Healthcare isn’t the only scenario where a “remote advisor” makes sense, of course. Patients, meanwhile, can book, schedule then connect with doctors for real-time chats right in the application at their appointment time. They can also share and review medical records, lab results, send messages, and more. In the app, doctors offered patients virtual care via video calling sessions. You may remember an example of this functionality was demoed earlier this year at Microsoft’s Build 2016 conference, when the company showed off a telehealth app created by MDLIVE. That is, businesses who want to interact with remote customers over their mobile phones and tablets in order to chat, call or video chat. However, during this SDK preview period, the focus for the integrations is on “remote advisor” functionality. In addition, companies adopting the Skype for Business SDK can continue to use their existing native clients to reach their customers,

Skype for Business SDK customers can continue to use their existing infrastructure, like Skype for Business Server or Skype for Business Online – depending on if the company has deployed Unified Communications on their own servers, or if they’re relying on Microsoft’s cloud. Microsoft’s solution, however, is aimed at larger enterprises. This is an area other messaging-focused startups also tackle to some extent, including former TechCrunch Disrupt winner Layer and, more recently, chat tools provider Sendbird, for example. The idea is to allow Skype to power the communications experience inside applications, so developers can focus on building their product’s unique features. On Thursday, the company launched its Skype for Business SDK – tools which allow iOS and Android developers to integrate Skype’s messaging, audio and voice capabilities into their own mobile applications. Microsoft is further opening up Skype to businesses.

Skype for android review