For those who can study or work from anywhere

To meet demand, DingTalk has unveiled its latest 5.0 version, including functions like office tools that can simultaneously be edited by multiple users and tiered virtual community groups.

"DingTalk hopes to become the infrastructure of a digital society. We are not building for games, but for the healthy development of society," said its CEO Chen Hang.

More and more companies across the globe are looking to use technology for a concerted solution.

In the latest instance, WeChat and TikTok are joining with global industry peers to launch the COVID-19 Global Hackathon starting March 26, which invites developers to build locally or globally focused software solutions that tackle the challenges brought by the virus.

The consortium has connected with a range of partners including the World Health Organization to understand roughly seven key challenge areas that technological innovation could help solve, which include collaborative work tools that support more employees working from home.

"We hope to encourage more creations based on the WeChat open platform that can tackle COVID-19 challenges faced by people overseas, after many such Mini Programs have effectively helped people in China," Tencent said in a statement to China Daily.

"We will help select projects with the greatest social impact, provide technical support and facilitate their implementation where relevant."

But the market is still largely fragmented, with very few apps playing a dominant role. For instance, Ding-Talk is predominantly used in China, while some other apps are used for communication in Islamic regions.

Cultural element is definitely at play, says Tay. "Enforcing remote work requires a complete trust in workers and a change in workplace policies as well as metrics," he said.

No wonder, DingTalk received a rather low rating on app stores from new users, including company employees and students. The reason? The app can, theoretically, put people at work around the clock. "It's not work from home-it's like working 24/7, with the software tracking our whereabouts," said an employee of a Shanghai-based software company on condition of anonymity.

Still, experts are looking at the brighter side. Wang believes the market requires technologies to be coupled with tailored software, hardware and even content modules that pair perfectly with distance communication.

"For instance, a content creation software incorporating common scenarios in business discussions (such as organizational charts) will certainly become a killer app," he said. "And for Chinese technology providers to excel in overseas markets, it's imperative to understand cultural nuances regarding local needs and habits, and conduct targeted marketing."