Microsoft is reportedly working on Skype Teams, which would be the company's version of a collaborative messaging app that would challenge Slack.
The move to compete in the collaborative software market comes months after Microsoft dropped the idea of acquiring Slack for $8 billion in March. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, along with current CEO Satya Nadella, opposed the planned acquisition, with Gates adding that he would instead want to see Microsoft develop Skype into a Slack challenger.
Half a year later, an exclusive report by MSPoweruser reveals that Microsoft has taken the advice of Gates, with a Slack challenger under the Skype umbrella in the works.
Known as Skype Teams, the software will include several features that have made Slack a valuable collaboration tool. For example, in Skype Teams, users will be able to chat in different groups within a team that will be known as channels, with users also allowed to send direct messages to other team members.
There will also be threaded conversations on Skype Teams, which is a feature that is not offered by Slack. With the feature, users will be able to reply to a message within a channel by clicking on a reply button, and other users will be able to join in, similar to how comments systems on social networks such as Facebook function.
Slack is known to have integrated Giphy into its platform, and Microsoft's response to that is known as "The Fun Picker," which is a tool for users to add emojis, GIFs, memes and other fun content into their conversations.
Skype Teams will, of course, also include Skype's core features, such as video calls initiated in a channel or privately. Microsoft will add a feature of scheduling online meetings on Skype Teams, which would be useful for teams with many members.
Skype Teams will also allow users to share files and documents with each other, with Microsoft expected to integrate bots into the software. The collaborative app will also feature Office 365 integration, which is a feature also not found in Slack.
A sidebar will show all the features of Skype Teams to provide easy navigation. The options in the sidebar are the Activity tab that keeps track of notifications, the Chat tab that stores all conversations, the Teams tab where all the user's teams are listed, the Meetings tab that lists schedules and the Files tab where users can find their Skype Teams and OneDrive files.
Microsoft is looking to release Skype Teams with a web version and a Windows app version, with a mobile app of the software also being planned for iOS, Android and Windows Phone.
Skype Teams is being tested internally, with MSPoweruser not having any information on when the software will be released. Microsoft, however, is said to be planning to launch Skype Teams initially for Office 365 subscribers and then to other users afterwards.
The move to develop Skype Teams can be considered a logical one for Microsoft, as it is always looking for more ways to convince enterprise customers to upgrade to Office 365. In addition, Slack has struggled to increase its presence among large businesses, which is a market that Microsoft may be more capable of conquering.
