Google Workspace Innovation & Efficiency for Managing Your Business
Efficiency is and has always been the key to success. But in the digital age, when factors like distance and time are becoming less relevant, efficiency has taken on a whole new meaning. Here are some of the factors that all companies need in order to survive and excel:
Being able to -
Work on the go
Share ideas
Collaborate
Access Information
Control data
Thanks to the easy availability of the internet and cloud computing, these tasks have become much simpler than they were a decade ago. However, there is still room for improvement as we generally depend on different tools for each of these tasks and if any of the collaborators or colleagues are not on the same set of tools, things can go haywire pretty fast.
Google to the Rescue
This is where Google has been making waves in the market. Ever since it came up with a range of apps bundled in Google Workspace, work has become truly mobile and connected. And since Google is something that each and every one of us uses in all of our devices, it makes a lot of sense. The number of apps and features that Google Workspace offers is unparalleled, and it is definitely a one-stop-shop for all your business needs.
What is Google Workspace?
Google Workspace is a dynamic enterprise management system. What that means is that it allows you to do a host of work like making presentations, Excel sheets, and more from anywhere in the world and share it with your colleagues instantly. There is a range of different apps, and they are all synced beautifully with each other and between all your devices. If you make a change in them through your phone in a restaurant at lunch, it can be seen instantly by another member of your team who is sitting at his office desk.
The tasks that can be performed are limitless, but one thing that stands out is that you can build a customized enterprise management system with features like nearly automatic accounting, setting up meetings, communication between teams, customer service, ERP, estimates, collaboration, and much more. What’s more is that you get a personalized virtual assistant as well!
Features
Google Workspace offers a whole range of apps that can help your productivity increase and allows secure collaboration between team members. Here are some of the things you can expect when you get on Google Workspace.
Mobility – Google Workspace allows you to use many tools like Docs, Sheets, Forms, and Slides on the go. Whenever you make any change on any device, it gets updated automatically and instantly if you are connected to the internet. Even if you are not, it syncs the files as soon as it can. And the best part is that all these features are pretty easy to use.
Connectivity – You can connect with your team members individually and as a team through smart mailing options, Hangouts, and video chats even if they are on the other side of the globe. Distances and time differences cease to matter when you are on the Google Workspace !
Collaboration – Google Workspace’s most significant selling point is the real-time collaboration between people. You can share ideas, ask questions, and add points instantly and without any delays.
Access – With the help of cloud storage, you can ensure that all your team members can access any file that you want them to without having to send it to each one individually!
Added Advantage
Google as a company believes in innovation and efficiency, and they have proven it yet again with Google Workspace. The features mentioned above are necessary for every business, but Google Workspace offers a host of other innovations as well which makes it a product that is truly ahead of its time.
EXPLORE
Explore is a new function in Google Workspace that helps you streamline the workflow. It is based on the intelligence of your machine and predicts the choices that you are likely to make in terms of layouts, charts, or functionality of different applications.
For example, if you are working on Slides, it can predict designs and resources that you might want to use. If you are working in Sheets, then it can predict applicable charts and so on. It is a fantastic feature that saves a lot of business hours through its intuitiveness.
CASE STUDY
This machine learning was put to great use at Remote Insight, a technology company that provides sow management solutions to help pig farmers identify and treat health issues. The pigs are given tags with sensors to monitor temperature and movement, and the data from the tags is used to analyze and identify animal behavior using machine learning!
JAMBOARD
We all know how useful whiteboards can be when you are coming up with something new. With Jamboard, you have your very own digital whiteboard. It offers real-time co-authoring with several members working on one board at a time.
You can drop images, add notes, and pull assets directly from the internet without any lag. This opens up great avenues for brainstorming.
CASE STUDY
Jamboard is the place where many new ideas will take shape in the future just like Cloudbakers found out. Being a company that helps businesses with cloud-based solutions, ideas fly around in every meeting at Cloudbakers. With Jamboard, they not only interact with their team members but also use it to connect on an entirely different level with their clients as well! It has helped them streamline their workflow and deliver better results!
APP MAKER
There are many times when you feel like the apps you are using are not exactly what you need. But the good news is that with the Google Workspace App maker, you can now create your own apps with a low-code development environment. You can use templates, choose from a range of UIs, and use data modeling to build your apps. However, it is not just that. You can also sync these apps with other features like Gmail, Calendar, or Sheets to make your apps more powerful!
CASE STUDY
EA, the game development giants, often face difficulties because a lot of their staff jump from project to project with little notice when requirements change and they are needed on different projects. However, with App Maker, they were able to build an app that tracks allocation requests quickly, and that has made the process much smoother!
KEEP
Another very innovative app of Google Workspace is Keep. It is basically a place where you can assemble all of your random thoughts. One great feature that it brings is that you can record voice memos on the go and have them transcribed for you automatically!
You can add notes, lists, and photos on Keep and share them with anyone you want. You can also set reminders so that you can unleash all that randomness into a coherent idea at a convenient time!
ADMIN CONSOLE
One of the critical things when sharing data between your team members is ensuring that only the right people access a particular file. For example, you would not want anyone but your accounting team to look at the balance sheets! With Admin Console, Google Workspace gives you a centralized control where you can set things up easily, manage access, set up groups, and add security features like two-step verification. You can also distribute apps and keep data secure on your employees’ devices, and you get the added benefit of a 24x7 support from Google in case you get stuck anywhere!
VAULT
We all have some documents and files that we want to store securely and indefinitely. Vault lets you do that and more. It is a web-based application that does not require you to install any additional software. It can be used to archive data for a time that you specify, search your domain data with a number of parameters like users, date or organization unit, and it even saves conversations on hangouts that have been placed on record!
Case study
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro generally sees a lot of visiting faculty, students, and staff exchange papers between each other. It could get cumbersome because the original authors are not always there on campus, but with the help of vault, all the documents are available with easy access now, and that has made collaborations much more manageable for all who are involved!
Real-Life Benefits
While all this sounds good on paper, you must be wondering if using Google Workspace actually makes a difference. Here are a few examples that should tell you just how innovative and efficient the Google Workspace is.
ADDITIONAL CASE STUDIES
Faster Designs – Luxury jewelry brand Astley Clarke uses Google Workspace to connect their creative team who are hardly ever in the same country. They not only come up with designs but also marketing strategies and concept sketches as well without having to be in the same room!
Improved Supplier Collaboration – Made.com brings out two new furniture collections every week, and they keep their suppliers updated on the designs, quality guidelines, and KPIs through live online meetings with the help of Google Workspace.
Staff Training – Pierre Herme Paris relies on its staff being up to date on the latest of creations by chef Herme and they do that by conducting global online meetings and storing the recorded training techniques through Google Workspace.
Efficient Store Processes – French fashion brand Celio uses Google Workspace to automate critical processes like collecting sales date from stores across the globe, a process that earlier required hours and over 4,000 calls a day!
Intuitive Future
Even though Google Workspace is already effective, there are many benefits that are in store for the future. Google is spending a lot on research and development, and they are making Google Workspace even more intuitive. For example, in Sheets, you will soon be able to use intelligent diagnostics to gain valuable insights, use predictive pivot tables, and get suggestions for formulas! All this is going to happen with the help of AI which Google is working on integrating with Google Workspace, and that is actually really awesome news because you get a new digital member added to your team!
FINAL THOUGHTS
Whether you are a start-up or an established business, Google Workspace offers a host of features that will make your work process a lot faster and more efficient. The best part is that it is not priced very high and you can choose the apps that you will need! It is definitely a good investment that you should look at sooner rather than later!
First two image from: https://www.google.com/intl/en/about/products/
Third image from: https://www.blog.google/products/docs/explore-docs-sheets-and-slides/
Fourth image from: https://gsuite.google.com/products/jamboard/