Google has introduced a newfangled array of apps that encourage people to work
together and increase their productivity.
Because of its way of doing things, Google has become one of the most wanted companies to work for. Since the majority of workers have a computer and the majority of companies have dedicated internet access using apps should be something you are also giving your employees access to. Let's take a look at how you can learn from the Google environment in order to get the best out of your employees.
Google Apps for Business
There are many Google-designed apps out there (and apps that work WITH Google apps, for that matter) that encourage collaboration and productivity. The main ones are Google Docs (this covers documents, spreadsheets and presentations), Google Sites, Google Groups and Google Video. All of the above allow for easy communication and transparent working scenarios; for instance, with Google Docs multiple people can edit simultaneously, in real time. No need to send files back and forth; everything is saved online in a variety of available file formats. Access is easily managed and controlled.
Google Sites allows you to build any kind of website which is readily available to embed rich content and provide easy access to information for your employees.
Want to have an informal discussion about your projects? Why not try Google Groups, where all it takes is a few clicks of a button to create an online community, for information sharing or just keeping people in the loop. It's easy to manage your groups and share content such as documents, sites, or video.
And speaking of video, Google Video is another great route to communicate in a more 'real' way. This can come in the form of training videos or general business communications, all securely saved and streamed by Google - no large files or specialized software to worry about. The videos can be embedded, and you can even get feedback if you want it.
Google Hangouts
If video's not enough, why not try 'Hangouts'? Since Google introduced 'Hangouts', it's been seen as an unmitigated success - sort of like the silver lining to Google+'s uncertainty cloud. More recently, Google has broadened Hangouts further to go way beyond video chat, providing everything we need to readily communicate and collaborate in real time. Because of this, it's becoming increasingly popular in the workplace and in educational environments, and is highly adaptive for online learning, as well as for casual chat.
Other workspaces
Of course, there's more to the Google Environment than just apps. If you're looking for inspiration to help make your workspace a more productive and collaborative environment, why not take a look at some of the other most collaborative workspaces out there? You could take a leaf out of Skype's book, Microsoft, Pensar or Mono. And of course, there's always Facebook to fall back on.
So, there you have it. We hope you leave this page feeling energized and a-buzz with fresh ideas and inspiration that you can pass onto your employees for that all-important collaborative business environment that's proved so beneficial for many of the big guns out there. Whether you want to follow Google's example, or take a look at some of the other collaborative apps and companies out there, remember to have fun and do what works best for your business - whatever that may be.
0 comments