Custom Signatures on Gmail for Business
Intro to Cloud Computing and Google Apps Many owners of paint companies are spending more time on the road and less time at the office during a down economy. The need for a mobile office is more needed now than even a year ago. So, I’ve been encouraging my clients to consider switching to “Cloud Computing.” Cloud Computing is basically computer programs/software on the web, not physically installed on your computer. If you have an Internet connection, you have all your office applications and files at your fingertips on the go. Oh…and with a good connection, Cloud Computing is typically much faster to load and operate than the typical heavy programs like Microsoft Outlook and other CRM programs. Anyways, Google is becoming a leader in Cloud Computing by offering “Google Apps:” business applications in the clouds. They also have Google Marketplace which allows 3rd party companies to offer their Cloud products to be installed on the Google platform/dashboard. What this means in a nutshell is that by using Google Apps and the Marketplace, you only login to one program: your google account. Once you are logged in, you have access to all other programs you’ve subscribed too or purchased and don’t need a separate username and password (i.e. Everything under one roof). Custom Signatures If you decide to make the switch to the clouds and end up using Google Apps, you will probably end up settling with Gmail as your emailing program in most cases rather than MS Outlook. Gmail has a different interface than Outlook. It takes some getting use too, but once you use all the cool plugins (called labs in Gmail) and get familiar with it, Gmail is pretty powerful! The one major downside to Gmail is that you can only use “plain text” for your custom signatures. So, a company called WiseStamp created a plugin that allows you to create custom signatures, similar to what you could do in Outlook. The latest version of WiseStampmakes creating a custom signature easy and requires little or no HTML knowledge. Check out their website and download the plugin for your browser: Firefox of Chrome (my two favorites). Need Help Setting up a Cloud Office, Mobile Devices, Google Apps, Customizing Gmail into a Business Account, Setting up your Calendars, Signatures, Filters etc. can be done without hiring a consultant or computer wiz…but it can be quite time consuming. So, if you don’t have the time or get stuck in the process, I’m happy to help. Just ask!