the new messaging tool offers Office 365 integration, an extremely useful feature for big businesses. To add a bit of fun in every conversation, Microsoft’s Skype Teams will come with “The Fun Picker,” a feature that lets you add emojis, gifs from Giphy and memes.

From the Skype Team’s sidebar, you can access the core features of the service, including the Activity tab to check your notifications, the chat tab that streamlines your convos and a teams tab that allows you to switch from one team to another. There’s also a Meetings tab that enables you to check your scheduled meetings and finally, a Files tab to find all documents uploaded on OneDrive.

If you’re a previous Slack user, you will find that Skype Teams offer a similar user experience. Do note that unlike Skype Teams, Slack does not offer Office 365 integration and other services offered by Microsoft, which makes the new messaging service attractive to businesses.

Apart from a full arsenal of features and team management solutions, Skype Teams is designed to play well with all mobile devices. Apart from a web and Windows app version, Skype Teams will be available  for iOS, Android, and Windows OS.

At the moment, Skype Teams is going through a series of internal tests. Microsoft did not announce the release of the service. But according to rumors, Office 365 subscribers will get first dibs on Skype Teams, gradually releasing the service to other users in the future.

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