How to avoid remote work failures: DingTalk, WeChat for Work, or Lark, which one is more suitable for you?

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought online office work to the forefront. However, after the DingTalk crash and various failures in teachers' live teaching, the shortcomings and advantages of online office work have also been exposed to users. The main reason for these problems is that users have different needs for online office work. Some teams focus on the smoothness of video conferencing; some teams focus on the efficiency of online collaboration; and some teams focus on information security. In other words, online office applications have their own characteristics and focuses. Only by choosing the right application for your company can you get twice the result with half the effort.

In view of this, we tested DingTalk, Enterprise WeChat and Feishu, the three most mainstream online office applications at present, to see which performances are worthy of users in terms of collaboration efficiency, video conferencing, online documents and online OA.

1. Collaboration efficiency

DingTalk

The purpose of the tool is to improve work efficiency. During work, it is necessary to repeatedly confirm the needs of the team. DingTalk online chat records can be retained for 360 days. In order to facilitate users to track and query information, the traceability function is enabled. This is commendable in actual use. A software has its advantages, but it must also have its shortcomings. It is found that the files sent to the group through DingTalk do not have a one-click save to online function, and multiple operations are required to save them, which is not conducive to improving work efficiency.

From the perspective of office software, the number of users that the software can accommodate is a rigid standard, which also fundamentally determines the overall positioning of the software. In terms of group chat scale, DingTalk has an upper limit of 3,000 people, which provides help for most small and medium-sized enterprises. For large enterprises that exceed the limit, they only need to pay an additional fee to complete the expansion.

WeChat Business

With the success of WeChat, WeChat for Business can be said to be rising in the same breath. In terms of instant communication, WeChat for Business has a unique advantage. In terms of group support, WeChat for Business can accommodate up to 2,000 people, which is slightly weaker than other software. Online chat records can be retained for 180 days, which can only be said to be able to cope with most situations at work.

Similarly, WeChat for Business does not support the online document transfer function, which is a major drawback for employees. In addition, it does not support rich text format, which is somewhat unfriendly for people who are used to using text to quickly write and highlight parts of the code.

Lark

Among the companies that have emerged in recent years, Bytedance, the parent company of Tik Tok and Toutiao, has the most potential. The popularity of several previous softwares makes the launch of Feishu highly anticipated.

In terms of instant communication, Feishu's group chat can accommodate the largest number of people, up to 5,000 people, covering the actual number of office workers in most companies on the market. There is no need to spend extra money to expand the capacity, which also saves money for the company. In terms of actual use, Feishu's chat records have permanent preservation rights. Even new employees can use the backtracking function to query information anytime and anywhere to quickly understand the company's regulations and operations. Managers do not have to repeatedly forward files and waste time. Documents sent to Feishu can be transferred online with one click, reducing unnecessary operation steps and improving employee work efficiency. Managers also have absolute authority to control online documents and can manage employee browsing of documents according to actual application conditions.

2. Video Conferencing

DingTalk

With the increasing number of remote meetings, DingTalk has experienced downtime, but has since resumed normal operation after emergency capacity expansion. DingTalk supports meetings with 100 people, and during the epidemic, the official provided a "benefit" of 300 people online. 1080P high-quality video requires users to have a stable network environment to achieve the ideal use effect. In actual experience, during the repeated switching of screens in multi-person meetings, the screen occasionally tore, and there would be a phenomenon of "only hearing the voice but not seeing the person", but when using DingTalk 1080P video conferencing during non-peak hours, the smoothness was significantly improved.

WeChat Business

During the epidemic, WeChat for Business was upgraded from 100 people free to 300 people free online services, just like DingTalk. WeChat for Business also has many highlights in video conferencing, one of which is the ability to send meeting links to WeChat groups. For employees who have already installed WeChat for Business, they can join the meeting by clicking on the link, which greatly reduces the workload of managers.

Lark

In terms of video conferencing functions, Feishu can be said to have thought about what users want. From the hot searches on Weibo, we can see that one of the core pain points of using remote office software during the epidemic prevention period is video conferencing. To this end, Feishu provides two video modes, standard mode and extreme speed mode. The standard mode allows teams to communicate face to face and provide timely feedback on work dynamics. Because it is a multi-screen mode, other team members can see your demeanor, so before starting a video conference, remember to tidy up your instrument to avoid the image that you carefully maintain in your daily work collapsing here. In contrast, the extreme speed mode only displays the main screen, and the requirements for network speed and bandwidth are lower.

In response to the real-time communication needs of remote work, Feishu has also launched a unique "Online Office" function, which simulates the communication scenarios of a real office through real-time voice channels. It is more convenient without the pressure of video conferencing.

In addition, Feishu can also be linked to the schedule, and both mobile phones and computers can participate in the meeting with one click, which is convenient and fast. After experiencing it, I think the most praiseworthy function among the many functions is the recording and broadcasting system. In the video conference, Feishu records the meeting in real time, and automatically uploads the recorded content to the cloud after the meeting. Then the Feishu robot pushes the meeting topic, date and recording file link to all participants, so that everyone can summarize and extract the essence of the content. It has to be said that if teachers can use Feishu for online teaching, it will undoubtedly be a blessing for students. Students can review and consolidate knowledge points through video recordings.

3. Online Documentation

DingTalk

For online office, online document editing is one of the essential tools. DingTalk integrates the WPS function, and the overall usage habits are no different from the WPS function installed on the computer. You don't need to spend time to get familiar with it. However, it is worth noting that companies that use DingTalk for the first time will display a limited-time free icon in the upper right corner of the WPS document editor. Fortunately, even after the free period ends, the previously created documents can still be retained, avoiding the risk of data loss for the company.

WeChat Business

WeChat for Business uses internally developed micro-documents for online editing. The user interface is different from the office and WPS used in daily work, and users need to spend some time to adapt. The directory function and the reference forwarding function are worthy of praise. However, in the process of in-depth use, it is found that the shortcomings are also quite obvious. First of all, it takes a touching amount of time to open the micro-document.

Another point that needs to be complained about is that documents in WeChat for Business cannot be sent directly to other Tencent software through the sharing button in the upper right corner. They must be copied and pasted by obtaining the sharing link. This is really puzzling. How can one family say two different things?

Lark

Feishu's online document editing is eye-catching. Editing, commenting, and @ing other parties in online documents can remind team members of relevant information in IM in a timely manner. This function is a magic weapon for improving office efficiency for team collaboration. Not only that, Feishu's online documents also support a variety of content presentation formats, including videos and PDFs. The accompanying online to-do assignment function can be combined with the calendar in the group to view the busy and idle status of members with one click and allocate workload in real time, so as to achieve more rational and humane management. In addition, one commendable aspect of Feishu is the addition of a voting function, which facilitates the company's public opinion decision-making on some matters.

4. Online OA

DingTalk

DingTalk's online OA system is actually based on the Lanling OA system invested by Alibaba many years ago. It covers most of the functions needed in office application systems, and can complete work tasks without installing multiple plug-ins. It improves the overall fluency of employees during use, is easy to operate, and has a simple process, making it a competent "steward" of the enterprise.

WeChat Business

Thanks to Tencent's strong strength, WeChat for Business can be connected with the third-party software that is frequently used in the market. The huge application chain covers multiple fields such as mobile office and cultural construction, and can form a good degree of adaptability. Almost all office processes from scheduling to reimbursement can be arranged in real time.

Lark

Although Feishu started late, it has done a good job in OA applications. Whether it is basic office applications or other extensible functions, Feishu has corresponding product support. I have looked at it and found that the applications currently settled in Feishu cover human resources, customer management, project management, questionnaires, design assistants, corporate internal training, business intelligence, etc., and the connection experience is very smooth.

5. Summary

From the perspective of practical application, DingTalk, WeChat for Business and Feishu are all comprehensive and easy to use online office applications, and can easily meet most of the needs of online office. However, from the perspective of focus, the three have distinct advantages and disadvantages. For example, DingTalk has a high enough penetration rate and is easy to use. If your business is mostly in the sinking market, using DingTalk will undoubtedly reduce more education costs.

Enterprise WeChat, because it is WeChat, so whatever it does is right and it can meet all the needs, but it basically lacks special functions. To use a classic line, it is "mediocre".

It is worth mentioning Feishu, the latest of the three. Whether it is the number of group chats, free functions or OA process management, it has distinct features. Among the many highlights, document collaboration and video conferencing are the most prominent. Documents are connected in real time, and Feishu's video conferencing function not only has low bandwidth and high definition, but also supports real-time video playback and real-time collaboration of shared documents. For industries that require frequent online communication, this function is indeed worthy of praise.

In short, how to choose the online office application that suits you, DingTalk, WeChat for Work, or Feishu? Everything depends on your business direction. The one that suits you is the best.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.