WeChat stands as the dominant platform in China, with few businesses in the country operating without some level of involvement with it. As great and user-friendly as this platform is, which is also the reason why every business uses it, many problems can arise when using a personal WeChat account for professional purposes. Notably, complications arise when an employee departs from a company after using their personal WeChat account to interact with customers. In such cases, many of these customers are likely to migrate to the departing employee's new workplace, and the company has no means to track these customers or seamlessly transfer their contacts to the replacement employee.
Furthermore, utilizing a personal WeChat account for business matters can challenge individual employees. This practice blurs the line between work and leisure since all messages, whether from friends, family, customers, or business associates, all merge within the same WeChat inbox. Consequently, employees remain perpetually accessible, even during off-hours, making it difficult to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
To address these challenges, Tencent, the creator of WeChat, has introduced a distinct solution. They've revamped the previous WeChat Mini Program, WeChat Work, into a standalone app called WeCom. Although WeCom operates independently, it retains a strong connection with WeChat and upholds the same user-friendly system and communication experience that’s familiar to most users.
What is WeCom?
In recent years, the demand for remote work capabilities while staying connected with both the business and customers has surged. Particularly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for services facilitating remote work skyrocketed, leading to the growth of WeCom. WeCom" is short for "We Communicate" and is a linking of "We" (which is commonly used in Tencent's products, such as WeChat) and "Communicate," reflecting its purpose as a communication and collaboration platform. Today, WeCom has evolved into an independently developed app, providing a multitude of opportunities for employees and CEOs alike. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools for work communication, business management, efficiency tools, and office applications.
The Services offer a range of professional office management tools designed to make work, and especially remote working, easier. These include instant messaging, video meetings, live video streaming, and office productivity tools like WeDoc, WeDrive, and Enterprise Email. Additionally, it provides automation features and WeCom API development services to help organizations streamline their operations and management processes.
WeCom seamlessly integrates with WeChat, providing a unified experience in terms of chat, mini programs, and WeChat Pay. This means that companies can effortlessly connect internally and with partners and customers. What's especially convenient is that customers don't need to create a separate WeCom account; they can simply use their own personal WeChat accounts. Moreover, WeCom goes beyond standard messaging apps, offering over 200 APIs for enterprises to access and run their own applications. This unified and convenient management of work applications on a single platform enhances overall efficiency and simplifies day-to-day operations.
You can freely download the WeCom app and create an account without incurring any charges. With a standard account, you can access and use the platform's basic features at no cost. However, certain advanced features do come with an additional fee, requiring you to upgrade your account for full access to everything WeCom has to offer. Notably, features such as WeChat Pay and WeChat Customers are not included in the standard account and involve a 300 RMB verification cost every two years. This investment ensures access to these powerful tools for your business needs.