Add Directory: A Thing I Really Want from Skype for Business

Intranet and Extranet Directory Service.

I love that Skype lets me import my Google and Outlook contacts (at least those with phone numbers). That's not enough.

In the world of work I need to see my company's phone book. Not a snapshot, imported months ago, but the latest version.

• Add directory. Let me add my company directory to my contacts by reference. So I'm always looking at the latest version. This also relieves me from adding all three million people who work for my organization one at a time. Or keeping up with all the adds, moves, and changes.
• Add another directory. Frankly, I really want to be able to add "white page" and "yellow page" directories from partner, supplier, and customer organizations. At the same time.
• Find people. Let me search my company directory using the same search I use for the Skype network. It would be nice if I could restrict searches to specific directories.
• Departments as "contact categories." Many of us live in a world of hierarchy, orgcharts, and cost centers (centres). How about treating department names as tags? So it's easier to find co-workers and their colleagues?
• Autopopulate profiles. Company directory services are rich with descriptive information. Show it.

This is useful stuff.

So much easier to set up multichats and conference calls without leaving Skype to find all the details.

You can easily see staffing companies like Monster offer private directories of job applicants to a specific job. Or project management software sharing a directory of people assigned to a project.

You'll have to work out de-duplication, lifecycle events, authenticating against LDAP, facebook API, and other directory service protocols. But it's doable. This could convince workers to keep Skype up and connected all day.

 

See also:

• Aliases
• Alias Transfer 
• Provisioning
• Share Aliases

 

Skype is a productivity and collaboration tool, well suited for the workplace. Millions of people use Skype at work. Skype for Business is a Skype team and product family serving small and large organizations.

tags: skype

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