Just when we think we’ve caught up with changes in technology, new advancements are made. The rate that technology grows and develops is mindboggling and often confusing. But as business owners, these changes present enormous opportunity, so really, who’s to complain?
As the leaders in online technology, Google have a number of incredible cloud-based services available to businesses. These services range across data sharing, information searching, organising and the list goes on, and on!
To aid time and money efficiency for small business, Google have bundled some of these services into a platform that they have named ‘G Suite’. Some of the services that they have included are Gmail, Calendar, drive and docs.
There are two ‘G Suite’ plans – ‘G Suite Basic’ (as the name states – the basic plan) and ‘G Suite Business’ (a more advanced plan). Selecting a plan is dependent on the needs of your business. However, let me highlight some of the features you could take advantage of…
One stop shop
With Gmail, Calendar, drive, docs and the rest available to you in one spot, ‘G Suite’ covers all bases when it comes to the administration side of your business.
Integration
The services on ‘G Suite’ integrate seamlessly with each other allowing you to conduct your business with ease.
For example – you can add a comment to a document or spreadsheet, highlight it and assign it to a staff member. An email informing that staff member that they have been assigned to a task will automatically be sent to them.
Team collaboration
Use ‘G Suite’ to collaborate with your team. Administration staff can use Google Docs, your email can host team meetings of up to 15 people and you can set up collaborative email inboxes.
Find what you need with ease
There is a central search bar where you can search your whole ‘G Suite’ account in one go for what you are looking for. Wondering if you sent an email to that customer about a job AND added it to your calendar? Now you can save time, use the search function and find your answers to that in one go.
Advanced storage capabilities
Not only does the ‘G Suite’ for business provide unlimited storage for all team members, but it also has a storage Vault for storing emails, documents, files and chats.
Master one and you’ve mastered all
Adapting to new platforms can be confusing at first for many people. The beauty of using all the services available on ‘G Suite’ is that the functionality and usability is similar across the platform. This means that once you’re in the swing of using one of its services, you are set to be able to use all of them. Forget about learning to use multiple services with all different interfaces!
Email with your business domain
Create professionalism and credibility using your branding as your domain.
For example, instead of yourbusinessname@gmail.com you can get the email of admin@yourbusinessname.com.
You can also create different emails for different functions for your business
For example, admin@yourbusinessname.com, sales@yourbusinessname.com, bob@yourbusinessname.com
Offline capabilities
You are able to view, edit, draft or create documents, emails and more offline. Once you reach Internet connection emails will be sent and the changes and additions you have made will be updated automatically.
Reliability
The Google brand has a strong positioning in the market place, but to make it even better for users of the ‘G Suite’ platform, Google have promised undeniable benefits. They offer 99.9% uptime on the platform and 24/7 phone and email support guaranteed.
No ads or spam
Save yourself from ad distractions and countless junk emails as neither of these will be present when you use your email on ‘G Suite’.
If you’re confused about cloud-based technology, ‘G Suite’ is a safe option for you.
If you’re looking at extending your knowledge about technology in your business we discuss it in length in Episode 2 of The Tradie Show. Check out this episode plus 11 others HERE.
What’s next?
- Join our Kick-Ass Tradies Facebook Group, for access to trade business specific conversations, tips and resources, plus a like-minded community of tradies.
- Book a 15-minute Game Plan Call with Andy, owner of Dr. DRiP plumbing and co-founder of Lifestyle Tradie, to clarify your priorities and get clear action steps.
