Working in an office, you get to know and start to prefer certain tools. Whether it’s your desktop calendar that keeps your life in order or the document management software that keeps your projects organized, there is always one thing you rely on to get your job done right.

I personally rely heavily on Gmail. It sounds simple enough – an email platform. But for me it’s so much more than simply an email platform – it is my favorite and most important tool in doing my work each and every day. From document sharing to staying up to date with coworkers, I have everything I need, and it’s free.

Simple Communication

Staying in touch with coworkers is imperative in an ever-moving office environment. And at a time when there’s a high premium placed on productivity and time management, chatting with coworkers online saves time and effort. While there are a number of communication tools that offices can employ as a means to communicate, G-chat is my favorite. But what is the greatest benefit? It’s built right into Gmail.

  • When I miss a chat, or my computer boots me offline, the conversation comes to my inbox. I don’t worry about losing important information via chat because they’re all archived like an email.
  • Let’s face it; you can’t get away from your email. As a mainstay on my browser at all times of the day, it’s easy for me to carry on conversations while getting important emails in and out.

Seamless Sharing

Staying on the same page can be difficult when using computer installed software for document organization. However, being in the cloud makes this a non-issue. Even better – using Google Docs. For upgraded Gmail users it’s now your Google “Drive,” and labeled as such. Sharing documents through your Gmail account makes the collaboration process seamless.

  • Invite as many users as you need, and each person can be assigned as “can edit” or “can view,” allowing you to regulate the sharing and editing responsibilities.
  • Download all documents onto your computer and into a number of file formats: Excel sheet, PDF, document, plain text and more.
  • Edit and save in real time. If working on a group project, you can see the edits being made by other users – making collaboration from different parts of the office easy.

Easy Google+ Access

Finally, if your business is on Google+ you know the importance of being present throughout the day; as a network for sharing and engaging, you want to maintain relationships, comments and sharing. Being an offshoot of Gmail, it’s easy to stay plugged in and engaged at all times.

  • View notifications directly from your email, bringing all your important business relationships into one place.
  • Post to your G+ account directly from your inbox with a simple click.

When every aspect of your business life is integrated in one place, it makes the work day simple and productive. Get important documents, maintain business relationships and keep your social media up to date without ever leaving your email account.

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