Lark, or Larksuite, is a take on office suite software that supports workplace collaboration. Founded in 2016, Lark combines messaging, schedule management and online collaborative documents in a single platform. Lark is available now on macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
$0
Zoho Cliq
Score 9.2 out of 10
N/A
Zoho Chat is a live chat tool, from Zoho Corporation.
Since I work from home, Larksuite is quite helpful to me because we need a way to communicate even when we are working from home. I'm glad that Larksuite is available to us because we constantly need assistance from our supervisor and quality assurance staff. You can also let others know you won't be available at that time by using interface like "Do not disturb," "In Meeting," or "Taking a Break" in Larksuite. Larksuite's ability to let us attach crucial files, pin crucial communications, and build calendars for scheduled meetings and events is by far its most interesting feature. Larksuite can be used in meetings. I remember when we first started using Larksuite Video Meetings for our discussions, I was astounded to see an interface that allowed you to view on your own the file the speaker had provided. I believe that using Larksuite for our video conference makes things more simpler because everything you need is already there.
It is very well suited as a messaging tool, where one needs to communicate quickly to a colleague the status of a particular task or an update to the work. This is especially useful for field work where the field team can report the work done and any additional resources required. We have faced issues when virtual meetings are held for a team of 10+ members with a lot of drop-offs and poor quality of reception (audio & video). While some may be attributed to poor internet connection, we do not face the same issue when using Zoom meetings. This area requires strengthening
Initial set up can be a little daunting if you aren't a tech-savvy person. For large organizations, this might not matter since you would have a dedicated IT team that will handle it (as we did) but if you are a small business owner looking to set this up yourself, I imagine it would take some trial and error to get working.
Zoho Cliq has become an integral part of our daily business. Every single member of our team who has a job involving a computer has an active Zoho Cliq license and uses the tool continuously throughout the day. It cuts down on meetings and allows the team to feel very connected to one-another even though we are distributed geographically.
Ease of use! It's easy enough to open chat, start audio sessions, screen shares, or even sending files. The fact that individual "emojis" can be applied to normal chats is wonderful. Allows to "acknowledge" without lengthy back-and-forths. Automation via CRM turns Cliq into a productivity tool beyond communication. Simply put, I don't how you could improve the system (save for a few UI boosts). As it stands, it's a powerful tool that is easy to pick up and play with.
Functionality wise Zoho Chat fairs pretty well against the other options. I still use all the other options as I need to be flexible in how I communicate with clients. It is the integration into the ZohoCRM & Cliq that puts Zoho Chat above the others and is why I try to encourage clients to move across to the app
