Microsoft is said to be working on group messaging service which will be dubbed as Skype Teams. The service that will let team members chat with each other is said to be a direct rival for the popular service Slack.
Skype Teams will allow users to chat individually with team members and also create channels and share files similar to Slack. It also comes with emoji support. The service has a threaded conversations feature that lets you reply to a message on a channel by clicking on the reply button and any other member can join the thread whenever they want. This is a feature that is not present on Slack.
Moreover, Skype Teams will sport a ‘Fun Picker’ feature that lets you add GIF images and memes to your conversations. It also features Office 365 integration, bringing in tools like PowerPoint, Excel and Word. The platform also allows the users to share local files or files stored on OneDrive. Skype Teams users will also be able to make video calls directly from the app. Furthermore, the service allows you to schedule online meetings and hold video conference calls using the existing Skype back-end.
Microsoft is looking forward to bring Skype Teams to the web and mobile devices. There is no word on when Skype Teams will go public.