9 awesome G Suite features that Google wants more people to know

At the time when I was a product designer, there were always some features of which I was especially proud that customers, resellers and reviewers tended not to notice. In general, this was because larger features offered a competitive advantage or attracted more attention. Nevertheless, I always thought that some of the least known and best designed features deserved more love.

That's why I run this series of articles. For each product highlighted, I contact product designers and internal champions and ask them what features they would like to be better known. Then I share these features with you.

CNET: G Suite: Everything you need to know before signing up for the Google Office Suite

I first contacted the Google G Suite team. They gave me enough information to create two G Suite items. This article focuses on G Suite productivity applications. Then you'll find a section on the tricky things you can do with the G Suite version of Hangouts, Voice, and Drive.

Some of these features are available in the consumer version of the various Google apps, but this list is specifically for G Suite paid apps. In fact, some of these features are still only in beta, but that does not mean you can not use them. We will include the beta registration links, if any.

And, with that, let's dive in.

1. Office Edition in Docs

This can be a huge time saver. If you want to edit a Microsoft Office document as a Microsoft Office document, but want to do it from G Suite, you can do it now.

In addition, you can use the collaboration features of G Suite, because this feature allows you to edit, comment, and collaborate on Microsoft Office files using Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides without having to worry about conversion of file types. Read all about it in this Google blog article.

2. G Suite Add-ons

What if you could come back for an hour a day? One way to do this is to stop doing something that takes an hour a day to complete. According to the Google Make It Work study, 69% of workers lose up to one hour each day by changing application. Reduce the time to change applications and you will save time to do the real work.

G Suite now has a beta version of add-ons that allows you to directly access third-party applications such as Box, Evernote, Asana, DocuSign, Copper and QuickBooks directly from Gmail with G Suite add-ons. Google believes that add-ons reduce the time spent switching from one application to another, which could have a direct benefit on the volume of work done. Sign up for the beta here. Learn more in this Google blog post.

3. Connected sheets

My father has always wanted to create very large spreadsheets. For him, at the time of Multiplan and 1-2-3, it meant 50 or 100 rows and columns, all in one spreadsheet. But today, the amount of data available to analyze is much greater. What if you wanted to analyze a billion lines? Or even 10 billion lines? Normally, you would set up a sort of big data project with complex and hard-to-use big data tools. But not more.

Connected Sheets of G Suite is a new type of spreadsheet that activates when using the data connector Sheets, allowing users to analyze up to 10 billion rows of data. BigQuery data without using SQL scripts. Yes, I said it. ten billion rows. That's why, ladies and gentlemen, we use the cloud. Productivity applications should no longer be limited to what can work on a computer. C & # 39; do not the spreadsheet application of my father. Sign up for the beta here. Learn more in this Google blog post.

4. Integration of Google Assistant G Suite

Many of us use Gmail and Calendar consumer releases to see how useful the Google Assistant can be. But if you keep your calendar in G Suite, you've been left unprepared. Do not shiver anymore. Currently available in beta, Google Assistant now integrates with G Suite, specifically Calendar. Now you can ask the assistant when and where your next meeting is or postpone the 8:00 call. Learn more in this Google blog post.

5. Grammar Suggestions in Docs

[Note to editor: Don’t change the following text, it’s meant as an example of bad grammar.] It is very difficult for me to imagine that I am making grammatical errors in my documents. When writing, these are always great tools to help the spelling and even. Composition of sentences. That's why, when I submit my articles to my editors, they always seem as calm and never. They are not frustrated by my writing.

The fact is that grammar is more than just spelling. By leveraging the existing spell checking feature, Docs now highlights possible grammar errors and helps users fix them. Grammar in Docs also includes a new interface for reviewing all spelling and grammar suggestions. You can access it via the "Tools" menu or by right-clicking on a suggestion and select "See more suggestions" to display each suggestion and each action to correct any errors. Learn more in this Google blog post. And yes, I have very patient editors.

6. Explore in documents, sheets and slides

You've just seen how grammar suggestions can help your compositions Doc. He works as a helpful friend, looking over your shoulder and making suggestions. What if you could have a helpful friend who makes suggestions, not just about the words you write, but about the content and concepts you're working on? What if you had an assistant who could help you discover trends, identify interesting research and even show you design options?

That's the new Explorer feature and it's pretty smooth. Powered by artificial intelligence, the Explorer feature of Docs, Sheets and Slides is like looking for a professional researcher, data analyst or graphic designer in one click. This tool helps you to decrypt data more easily and to discover design tools and search recommendations so you can create a useful job faster. Learn more in this Google blog post.

7. Find a time in the calendar

A few months ago, I brought to light a hardware solution for managing shared meeting rooms and locations. For those who need a dynamically updated room availability directly in the room itself, it was a valid (albeit expensive) solution.

Now, however, G Suite has added improved scheduling to Calendar. This convenient planning tool automatically suggests available meeting times and rooms based on your preferences to save you time. Learn more in this Google blog post. No special equipment required.

8. Quick access to documentation

If you have noticed a theme from our list of features, it is that Google is unveiling more information through artificial intelligence technology.

This trend continues in Docs, where Quick Access uses AI to suggest relevant files based on signals such as drive activity and information in your documents, so you have easy access to the most relevant and up-to-date information. . Learn more in this Google blog post.

9. Version Control in Docs

In June, I wrote a lot about unmounting a document after too many people went there. I've used the version control feature, as well as the named versions.

See also: How to restore your original version after collaborators have caused trouble

If you are not familiar with version control, it works like this. Rather than browse more than 20 changes from one document to find your original draft, stay organized by naming specific versions of a document. Just go to the version history and click on the three points to the right of the version you want to name. From there, you can also make a copy of this version, which is useful for sharing the "before" and "after" of your work. An interesting feature on the Google blog post is that you can also create notifications to be alerted when changes are made.

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So this is it. Nine great features that should increase your productivity and save time. Stay tuned as I have other tips for G Suite releases of Hangouts, Voice and Drive coming soon. Is there another product where you would like to know what hidden or less known features the seller wants to highlight? If so, post your suggestions in the comments below.

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