Google Workspace Tools for Your VA Business

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Do you use Google Workspace in your business? I found the suite of apps super helpful and use several daily.

Whether you're a virtual service provider, virtual assistant, or another business owner, you probably juggle multiple tasks and clients daily. To make your life easier and your business more efficient, Google Workspace offers a variety of tools.

Here are the ones I use and recommend you give a try too:

1. Gmail 

Consider it your virtual office's front door. You can send and receive emails to potential, past, and current clients. You could also add some productivity hacks such as using labels, filters, and folders to keep your inbox organized.

For example, you can create labels like "Client A" or "Urgent" and color-code them for quick visual identification. I have labels by client names or for some of the subscriptions I have.

💡You can use this link to create an email signature to add to your emails.

2. Google Drive

Google Drive is like one of my best business buddies! I use it to centralize my files and share them securely with clients and team members. If you're a visual person, you can develop a folder structure and colour code them so it's easy to find files.

For my personal drive, I use the alphabet for each folder and then add items based on their first letter.

For my business, it's based on business-related files such as:

• Brand Assets
• Clients
• Content
• Systems & Processes

When you go through your files, you can determine how to name your folders. Try to lean more on the side of a few main folders with subfolders. It tends to feel less overwhelming.

Also, make it a habit to put all files into folders. Orphan files on your drive can feel cluttered and mess with your focus.

3. Google Calendar

Do you use Google Calendar? I use it daily for personal and business events. The calendar helps you to stay on top of your schedule.

You can share your availability with clients and set up reminders for important tasks. Here's how your calendar might look with client meetings and deadlines. Again, if you're a visual person, colour makes it easier to identify events. For example, you can use:

• red for client meetings
• blue for family time
• green for team meetings

You could go a step further and use emojis. I use lunch emojis to block off my lunch hour. It looks like this:

🌯 LUNCH 🍔

4. Google Docs

Google Docs is my go-to tool for creating and collaborating on documents. Whether it's drafting reports, crafting articles, or working on client proposals, Google Docs offers a user-friendly platform where my clients or team members and I can edit in real-time, leave comments, and track changes.

NB. You can create beautiful documents with Google Docs by adding icons. Check out this link for an extension.

You can also create fillable workbooks. 

5. Google Sheets

If you love visuals and playing around with numbers, Google Sheets is for you. This versatile spreadsheet tool enables you to organize data, crunch numbers, and create dynamic charts and graphs.

I use it for managing budgets, tracking project progress, or analyzing data. It also syncs with Google Forms to capture responses. 

Want to create dynamic sheets that you can use with your clients or sell as digital products? Check out Dama’s 60-minute training. 

6. Google Slides

If you enjoy creating presentations, then Google Slides is a good one to use. It lets you design engaging slideshows and pitch decks that impress clients and audiences.

With a wide range of templates and the ability to embed multimedia, your presentations come to life effortlessly. Plus, collaboration is a breeze, so you can create impactful slides together with your team or clients.

And if you wish to take it a step further, you can get the add-on Doc to Slides by Alice Keeler (I hyperlinked it so you could see it in action.)

How it works is like this: Create your written file, then apply the app. It converts the text into slides for you. This reduces the time it would've taken you to create slides from scratch.

7. Google Forms

I create lots of surveys and questionnaires for clients and club members. I find Google Forms pretty simple to use and it's an excellent way to gather information efficiently. Do you use Google Forms?

8. Google Meet

Because I am paying for Google Workspace, it made perfect sense to use Google Meet and not pay for Zoom. Just like Zoom or any other video conferencing tool, you can easily host meetings, share your screen and collaborate in real time.

9. Google Tasks

Keep track of your to-do lists in one place. And the cool thing is that you can integrate your tasks with your calendar, making it a seamless experience.

10. Google Keep

Another cool tool from Google is Keep. You can capture ideas, notes, and inspiration. It's like having a digital notepad, perfect for brainstorming and staying organized. I don't use it as often as I probably should but it's one I like.

11. Google Chat

My clients and I communicate with Google Chat. It makes it easy to help keep work-related conversations separate from personal ones. And since I have the app on my phone, I can access and send messages very quickly.

Final Thoughts

By mastering these Google Workspace tools, you can streamline your virtual assistant business, enhance your productivity, and provide top-notch service to your clients. 

Which of these apps do you use? Put them in the comments below.