Author Archives: Mariana McCready

Work hacks from G Suite: a new corporate training regimen (no weights required)

In our first G Suite Hacks article, we shared tips from the Transformation Gallery to help employees automate everyday workflows and save time. Today, we’re focusing on corporate training tips that will help your employees stay engaged so they can do their best work.

According to last year's Global Human Capital Trends report by Deloitte, employees at all levels expect their employers to provide consistent opportunities to learn and develop new skills, and 30% of executives see learning as a primary driver of employee development. But training employees has its own set of challenges, like scaling programs and trainers, ensuring easy access to training materials, accommodating learning styles and tracking progress.

Here are a few ways you can improve your corporate training with G Suite:

1. Scale your training program with an online hub

Create one place where employees can access training material any time. Start by uploading or creating your training files in Team Drives, a central place within Drive for teams to house files. Organize these files into shared folders by topic or course level. Next, set up a Site to display all of the content from Drive and add relevant pages, like training videos, slides, guidelines or handbooks. Share your new hub with employees so that they can easily access training materials, even on mobile. And anytime you need to update training materials, just go into Drive and update the files there. Sites will automatically reflect changes.

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2. Provide live training options, too

It’s also important to provide face-to-face training for your employees. You can create a live training option with Hangouts Meet so that employees can join training sessions from a conference room, their favorite coffee shop, or another remote location. Simply set up Calendar invites for training events and send them to your employees (It’s a good idea to post these events to your new training Site so that anyone who missed the invite can join.). Then, track employee attendance with Forms.

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3. Quiz employees on their knowledge

Once your employees have completed their training course, you’ll want to track their learning progress. You can do this easily by setting up quizzes in Forms and assigning point values for each question. Let your employees see which questions they missed and explain why so that they can continue to master concepts. And to improve your training course, ask for real-time feedback within the Form. Quiz data is tracked in Sheets so you can keep a pulse on who’s completed training courses and who might need some additional help.

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With these quick tips, you can help your employees to do their best work. Check out this G Suite Show episode to learn more, and let the training begin!

Work hacks from G Suite: a new corporate training regimen (no weights required)

In our first G Suite Hacks article, we shared tips from the Transformation Gallery to help employees automate everyday workflows and save time. Today, we’re focusing on corporate training tips that will help your employees stay engaged so they can do their best work.

According to last year's Global Human Capital Trends report by Deloitte, employees at all levels expect their employers to provide consistent opportunities to learn and develop new skills, and 30% of executives see learning as a primary driver of employee development. But training employees has its own set of challenges, like scaling programs and trainers, ensuring easy access to training materials, accommodating learning styles and tracking progress.

Here are a few ways you can improve your corporate training with G Suite:

1. Scale your training program with an online hub

Create one place where employees can access training material any time. Start by uploading or creating your training files in Team Drives, a central place within Drive for teams to house files. Organize these files into shared folders by topic or course level. Next, set up a Site to display all of the content from Drive and add relevant pages, like training videos, slides, guidelines or handbooks. Share your new hub with employees so that they can easily access training materials, even on mobile. And anytime you need to update training materials, just go into Drive and update the files there. Sites will automatically reflect changes.

gif 1

2. Provide live training options, too

It’s also important to provide face-to-face training for your employees. You can create a live training option with Hangouts Meet sothat employees can join training sessions from a conference room, their favorite coffee shop, or another remote location. Simply set up Calendar invites for training events and send them to your employees (It’s a good idea to post these events to your new training Site so that anyone who missed the invite can join.). Then, track employee attendance with Forms.

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3. Quiz employees on their knowledge

Once your employees have completed their training course, you’ll want to track their learning progress. You can do this easily by setting up quizzes in Forms and assigning point values for each question. Let your employees see which questions they missed and explain why so that they can continue to master concepts. And to improve your training course, ask for real-time feedback within the Form. Quiz data is tracked in Sheets so you can keep a pulse on who’s completed training courses and who might need some additional help.

gif 2

With these quick tips, you can help your employees to do their best work. Check out this G Suite Show episode to learn more, and let the training begin!

Virtual Training Hub | The G Suite Show

Source: Drive


Work hacks from G Suite: a new corporate training regimen (no weights required)

In our first G Suite Hacks article, we shared tips from the Transformation Gallery to help employees automate everyday workflows and save time. Today, we’re focusing on corporate training tips that will help your employees stay engaged so they can do their best work.

According to last year's Global Human Capital Trends report by Deloitte, employees at all levels expect their employers to provide consistent opportunities to learn and develop new skills, and 30% of executives see learning as a primary driver of employee development. But training employees has its own set of challenges, like scaling programs and trainers, ensuring easy access to training materials, accommodating learning styles and tracking progress.

Here are a few ways you can improve your corporate training with G Suite:

1. Scale your training program with an online hub

Create one place where employees can access training material any time. Start by uploading or creating your training files in Team Drives, a central place within Drive for teams to house files. Organize these files into shared folders by topic or course level. Next, set up a Site to display all of the content from Drive and add relevant pages, like training videos, slides, guidelines or handbooks. Share your new hub with employees so that they can easily access training materials, even on mobile. And anytime you need to update training materials, just go into Drive and update the files there. Sites will automatically reflect changes.

gif 1

2. Provide live training options, too

It’s also important to provide face-to-face training for your employees. You can create a live training option with Hangouts Meet sothat employees can join training sessions from a conference room, their favorite coffee shop, or another remote location. Simply set up Calendar invites for training events and send them to your employees (It’s a good idea to post these events to your new training Site so that anyone who missed the invite can join.). Then, track employee attendance with Forms.

2

3. Quiz employees on their knowledge

Once your employees have completed their training course, you’ll want to track their learning progress. You can do this easily by setting up quizzes in Forms and assigning point values for each question. Let your employees see which questions they missed and explain why so that they can continue to master concepts. And to improve your training course, ask for real-time feedback within the Form. Quiz data is tracked in Sheets so you can keep a pulse on who’s completed training courses and who might need some additional help.

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With these quick tips, you can help your employees to do their best work. Check out this G Suite Show episode to learn more, and let the training begin!

Virtual Training Hub | The G Suite Show

Source: Drive


Work hacks from G Suite: Make it automatic

More than a year ago, the Google Cloud Customer team, which focuses on providing helpful information to G Suite users, set out to create the Transformation Gallery — a resource for businesses to search and find tips on how to transform everyday processes in the workplace using Google Cloud tools. As a part of a monthly series, we’ll highlight some of the best Transformation Gallery tips to help your teams achieve more, quicker. Today, we take a look at how managers can save time by automating simple manual processes in industries like retail and financial services.

Speed up approval workflows

Managing the flow of information between employees can be overwhelming. It can get in the way of the actual work you need to do. Whether you’re entering paper-form data into a spreadsheet or emailing back and forth for approvals, at some point, these manual workflows require a lot of upkeep, or worse, they break. Here are a few steps you can take to automate your day:

1. Think of a process to improve

Look around your desk or inbox for a time-consuming request process. It might be for employee performance evaluations, requesting equipment for a new hire, or collecting daily production reports. Now, think through the steps of the process and map it out. What information do you need to collect or pass on? Who needs to review it or approve it? Who needs to be notified of the status?  

2. Use Forms to collect data

With that process in mind, build a survey using Google Forms. Make sure it has all the fields included in it for the information you need. You can also collect file uploads directly from participants at the same time you collect data, which makes it easy for employees to submit information without going back-and-forth.

Tip 2 gif
Here’s an example where retail teams used Forms to collect store manager feedback.

3. Set up your response spreadsheet

Any data you collect in Forms automatically populates in a single spreadsheet in Sheets. Be sure to share the sheet with those who need to take action once a response is submitted, and have your team set up spreadsheet notifications. That way, everyone knows when responses are in or data changes on the sheet. Add extra columns to the sheet for editors to update the status of an entry, indicate an approval, or add additional details. Now, you’ve got a single electronic record that your team can use to check on status and requests.

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Here’s an example where employees used Sheets to track interoffice transfers.

4. Automate further with Apps Script

If you want to make it even more automatic, use Apps Script. Set up one or more approval workflows, and send notifications and reminders to approvers and requestors through email. You can also program the script to update spreadsheets or other G Suite tools with data on the approval status as it happens. Here’s a simple example from The G Suite Show:

And if you’re interested in a deeper dive on Apps Script, there’s a session at Google Cloud Next ‘17 called "Automating internal processes using Apps Script and APIs for Docs editors," that can help you get familiar with the tool. Register for Next ‘17 here.

These are just a few ways you can automate workflows, and here are some often overlooked benefits:

  • The approval process is standardized and streamlined
  • Sheets digitally tracks all requests, which is great for historical data and audits (and the sheet can be shared.)
  • Notifications are sent automatically for approvals and status
  • Forms creates a simple and consistent way for employees to make requests
  • Employees can use a mobile device to initiate and complete a request

Best of all, by transforming your workflows with these tips, you and your coworkers will save time. Something we can all appreciate.

Source: Google Cloud


Work hacks from G Suite: Make it automatic

More than a year ago, the Google Cloud Customer team, which focuses on providing helpful information to G Suite users, set out to create the Transformation Gallery — a resource for businesses to search and find tips on how to transform everyday processes in the workplace using Google Cloud tools. As a part of a monthly series, we’ll highlight some of the best Transformation Gallery tips to help your teams achieve more, quicker. Today, we take a look at how managers can save time by automating simple manual processes in industries like retail and financial services.

Speed up approval workflows

Managing the flow of information between employees can be overwhelming. It can get in the way of the actual work you need to do. Whether you’re entering paper-form data into a spreadsheet or emailing back and forth for approvals, at some point, these manual workflows require a lot of upkeep, or worse, they break. Here are a few steps you can take to automate your day:

1. Think of a process to improve

Look around your desk or inbox for a time-consuming request process. It might be for employee performance evaluations, requesting equipment for a new hire, or collecting daily production reports. Now, think through the steps of the process and map it out. What information do you need to collect or pass on? Who needs to review it or approve it? Who needs to be notified of the status?  

2. Use Forms to collect data

With that process in mind, build a survey using Google Forms. Make sure it has all the fields included in it for the information you need. You can also collect file uploads directly from participants at the same time you collect data, which makes it easy for employees to submit information without going back-and-forth.

Tip 2 gif
Here’s an example where retail teams used Forms to collect store manager feedback.

3. Set up your response spreadsheet

Any data you collect in Forms automatically populates in a single spreadsheet in Sheets. Be sure to share the sheet with those who need to take action once a response is submitted, and have your team set up spreadsheet notifications. That way, everyone knows when responses are in or data changes on the sheet. Add extra columns to the sheet for editors to update the status of an entry, indicate an approval, or add additional details. Now, you’ve got a single electronic record that your team can use to check on status and requests.

GIF 2
Here’s an example where employees used Sheets to track interoffice transfers.

4. Automate further with Apps Script

If you want to make it even more automatic, use Apps Script. Set up one or more approval workflows, and send notifications and reminders to approvers and requestors through email. You can also program the script to update spreadsheets or other G Suite tools with data on the approval status as it happens. Here’s a simple example from The G Suite Show:

And if you’re interested in a deeper dive on Apps Script, there’s a session at Google Cloud Next ‘17 called "Automating internal processes using Apps Script and APIs for Docs editors," that can help you get familiar with the tool. Register for Next ‘17 here.

These are just a few ways you can automate workflows, and here are some often overlooked benefits:

  • The approval process is standardized and streamlined
  • Sheets digitally tracks all requests, which is great for historical data and audits (and the sheet can be shared.)
  • Notifications are sent automatically for approvals and status
  • Forms creates a simple and consistent way for employees to make requests
  • Employees can use a mobile device to initiate and complete a request

Best of all, by transforming your workflows with these tips, you and your coworkers will save time. Something we can all appreciate.

Source: Google Cloud


Work hacks from G Suite: Make it automatic

More than a year ago, the Google Cloud Customer team, which focuses on providing helpful information to G Suite users, set out to create the Transformation Gallery — a resource for businesses to search and find tips on how to transform everyday processes in the workplace using Google Cloud tools. As a part of a monthly series, we’ll highlight some of the best Transformation Gallery tips to help your teams achieve more, quicker. Today, we take a look at how managers can save time by automating simple manual processes in industries like retail and financial services.

Speed up approval workflows

Managing the flow of information between employees can be overwhelming. It can get in the way of the actual work you need to do. Whether you’re entering paper-form data into a spreadsheet or emailing back and forth for approvals, at some point, these manual workflows require a lot of upkeep, or worse, they break. Here are a few steps you can take to automate your day:

1. Think of a process to improve

Look around your desk or inbox for a time-consuming request process. It might be for employee performance evaluations, requesting equipment for a new hire, or collecting daily production reports. Now, think through the steps of the process and map it out. What information do you need to collect or pass on? Who needs to review it or approve it? Who needs to be notified of the status?  

2. Use Forms to collect data

With that process in mind, build a survey using Google Forms. Make sure it has all the fields included in it for the information you need. You can also collect file uploads directly from participants at the same time you collect data, which makes it easy for employees to submit information without going back-and-forth.

Tip 2 gif
Here’s an example where retail teams used Forms to collect store manager feedback.

3. Set up your response spreadsheet

Any data you collect in Forms automatically populates in a single spreadsheet in Sheets. Be sure to share the sheet with those who need to take action once a response is submitted, and have your team set up spreadsheet notifications. That way, everyone knows when responses are in or data changes on the sheet. Add extra columns to the sheet for editors to update the status of an entry, indicate an approval, or add additional details. Now, you’ve got a single electronic record that your team can use to check on status and requests.

GIF 2
Here’s an example where employees used Sheets to track interoffice transfers.

4. Automate further with Apps Script

If you want to make it even more automatic, use Apps Script. Set up one or more approval workflows, and send notifications and reminders to approvers and requestors through email. You can also program the script to update spreadsheets or other G Suite tools with data on the approval status as it happens. Here’s a simple example from The G Suite Show:

And if you’re interested in a deeper dive on Apps Script, there’s a session at Google Cloud Next ‘17 called "Automating internal processes using Apps Script and APIs for Docs editors," that can help you get familiar with the tool. Register for Next ‘17 here.

These are just a few ways you can automate workflows, and here are some often overlooked benefits:

  • The approval process is standardized and streamlined
  • Sheets digitally tracks all requests, which is great for historical data and audits (and the sheet can be shared.)
  • Notifications are sent automatically for approvals and status
  • Forms creates a simple and consistent way for employees to make requests
  • Employees can use a mobile device to initiate and complete a request

Best of all, by transforming your workflows with these tips, you and your coworkers will save time. Something we can all appreciate.