It’s no secret Google is king when it comes to web browsing. Sorry, we’re not sorry. But the makers of the world’s most popular web browser have created a royal fleet of productivity tools for personal and professional use. It’s called Google Suite, and today we let Google Sheets, the Suite’s spreadsheeting alternative to Microsoft Excel, take center stage.
It’s a Free Alternative to Numerous Business Tools
Just about every project management, spreadsheet, budgeting, or planning tool at a business owner’s fingertips is going to cost something. In rare cases where there is a free version, chances are the functionality will be too limited to be worth the $0 price tag.
Google Sheets is 100% free and can be used to solve many of the most challenging administrative problems faced by small businesses, including:
- Expense reporting, budgeting, and profits & loss (P&L) statements
- Creating team workflows and operational pipelines
- Project-planning and resource allocation needs
- Inventory tracking and invoicing
- Contact lists and customer relationship management
- Content management
- Employee/contractor time tracking
Most importantly, it’s one of the easiest tools to use for collaboration and brainstorming amongst distributed team members.
The Learning Curve is Practically Non-Existent
If you’re familiar with Excel, you’ll be right at home with Google Sheets. If you and Excel are not acquainted, or if you’re flat-out anti-Excel, you still have nothing to fear.
- Most of the Excel functions you may be used to are available in Google Sheets.
- There’s an abundant supply of documentation, community forums, and online tutorials to get started.
- Google is really good at clean, intuitive user interfaces and experiences.
The barrier to entry into the Google Sheets game is extremely low.
You Control the Collaboration
The level of granular control over document viewing, modifying, and sharing is quite outstanding for a free tool. The administrative control opens up all-new potential use cases for Google Sheets in business. Not only can you manage internal teams and external collaborators or contractors, but you can also set up collaborative spaces with partners and clients. Track implementation details, share communication plans, organize content calendars, and keep the lines of communication between business stakeholders wide open in the cloud.
Google Suite Just Keeps Getting Sweeter
The ways in which you can use Google Sheets to collaborate in your business is a list that’s only growing. And it’s made more robust by the lengthy list of add-ons available to extend the productivity software’s functionality. It’s a time-tested tool for personal and professional use that just keeps getting Suite-er!
