Google announced at its I/O developer conference back in March that it will be launching some new extensions for Gmail. The tech company has kept its word and here’s everything you need to know about the latest productivity-enhancing add-ons.
Google’s focus is on productivity services that are already connected to email systems one way or another. This is why they have partnered with Asana, Dialpad, DocuSign (coming soon), Hire (by Google), Intuit QuickBooks, ProsperWorks, RingCentral, Smartsheet, Streak, Trello, and Wrike for their first set of native extensions.
What are some features can you expect?
While each add-on’s capabilities are slightly different, what they have in common is functionality that allows you to track various tasks right from the Gmail interface.
For instance, Gmail users will be able to view tasks and track their progress right from their inboxes when they receive emails from other Asana users. The Trello add-on allows you to turn emails into actionable tasks where you’ll be able to comment and move cards without having to switch to Trello itself. And the RingCentral add-on will let you make outbound calls and view and send SMS messages right from your inbox.
What’s more, these integrations work in the mobile Gmail app on Android, too. Google is currently working with Apple to bring these add-ons to iOS and they should be available soon.
How to install these add-ons
Just head over to G Suite Marketplace and download any extension you want. Then, those add-ons will be visible on the right sidepane of your Gmail interface. Unfortunately, they aren’t available in Inbox by Gmail (Google’s other email client) just yet.
However, Google has made it easy for developers to create customized add-ons for their company with guidelines you can find here.
With the introduction of Gmail add-ons, it’s exciting to see what other integrations are in store for businesses in 2018. But until then, if you have any questions about how you can use the web and cloud technology to your business's advantage, just give us a call.
