11 expert Google apps usage tips
- Sara Marcum, TheTruthAboutInsurance: add-ons that assist with SEO
- Ken Eulo, Smith & Eulo Law Firm: Google Hangout is the most valuable tool
- Andrew Jezic, Law Offices of Jezic & Moyse: Google Docs to edit on the go
- Craig W. Darling, DarlingCompanies: most of the Google Apps all day... and everyday
- Neal Taparia, Solitaired: running daily forecasts on Google spreadsheets
- Mark Webster, Authority Hacker: Calendar and Google Meets integration even generates room codes
- Luka Arežina, Data Prot: Google Calendar made all other programs unnecessary
- Esther Meyer, Grooms Shop: integration, automatic saving and document sharing
- M. Ammar Shahid, SuperHeroCorp: totally relying on Hangouts and Google Docs
- Norhanie Pangulima, SIA Enterprises: Gmail, Calendar and Sheets increase productivity
- Jovan Milenkovic, KommandoTech: move from MS Office to Google Docs and Sheets
Late technologies such as real time collaboration programs that are included in Google apps, but also exist in other products such as Office 365, are literraly changing the way we are working, allowing for free access to many tools, that were previously mostly tied to a license purchase.
Not only that, but they also allow for home office work, distant collaboration, and are able to help most people to increase their office productivity, provided that they know how to take advantage of the tools!
We asked several experts what their usage was, and if they have any tips to share - here are their answers!
Which apps are you using the most for (home) office productivity, are you doing anything extraordinary with them, that eventually led you to stop using other software? Any tips for new users?
Sara Marcum, TheTruthAboutInsurance: add-ons that assist with SEO
As far as using Google applications for productivity, I’m a believer in the regular apps. I use Google Docs and Sheets when the job or project warrants me to do so. I am more enabled by their add-on features though. I like to use the add-ons that assist with SEO, readability, and make suggestions to increase the strength of my writing.
I have not stopped using other applications, because I don’t primarily work in Google Applications. I do use both solutions though. I like to double check my work. If you are a new user to Google or any other software used in home office, the best advice that I can give to you is research your questions.
If you have a question, someone else has had it too. I like to use tutorials to learn all the functions of an application. It makes me more knowledgeable and I can help out a larger area with that knowledge.
![Sara Marcum writes for TheTruthAboutInsurance.com](../icons/authors/SaraMarcum.png)
Sara Marcum writes for TheTruthAboutInsurance.com
Sara Marcum writes for TheTruthAboutInsurance.com
Ken Eulo, Smith & Eulo Law Firm: Google Hangout is the most valuable tool
Google Hangouts has been our savior since the entire firm is working from home. Anytime we need to answer a technical question, or collaborate on a project, we schedule a Goggle Hangout meeting. The videoconferencing app allows us to work through a task step-by-step, and share our screens when a visual aid is necessary. The app has been our most valuable tool for home office productivity.
![Ken Eulo, Founding Partner, Smith & Eulo Law Firm](../icons/authors/keneulo.png)
Ken Eulo, Founding Partner, Smith & Eulo Law Firm
Smith & Eulo Law firm provides criminal defense representation for clients facing criminal charges in Orlando, FL and the surrounding areas. We are a group of dedicated criminal defense attorneys who are passionate towards all areas of criminal law.
Andrew Jezic, Law Offices of Jezic & Moyse: Google Docs to edit on the go
Google Docs is our go-to app for any content/document writing at our firm. As a company who is constantly shifting gears, the ability to pick up where we left off without the fear of losing our work is the most valuable feature that Google Docs provides. It also helps that employees can edit on the go, as many of us do a great deal of traveling for the firm. Google Docs is hands down the best app for writing tasks at your home office.
![Andrew Jezic, Founding Partner, Law Offices of Jezic & Moyse](../icons/authors/AndrewJezic.png)
Andrew Jezic, Founding Partner, Law Offices of Jezic & Moyse
Law Offices of Jezic & Moyse provides legal representation for the individuals of Wheaton, Maryland and the surrounding areas.
Craig W. Darling, DarlingCompanies: most of the Google Apps all day... and everyday
I use most of the Google Apps all day.. and everyday.
I manage Google My Business for small businesses all over the country.
Using these tools has taught me so much.. For example: Create a Google Doc... It can be private and share just like a word document, but with a click it's a privacy notice or a FAQ sheet for your website.
Excell sheets are a great way to perform spreadsheet tasks... but with a Google sheet you can do all of the same things and you can manage all of your social media posts using them.
Bottom line? Word is no longer available in our home. Google Drive is.
Photos from you camera.. private of searchable? Forms, Surveys and more.
Even the Google My Business profile is more effective for us workers at home than our websites.
![Craig W. Darling, DarlingCompanies](../icons/authors/author_male.png)
Craig W. Darling, DarlingCompanies
Craig Darling was inducted into the Chevrolet Hall of Fame in 1997. My small business clients currently get well over 1 million views a month.
Neal Taparia, Solitaired: running daily forecasts on Google spreadsheets
Google spreadsheets: an undervalued product: We run daily forecasts for our business for a variety of metrics.
Originally our models were built in excel, because this is what I knew best. However, I wanted my team to understand and be more involved in these KPIs so we ended up rebuilding our models in Google Spreadsheets.
It's been game changing. Now our team can track our progress against plan, but more importantly, they can adjust inputs in our our shared models to understand the impacts on the business. Suddenly, our product managers now wear more deeply analytics hat which has really given us clarity in our decision making.
On top of that, through their add ons, we feed our Google Analytics data directly into our models, which not only has saved worked, but given us an unprecedented level of transparency and understanding in our business.
![Neal Taparia, Solitaired](../icons/authors/NealTaparia.png)
Neal Taparia, Solitaired
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Mark Webster, Authority Hacker: Calendar and Google Meets integration even generates room codes
Our business has been fully remote for over 6 years now and we've been using Gsuite and Google apps for around 3 years now, so we've become very well acquainted with them!
One of my favorite and underlooked features of these Apps is the Calendar and Google Meets integration. Did you know that every time you arrange a meeting with someone in your Google Calendar and send them an invite, Google automatically generates a unique room code for that meeting? That means that for every team meeting, performance review, sales call etc. there's a room ready and waiting for you.
This is fantastic for productivity. It means you don't have to waste time setting up meetings and sending out invites using tools like Zoom or Skype.
It's already there, baked in. You don't even have to download any additional software as Google Meets is entirely browser based. This has completely changed the way we've approached our meetings as a business and saved countless hours fumbling around setting up rooms.
![Mark Webster, Co-Founder of Authority Hacker](../icons/authors/MarkWebster.png)
Mark Webster, Co-Founder of Authority Hacker
Mark Webster is Co-founder of Authority Hacker, an industry leading online marketing education company. Through their video training courses, blog and weekly podcast, they educate beginner and expert marketers alike. Many of their 6,000+ students have taken their existing businesses to the forefront of their industries, or had multi-million dollar exits.
Luka Arežina, Data Prot: Google Calendar made all other programs unnecessary
One of my best helpers at work is Google Calendar. Since I started my own company, my schedule quickly became very hectic, so I had to figure out a way to organize my time well. I was also afraid I’d forget specific details for certain meetings which is where Google Calendar proved to be of much use. I have created several different calendars in order to differentiate between certain types of activities. I realized I can put all of the info in a specific event, including the date, duration, specific attachments and a guest which made all of the other programs completely unnecessary. I had an easy way to keep track of my obligations and I’ve found Google Calendar especially useful since my workload increased a lot and my calendar is almost completely full at the moment.
![Luka Arežina, co-founder of DataProt](../icons/authors/lukaarezina.png)
Luka Arežina, co-founder of DataProt
Armed with a degree in Philosophy and an obsession with technology, Luka has combined his prowess at making complicated topics accessible with his passion for data safety. The result is DataProt: a project that helps folks retain the basics of a fundamental human need – privacy.
Esther Meyer, Grooms Shop: integration, automatic saving and document sharing
I do most of my work from home, but there are also times when I’m needed in the office. This is why these apps are my go-to. I believe they’re other people’s go-to as well because Google Docs have 10 million registered users.
SourcePlus, they integrate to our project management software which is Trello. They make my work days productive and made me stop using other applications because of the following reasons:
1. Automatic saving. This is my favorite feature above all. Any change I make is live and is saved right away. I can review the versions and track changes made by other users. This is easy and not confusing to look at, as compared to the change tracking of other applications.
2. Document sharing. I also collaborate with the rest of my team members and that’s why I like that a certain document can be shared and I can choose what the other can or cannot do, like view, comment or edit. It’s an easy way to see updates and progress of each other’s work.
For new users, I believe they wouldn’t need tips for using Google Docs and sheets because they’re really very easy to use.
![Esther Meyer, Marketing Manager @ Grooms Shop](../icons/authors/EstherMeyer.png)
Esther Meyer, Marketing Manager @ Grooms Shop
I'm the Marketing Manager of GroomsShop, a shop that is providing high-quality personalized gifts for the wedding party. I am an avid user of Google Apps, particularly Google Docs and Google Sheets.
M. Ammar Shahid, SuperHeroCorp: totally relying on Hangouts and Google Docs
We’re totally relying on three Google famous apps while working from home. These include Hangout, Google Doc., and Google Excel.
On hangout, we’ve created a group where we begin our day by morning greetings saying, “Good Morning” to ensure that everyone is online. This platform benefits us in two ways. First, it serves as a great communication channel among the team and second that the online green signal indicates that everybody is focused and working with devotion.
On the other hand, we work on our Daily Progress Report and other Figure based Sheets via Google Excel. Besides for any content-based task, we prefer Google Doc because It features an online edit option that made it easy for everyone to access it and give their insights.
![M. Ammar Shahid, Digital Marketing Manager, SuperHeroCorp](../icons/authors/MAmmarShahid.png)
M. Ammar Shahid, Digital Marketing Manager, SuperHeroCorp
Ammar Shahid is an MBA in Marketing and currently working as a Digital Marketing Manager at SuperHeroCorp-an online retail store of Superheroes costume inspired jacket. He manages a team of six employees under his leadership.
Norhanie Pangulima, SIA Enterprises: Gmail, Calendar and Sheets increase productivity
With the emerging technology nowadays, here comes an Android Operating System with 2.5 billion active devices and this OS is developed by Google.
SOURCEAndroid compatible devices provide you an access to a lot of Google apps available for free downloading. These Google apps increase our work efficiency and productivity right on our fingertips.
Here are three Google apps that I mostly use and increase my productivity:
1. Gmail. I used to write emails using Yahoo before, but when I discovered Gmail, I decided to deactivate my account in Yahoo Mail. I find the Gmail app very useful both for my mobile devices and Windows. What I like about this app is that I get to access new and old emails that I received and organize them by labeling folders.
2. Google Calendar. Time management is very important in achieving high productivity. I use this app to write my schedule and to remind me of my errands especially when I have too many tasks to complete.
3. Google Sheet. If you are working in a team, this is the best app for you. I like its real-time edit capability and you can share this to your colleagues by sending them a link to the spreadsheet. I also like the options of allowing someone to edit or view mode before sharing the link or inviting people to view or make changes.
![Norhanie Pangulima, Content Marketing Executive @ SIA Enterprises](../icons/authors/norhaniepangulima.png)
Norhanie Pangulima, Content Marketing Executive @ SIA Enterprises
As a Content Marketing Executive, I've been sharing my insights on topics such as social media marketing, digital marketing, and much more.
Jovan Milenkovic, KommandoTech: move from MS Office to Google Docs and Sheets
Google Docs instead of Microsoft Office Word:
Starting as a useful tool for collaboration on drafts and documents, we moved entirely to Google Docs. Not only is the collaboration easier so that multiple people can edit the material in real-time, but it’s also easier to share and safer to store in a drive. I suggest using the “Anyone on the XYZ company can edit this document” share setting, as opposed to “Anyone with the link” - for security reasons.
Google Sheets instead of Microsoft Office Excel:
Similar to Google Docs, Google Sheets have become indispensable for our company’s internal use. As we have stake-holders residing in different time-zones, it’s valuable to be able to monitor and use the data that we keep in Google Sheets.
![Jovan Milenkovic, co-founder, KommandoTech](../icons/authors/JovanMilenkovic.png)
Jovan Milenkovic, co-founder, KommandoTech
A veteran of the great console wars of the ’90s, Jovan honed his tech skills dissecting his father’s tools and gadgets. He had worked as an SEO specialist for years when he decided to start a company on his own and dive into entrepreneurial waters.
![Yoann Bierling](../icons/about_125.png)
Yoann Bierling is a Web Publishing & Digital Consulting professional, making a global impact through expertise and innovation in technologies. Passionate about empowering individuals and organizations to thrive in the digital age, he is driven to deliver exceptional results and drive growth through educational content creation.
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