
Lark (Private Offer Only)
Team collaboration has improved and project tracking is clearer but downtime still causes disruption
What is our primary use case?
My main use case for Lark is to organize tasks and use it as a team communication tool. We do a lot in Lark, including using it as a channel for communication and for project management and to-do lists.
For example, when we have a project, I break down the project by the to-do list, and then I assign which activity or task to which person in charge so they update the progress on Lark, and I notice if there is any bottleneck.
What is most valuable?
I think that the chat and messaging features and project management capabilities are excellent in Lark.
Additionally, the file sharing and integration tools are exceptional, as we can follow updates on projects and receive notifications if there is any progress.
Lark has positively impacted my organization by helping us reorganize the to-do work, allowing us to focus more on our tasks.
I have noticed specific outcomes from Lark helping my team focus, such as faster project completion and being notified of bottlenecks more quickly.
What needs improvement?
I think there are some parts of Lark that have not been translated, and sometimes there is a glitch where the product still uses Chinese words.
Lark occasionally experiences downtime, and during those times, we usually use WhatsApp for communication and coordination, which can be frustrating.
Regarding Lark's AI capabilities, I believe they are good in terms of governance and security.
I think there is still room for improvement regarding the accuracy and reliability of Lark's AI output.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Lark for approximately two to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Lark is not stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Lark is very flexible and scalable. We can request customization through the account support, and they offer an open API.
How are customer service and support?
Previously, we had local customer support, but that local support resigned about three or four months ago, so now we consult with their global support instead.
I would rate the customer support an eight out of ten.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used WhatsApp, but it was not helpful because WhatsApp only served as a communication channel and lacked project management features, so we switched to using Lark.
What was our ROI?
I believe Lark provides intangible benefits, as we found our employees became more productive regarding to-do lists and encountered fewer issues with bottlenecks.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
My experience with pricing, setup costs, and licensing is that Lark is very helpful. For the first year and the second and third years, we received free implementation and setup costs, and we only pay for the license.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before choosing Lark, we also evaluated Google Chat, but we found it had limitations compared to Lark.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Team tasks have become transparent and organized, but switching personal and team views needs work
What is our primary use case?
Our main use case for Lark is to organize our to-do lists and our daily routine at work. We organize what we are going to do, who is going to do it, and prioritize tasks. We do scheduling, add comments to each task, track updates, monitor pending items, and identify which side is responsible for pending actions.
Lark helps with my team's collaboration and communication when organizing these tasks because we have a list of to-dos and comments to add to each. We can always put screenshots of emails where someone replied to us or we replied to a customer who is not getting back to us. We can later go back to this to-do and read the latest comment that we added. We are able to share with our teammates what we are working on without having to go into meetings every day and telling them what's going on. They will just read the to-do title, read the comments, and view any images that have been attached.
We also add documentation from some of our works regarding our main use case and how our team uses Lark.
What is most valuable?
In my opinion, the best feature Lark offers is its to-do list. The to-do list for teamwork is something you don't see everywhere, and it's really nice to manage.
The to-do list feature stands out for me compared to other task management tools I've tried because it's easy to use and easy to set up. Unlike other options, perhaps Notion, you have to click so many things and so many buttons to be able to set up the to-do feature. Unlike Lark, it doesn't feel built for that.
Lark has positively impacted my organization because our team's work has become more noticeable by the management because we have a clear record of what's going on in the emails and with the work on the technical side.
This visibility has led to measurable improvements; the management started to be happier with what we do and they got more visibility. We had better tracking of what we are doing.
What needs improvement?
Lark can be improved by having the ability to switch between personal and team space. It's really annoying how difficult it is, and it's kind of confusing when you do that. Sometimes I add notes or to-dos to my to-do list thinking this is my team's to-do list because I can't see the to-dos that my teammate created for me. But it turns out that it's personal to-dos or a checklist that my team doesn't see.
The main concern I have is the ability to switch between personal and team space, and that is the primary improvement needed.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Lark for a year so far.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The free version is really nice for small teams, so people should check that out regarding the features.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to others looking into using Lark is to make sure to check the free version. You might not need to subscribe at all. I would rate this product a 7 out of 10.