From Emails to Instant Replies: How Lark Makes Work Faster
If your SME in Malaysia still relies heavily on endless email threads, you’ve probably noticed how slow decisions can get. Waiting for replies, digging through attachments, and chasing approvals all waste time. Today’s business environment moves too fast for that. What if there’s a way to turn hours of email delays into instant replies and quicker results? That’s where Lark Suite comes in — one platform that makes work faster, smoother, and more professional for SMEs.
In this article, we’ll cover:
- Why speed matters for SMEs in Malaysia today
- How emails slow teams down (and what it costs businesses)
- How Lark speeds up communication and decision-making
- Practical examples for sales, HR, and operations teams
- Key benefits SMEs will notice (time, cost, client experience)
- Step-by-step rollout for small teams
- FAQs tailored for Malaysian SMEs
Why Speed Matters for SMEs in Malaysia
For SMEs, speed often means survival. Whether it’s responding to a client, approving a purchase, or onboarding staff, delays can cost real money.
- According to McKinsey, employees spend up to 28% of their workweek managing emails — that’s more than one day wasted each week.
- In Malaysia, SMEs make up 97.4% of total business establishments and employ nearly half of the workforce. (SME Corp) That means inefficiencies compound into a big impact on the economy.
- The Malaysian market is highly competitive: studies show 73% of consumers expect quick responses from businesses, especially through digital channels.
Simply put: if you’re not fast, competitors will be.
Why Emails Slow Teams Down
Emails aren’t going away, but they’re no longer enough for modern teamwork. Here’s why:
- Delayed responses — waiting for someone to check their inbox can stretch decisions from minutes to days.
- Scattered attachments — proposals, invoices, and HR documents often get lost or buried.
- Lack of visibility — email threads don’t give managers a clear overview of tasks or project progress.
- Inefficient onboarding — new hires need quick answers and easy access to documents, not endless chains of forwarded emails.
These slowdowns hurt SMEs that need agility to compete with bigger players.
How Lark Speeds Up Communication and Decision-Making
Lark Suite changes the game by combining chat, meetings, tasks, and cloud files in one platform. Instead of sending an email and waiting, teams can chat instantly, co-edit documents, and track tasks in real time.
- Instant messaging + file sharing → instead of attaching a proposal to email, just drop it in chat and discuss immediately.
- Built-in meetings → turn a chat into a video call instantly, no need for Zoom links.
- Task tracking → assign responsibilities directly in chat with due dates.
- Connected Docs & Drive → everyone works on the same version of a file, with changes tracked.
The result: less waiting, fewer misunderstandings, and faster approvals.
Use Case 1: Sales Teams Closing Deals Faster
Problem: Sales reps often spend days waiting for managers to approve proposals via email. Clients lose patience, and deals get delayed.
Lark Solution:
- Sales creates a proposal in Lark Docs.
- Manager reviews in real time, leaves comments in the doc.
- Approval happens in minutes during a quick Lark Meeting.
Outcome: The sales cycle shortens. Teams close deals faster, clients are impressed by quick responses, and revenue grows.
Use Case 2: HR Onboarding New Staff Smoothly
Problem: New hires often wait days for access to documents, handbooks, and training links — slowing down productivity.
Lark Solution:
- HR stores all onboarding documents in Lark Drive.
- A dedicated onboarding channel is created with FAQs, policies, and welcome messages.
- Tasks are assigned to new staff (e.g., “Complete training module 1”).
Outcome: New employees feel supported, get up to speed faster, and HR spends less time answering repeated questions.
Use Case 3: Operations Teams Coordinating Projects
Problem: Operations managers juggle spreadsheets, emails, and WhatsApp groups to manage suppliers and deadlines.
Lark Solution:
- Use Lark Base (Kanban board) to track suppliers and delivery timelines.
- Real-time updates shared in Lark Chat with attached invoices in Drive.
- Weekly meetings run in Lark Meetings with automatic minutes saved.
Outcome: Projects move faster, fewer miscommunications occur, and accountability improves.
Key Benefits SMEs in Malaysia Will Notice
When SMEs in Malaysia switch from email-heavy workflows to Lark Suite, the advantages go beyond faster chats. The benefits extend across time savings, cost efficiency, customer relationships, and overall competitiveness. Here’s a deeper look:
- Faster Decisions and Approvals
In traditional workflows, even small approvals (like confirming a discount or signing off on a purchase) can take hours or even days because managers only check their inbox a few times daily. With Lark, managers can receive a quick chat message, review a doc instantly, and approve in minutes. This speed can mean the difference between winning and losing a client deal.
- Reduced Costs on Multiple Subscriptions
Many SMEs juggle separate tools: Zoom for meetings, Dropbox for files, Slack for chat, and Trello for project management. Paying for all these adds up. Lark combines them into one suite. For SMEs operating on lean budgets, this can save thousands of ringgit annually without compromising functionality.
- Improved Customer Experience
Customers today expect quick responses. If your competitor replies faster, you risk losing business. Lark ensures internal communication doesn’t become the bottleneck. For example, a sales rep can ask a pricing question in chat, get approval instantly, and respond to the client while still on the call. This agility creates a professional image and builds customer trust.
- Smoother HR Onboarding and Employee Engagement
With Malaysia’s competitive talent market, SMEs need to retain staff from day one. Lark makes onboarding smoother by centralising documents, FAQs, and training materials. New hires no longer wait for scattered emails or manual updates. This not only improves productivity but also boosts employee morale.
- Secure and Centralised Operations
Data security is critical. SMEs often risk exposing files by sharing them via email or personal WhatsApp accounts. Lark centralises documents in a secure drive with clear access controls. SMEs gain peace of mind knowing sensitive HR files, sales contracts, and financial data are properly managed.
- Better Collaboration Across Locations
Malaysia has SMEs operating across Klang Valley, Penang, Johor, and even regionally in Singapore or Indonesia. Lark makes cross-location collaboration seamless with integrated video meetings, multilingual support, and mobile-friendly tools. Teams don’t waste time switching apps or chasing updates.
- Higher Productivity and Staff Satisfaction
When employees spend less time chasing emails and more time doing impactful work, morale improves. In fact, collaboration tools can boost productivity by up to 25%. Happier staff = lower turnover, which is especially important for SMEs that can’t afford constant rehiring.
How to Roll Out Lark in Your SME (Step-by-Step)
- Start with one team (sales or HR) as a pilot.
- Migrate key files into Lark Drive for easy access.
- Train champions — pick 2–3 staff to guide others.
- Use chat daily instead of email for internal updates.
- Expand to meetings and task boards once chat adoption is high.
- Track improvements (response times, deals closed, onboarding speed).
With this staged approach, teams adapt quickly and ROI appears within months.
Conclusion — From Emails to Instant Results
Email still has its place, but Malaysian SMEs can’t rely on it as their main collaboration tool anymore. Lark Suite gives you everything — chat, meetings, docs, tasks, and storage — in one secure ecosystem. That means:
- Sales teams close deals faster.
- HR onboards new hires smoothly.
- Operations run projects without bottlenecks.
For SMEs competing in Malaysia’s fast-paced economy, Lark helps small teams work as quickly and professionally as large enterprises.
FAQs about Lark Suite for Malaysian SMEs
- Can Lark really replace email? Not fully, but it reduces dependency. Internal communication and approvals shift to chat and tasks, while email remains for external contacts.
- How much time can SMEs save with Lark? According to McKinsey, companies can reclaim 20–25% of productivity by adopting faster collaboration tools.
- How does Lark help Malaysian sales teams? Sales cycles are shorter because proposals, approvals, and meetings happen instantly in one platform. Faster approvals mean faster revenue.
- Will clients need Lark accounts to work with us? No. Clients can join Lark Meetings via a simple link and view shared docs through browser access.
- How secure is Lark for sensitive company data? Lark provides enterprise-grade security, including access control, audit logs, and encryption. SMEs should also enforce two-factor authentication.
- Can Lark help remote or hybrid teams in Malaysia? Yes. With high mobile penetration in Malaysia (over 97% internet users according to DataReportal), Lark’s mobile app keeps teams connected anywhere.
