Tips for professional services

Google Workspace productivity guide

Services companies build their valuable reputations by collaborating effectively both internally & with their clients.

These tips share real-world examples of how industry leaders work closely with customers, build loyal teams, solve problems collaboratively, simplify project management, and hire the best people for long-term success.

Work closer with your customers

To collaborate more effectively with their clients in the cloud, the award-winning ad agency, M&C Saatchi, turned to Google Workspace. The agency uses Google Drive to keep huge design files in one place, allowing team members and client reviewers to edit or add comments without transferring the files. When presentation deadlines are looming, they use Google Slides–a primary author lays out the flow, then everyone else completes their individual slides, at their convenience.

If your organization has Gemini for Google Workspace, you can generate illustrations based on your slide content. You can also generate whole slides with Gemini in Slides using a prompt.

Learn how

Add files to Drive

If you're using the latest Chrome browser or Mozilla Firefox, you can drag files or folders from your computer into a Drive folder. Or, you can click New

File upload or Folder upload and choose the file or folder you want to upload.

Add files to a shared drive

Requires at least Contributor access

On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
At the left, click Shared drives and double-click one of your shared drives.
At the top left, click New.
Click the type of file or folder you want to create or upload from your computer.

Any files you add are owned by the team. If you leave the shared drive, your files remain.

Create a presentation

Open the Slides home screen at Google Slides.
In the top left, under "Start a new presentation," click New . This will create and open your new presentation.

You can also create new presentations from the URL https://slides.google.com/create.

Learn more at the Google Drive Help Center

Create images based on slide content with Gemini

On your computer, open Google Slides.
At the top, click Ask Gemini .
In the side panel, you can:
- Create an image based on a selected slide: For example, you can enter Create an image or Suggest images for this slide.
- Select a suggested prompt: Gemini in Slides might suggest images based on the content of your slides.
- Create your own prompt: For example, you can ask Create an image of a dog with glasses.
Press Enter.
Point to a specific image and click Insert .
(Optional) To send feedback about the image, click Good suggestion or Bad suggestion .
You can also:
- Edit the prompt: Click Edit Prompt .
- Generate more images: At the bottom, click Generate more .

Get started with Google Slides

Generate a new slide with Gemini

You can use the Gemini in Slides side panel to generate a new slide.

On your computer, open Google Slides. New slides are generated using your current theme.
At the top, click Ask Gemini .
In the side panel, select a prompt or create your own. To create a prompt with the name of your file, insert @ before the name. For example, Create a slide about how to optimally train for a marathon or Create a slide about @Company 2023 Goals deck.
From the generated slide, you can:
- Get a different version: From the menu, click Retry .
- Add the slide to your presentation: From the menu, click Insert .
- Refine the generated slide: From the menu, click Close . On the side panel, write a new prompt.
- Send feedback: From the menu, click Good suggestion or Bad suggestion .

Get started with Slides

Make everyone feel part of the team

Rentokil Initial has six lines of business spread out over more than 60 countries, which left some of its employees feeling detached from their coworkers. Google Workspace helped change the company’s culture by making it easier for everyone to connect. Teams now use Drive and Google Sites to share meaningful information about themselves and their work. With Google Groups, graduate trainees have their own group to share work experiences.

"Online sharing is helping us to become a more personal, sociable organization, which is important for staff retention and working culture."

—Peter Shorney, Global IT Operations Manager, Rentokil Initial

Customer story

Rentokil Initial

Learn how

Solve problems creatively through engaged collaboration

As one of the world’s largest consulting firms, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is all about solving business problems—but even they had a difficult time implementing efficient collaboration processes, until they started using Google Workspace. Now, PwC’s teams are more collaborative, creative, and inspired than before. For example, employees have been able to cancel 2–5 hours of status meetings per week, by collaboratively solving problems ahead of time using Docs.

The strength of a business is built on the cumulative knowledge of its people, so use Google Workspace to transform your workplace from siloed to open, from task-oriented to engaged, and from a focus on individual productivity to a focus on teamwork. Use Sites to share insights with your employees, and Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides to work together in real time from anywhere in the world.

"By giving our teams the right tools to collaborate, we’re helping them to create and compete in new ways. With Google Workspace tools, our teams are more engaged, productive and mobile. And we’re adding more value for our clients, at a faster pace, as a result."

—Deborah Bothun, US Entertainment, Media and Communications Leader, PwC

Customer story

PwC

Learn how

Simplify project management & team communication

Grass Roots is a performance improvement company that relies on outstanding collaboration and communication to win the trust of its clients. When legacy systems couldn’t keep up, Google Workspace revolutionized the way their teams work together. Now, employees share and update project reports, timelines, calendars, budgets, and work documents online in real time. They can easily stay in touch via email, instant messaging, or video conferencing using their laptops and mobile devices.

Want to simplify project management and increase productivity? Use Docs, Sheets, and Slides to collaborate on your work—and Calendar to keep everybody on the same schedule. You can also enhance Google Workspace with hundreds of integrated, third-party apps available in the Google Workspace Marketplace.

"For many of our employees, Google Workspace is revolutionizing their team and project work. Teams are more organized because everything—including timelines, budgets, and progress reports—are stored transparently with the latest updates available for all to see online."

—Danny Attias, CIO, Grass Roots

Customer story

Grass Roots

Learn how

Create a team calendar

Important: You can only create new calendars from a browser. After you create a calendar, you can find it on your browser and in the Calendar app.

On your computer, open Google Calendar.
On the left, next to "Other calendars," click Add other calendars Create new calendar.
Add a name and description for your calendar.
Click Create calendar.

Share the calendar with your team

On your computer, open Google Calendar. You can’t share calendars from the Google Calendar app.
On the left, find the “My calendars” section. To expand it, click the Down arrow .
Hover over the calendar you want to share, and click More Settings and sharing.
Under “Share with specific people or groups,” click Add people and groups.
Add a person’s or Google group’s email address. Use the drop-down menu to adjust their permission settings. Learn more about access permissions.
Click Send.
The recipient will need to click the emailed link to add the calendar to their list. Learn how to add someone else’s calendar.

Tip: To share a calendar that you don’t own, you need to ask the owner to give you “Make changes and manage sharing” permission.

Chat with collaborators in a Google file

On your computer, open a document, spreadsheet, or presentation.
At the top right, click Show chat . This feature won't be available if you're the only one in the file.
1. Tip: If there are many collaborators in the file, at the top right, to the right of the avatars, there will be a blue circle showing the number of additional collaborators. Click the blue circle Join chat .
Enter your message in the chat box.
When you’re finished, at the top right of the chat window, click Close .

Note: All chats in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides include anyone viewing the file. The chats aren't saved.

Learn more at the Google Calendar Help Center

Streamline recruiting & onboarding

When the multinational staffing agency, Randstad, wanted to modernize its email and collaboration solutions, they chose Google Workspace. Google’s integrated tools allow employees at 4,500 branches to collaborate on placing over 500,000 people every day. The transition to using Google Workspace was easy because many of Randstad’s employees already use Google tools, such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Drive, and Meet.

Your company can use Google Workspace to attract the best people and quickly onboard them, even when choosing from a huge pool of candidates in diverse locations. Use shared files in Docs to work together on the perfect job description or to test a candidate’s writing or coding skills in real time. Track your interviewing pipeline status in Sheets and use Meet to conduct remote group interviews or to extend an enthusiastic offer to your top candidate. Create training videos with Google Vids to streamline onboarding.

"We have a workforce of younger, web-savvy employees, and we heard the feedback that they’re quite familiar with Google tools … and that they'd like to use them at work, too."

—Martijn Nykerk, Senior Consultant Group IT, Randstad

Customer story

Randstad

Learn how

Comment on a document

On your computer, open a document, spreadsheet, presentation, or video.
Highlight the text, images, cells, slides, or scenes you want to comment on.
To add a comment, in the toolbar, click Add comment .
Type your comment.
Click Comment.

Make suggestions in a document

On your computer, open a document at Google Docs.
- Select the text you want to change. A button appears on the right margin. Click Suggest edits .
- If you don't find Suggesting on the toolbar, choose an option:
  - At the top right, click Editing .
  - From the drop-down, select Suggesting .
  - Click Request edit access.
  - Ask the file owner to share the document with you as a Commenter or Editor.
Edit the document.
- You’ll see your change in a new color. Anything you delete will be crossed out.
- To add more detail, click your suggestion and type a comment. Then click Reply.
The owner of the file will get an email about your suggestions and can decide whether to keep them.

Create a project plan in Sheets

In Google Drive, click NewGoogle SheetsBlank spreadsheet.
Click Untitled spreadsheet and enter a title for your project plan.
Add columns. For example, you might add columns for tasks, task owners, due dates, status, and comments.
Add content to track the tasks in your project.

Start a video meeting

Go to Google Meet.
Click New Meeting.
Select an option:
- Create a meeting for later:
  - To share the meeting details for a future meeting, copy the meeting link and share with participants.
  - To directly start the meeting with this link, paste the link into a browser; or enter the link into the “Enter a code or link” field click Join.
- Start an instant meeting: Create a new meeting and join the meeting directly.
- Schedule in Google Calendar: To schedule a meeting, you’re directed to Google Calendar.

Tip: Google Workspace Essentials users can't schedule a meeting in Google Calendar.

Create a video with Vids

On your computer, open Google Vids.
Choose an option:
- Help Me Create: Create a video with AI in Google Vids.
- Select a template: Build your video based on a template that you select.
- Start with a recording: Build your video with a video, audio, or screen recording.
- Upload media: Build your video by recording yourself (audio narration or a full video recording), your computer screen, or both.

Get started with Google Vids

Use generative AI at work

If your organization supports it, you can use the artificial intelligence add-on, Gemini for Google Workspace. Use Gemini directly in Google Workspace apps like Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, Vids, and Gmail, to help you write, visualize, organize, and connect. You can also use Gemini as a standalone experience at gemini.google.com.

Learn how

_{Google, Google Workspace, and related marks and logos are trademarks of Google LLC. All other company and product names are trademarks of the companies with which they are associated.}

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Tips for professional services

Services companies build their valuable reputations by collaborating effectively both internally & with their clients.

On this page

Work closer with your customers

Add files to Drive

Add files to a shared drive

Create a presentation

Create images based on slide content with Gemini

Generate a new slide with Gemini

Make everyone feel part of the team

Customer story

Share a file

Add files to a shared drive

Create a site

Share a Google file with a group

Solve problems creatively through engaged collaboration

Customer story

Create a document

Create a team site

Add comments in Docs, Sheets, & Slides

Simplify project management & team communication

Customer story

Create a team calendar

Share the calendar with your team

Chat with collaborators in a Google file

Streamline recruiting & onboarding

Customer story

Comment on a document

Make suggestions in a document

Create a project plan in Sheets

Start a video meeting

Create a video with Vids

Use generative AI at work

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