Outlook

One of the strongest areas of integration for the Lync client is with Outlook. When the Lync client is installed, it adds several buttons to the Respond area of the Outlook toolbar with the capability to reply via IM or initiate a call.

Instead of being locked into responding to an email with another email, you can choose to start up an IM conversation, initiate a voice call, or initiate a web conference. This offers tremendous flexibility in how to collaborate with co-workers.

This integration extends to the contacts managed by Outlook. By looking at an email received from a co-worker and double-clicking that person’s name, you can see the integrated Lync functionality on the contact card. Figure 25.8 shows how you can trigger an IM or a call, or immediately start a shared desktop conference, with the other user. You can also see the presence information for the other user, which often influences how you respond.

Figure 25.8. Outlook contact card.

The last area of integration is presence information. When looking at email messages from other Lync Server 2013 users, you can see their current status. Hovering the mouse over the presence icon gives additional information and exposes the menus to enable you to immediately send an IM, place an audio or video call, schedule a meeting, or start sharing resources.