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Business communications: Teams or Meet?Microsoft and Google have been competing on almost every front, and both have made big strides in machine learning, cloud computing, and productivity software. In terms of communication solutions, the tech powerhouses are also neck and neck with Microsoft Teams and Google Meet. These platforms share common calling and video conferencing features, but depending on […]

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Business communications: Teams or Meet?

Microsoft and Google have been competing on almost every front, and both have made big strides in machine learning, cloud computing, and productivity software. In terms of communication solutions, the tech powerhouses are also neck and neck with Microsoft Teams and Google Meet. These platforms share common calling and video conferencing features, but depending on your organization’s requirements, one may be more ideal for your company than the other.

Calling features

Microsoft Teams and Google Meet both offer enterprise-grade security, 1080p HD-quality video, and screen sharing capabilities, but there are some slight differences.

In the free version of Microsoft Teams, there is no limit to the number of people who can use its chat and document collaboration functions. Meanwhile, up to 20 users can join an audio or a video call. This number increases to 250 in the paid version.

What’s great about Microsoft Teams is it supports meeting and group call recording, and even has captions and transcription features. It also has an inline message translation feature that translates messages into the language specified in a user’s settings.

On the other hand, Google Meet’s free version supports up to 100 participants in a video call. What’s more, it has intelligent built-in features like muting and auto screen focus, which automatically switches the screen to the person who is currently talking. It also lets people join meetings even without Wi-Fi or data through unique dial-in phone numbers.

Integrations and add-ons

Microsoft Teams is, first and foremost, a unified platform that allows users to communicate and collaborate on a single platform. It comes with powerful content collaboration on Microsoft 365 apps (e.g., Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and easily integrates with hundreds of other productivity and collaboration platforms.

Meanwhile, being a Google product, Google Meet fully integrates with Google Workspace (formerly G Suite). For instance, users can schedule appointments and set call reminders within Google Meet using Google Calendar. Users can even broadcast their presentations live on YouTube.

Pricing

Both Microsoft Teams and Google Meet have free versions but with limited features. With the free version of Microsoft Teams, users can join a meeting and use its screen and file sharing features even without an account. However, they cannot record and save meetings. They also cannot take advantage of call encryption and call-in features if they do not have a Microsoft 365 account.

The most affordable subscription is $5 per month per user, and an additional $4 per user is needed for the call-in capabilities. Adding webinar features is also an additional cost if users want to livestream events to hundreds of people.

Meanwhile, users can use Google Meet for free with their personal Gmail accounts, but also with limited capabilities. A subscription that starts at $6 per month per user, however, lets users get Google Meet along with all the other powerful Google business apps and tools.

What works for you?

Knowing the similarities and differences between the two platforms, it should be easy for you to decide which suits your business the best. Google designed Google Meet for startups and small companies that need a low-cost communications solution, while Microsoft Teams, with its robust features, is suitable for small and large businesses alike.

If you’re still unsure about either product, you can opt for a free trial to help you in making the decision. Otherwise, you can contact our team today so we can recommend a VoIP solution that’s perfect for your business.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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Simplify your email management with these Gmail tricksMany Gmail users find the email service to be convenient and reliable, but they’ll be surprised to learn that the following hacks can make for an even better Gmail experience. Undo Send In the fast-paced world of business, mistakes happen. And because everybody deserves a second chance at writing that email, Gmail has provided a […]

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Simplify your email management with these Gmail tricks

Many Gmail users find the email service to be convenient and reliable, but they’ll be surprised to learn that the following hacks can make for an even better Gmail experience.

Undo Send

In the fast-paced world of business, mistakes happen. And because everybody deserves a second chance at writing that email, Gmail has provided a way to recall sent emails — as long as you do it immediately after hitting Send.

To recall your email, simply click on Undo or View Message > Undo beside the “Message Sent” prompt at the bottom left of your screen.

Gmail templates

Gmail templates, formerly known as canned responses, are pre-written email formats that you can use as is or as the starting point of a fresh email. These are great for regular messages that follow a specific template. Instead of writing the same lines of text over and over again, you can simply choose any of the customizable templates with a click of your mouse.

Access your Gmail templates by composing a new email and clicking Templates > Insert Template.

Send large attachments with Google Drive

Need to send a high-resolution RAW image to a client but Gmail’s attachment size restrictions won’t let you? You can simply upload your files to Google Drive and click on Share to get a sharing link you can send to your client or your boss.

Alternatively, you can click on the Google Drive icon at the bottom of your email composition window and choose the files you wish to send.

Turn on Priority Inbox

The Priority Inbox feature organizes your messages by their importance using machine learning. You’ll be able to divide your inbox into five sections, where the messages will be displayed in the following order:

  1. Important and unread messages
  2. Starred messages
  3. [Customizable section]
  4. [Customizable section]
  5. Everything else

Enable advanced settings

Configuring Gmail’s Advanced Settings is an excellent way to increase email efficiency. Some of these features include Multiple Inboxes, Preview Pane, and custom keyboard shortcuts. Access them by going to Settings > Advanced.

Spending the right amount of time with emails while managing other crucial business areas is a balancing act many business owners find difficult. If you have questions or need further assistance regarding Gmail or IT in general, feel free to contact us.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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The benefits of syncing your Android phone with Google ChromeMost people nowadays swap between their computer and their smartphone for their productivity needs — from work to passion projects to simply running their daily lives. It’s simpler than ever to do so, thanks to Google Chrome’s sync-up features for Android phones. Send directions from your laptop to your Android phone While Google Maps works […]

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The benefits of syncing your Android phone with Google Chrome

Most people nowadays swap between their computer and their smartphone for their productivity needs — from work to passion projects to simply running their daily lives. It’s simpler than ever to do so, thanks to Google Chrome’s sync-up features for Android phones.

Send directions from your laptop to your Android phone

While Google Maps works great on smartphones, it’s often easier to use on larger screens. To send driving, walking, or commuting directions from your PC to your Android phone, do the following:

  1. Click on a specific location on Google Maps, or enter a location in the search field and click on the desired result.
  2. Click on the “Send to your phone” button in the pane on the left side of your screen.
  3. Choose to have the directions sent to your phone via text or email.

Sync your computer’s Chrome tabs with your phone

This is especially useful when you need to bring your work outside of the office. Here’s all you need to do:

  1. Open the Chrome App on your Android phone.
  2. Tap the three-dotted menu icon beside the search field.
  3. If you’re not using multiple Google accounts, go straight to Step 4. Otherwise, tap Settings > your user icon > Sync > Sync to > your desired Google account, then press the back button until you see the three-dotted menu icon. Press it once more.
  4. Tap Recent tabs. You’ll see all the tabs you’ve opened recently while logged into a particular Google account regardless of device.

Find your lost mobile device

Simply entering “find my phone” in the Google search bar will display the current or last known location of your phone. On top of that, you can also ring your device for five minutes — even if it’s set to silent — in the hopes that a kind soul answers it and tells you where you can get your phone back.

Use your phone to control your computer

For this trick, start by installing the Chrome Remote Desktop app from the Google Play Store on your Android phone and the Chrome Remote Desktop extension app for Chrome on your computer, regardless if it’s running on ChromeOS, Windows, macOS, or Linux.
Each device you want to connect must have Chrome installed, and each Chrome browser must be signed into the same account. With everything in place, you can remotely control a system that’s switched on, such as your desktop, via your phone or Chromebook, or allow one-time access to give or receive remote support.

Set reminders via Google Assistant or Google Keep

You can use voice commands on your Android phone to set reminders. Say “OK Google” or press the mic icon to activate Google Assistant, then say “Remind me to buy milk at the grocery store” or whatever it is you want to be reminded of. Once the “Add a reminder” screen appears, you can edit reminder details, such as when you want to be alerted. For instance, you may want your device to remind you of your grocery list when you enter a grocery store.

Alternatively, you can install the Google Keep extension app in Chrome or the Google Keep app on your Android. Simply open the app, click the Take a note field, type in your reminder, click the Remind me icon, then click on either Pick date & time to set when you want to be reminded, or Pick place to set where you want to be notified.

As long as you have syncing turned on for your Google account, you can use Google Calendar, Google Assistant, or Google Keep on one device to unleash reminders across all your devices. Syncing lets you make the most of your devices giving you the illusion that you’re using one machine. For any questions regarding Android/Chrome pairing, feel free to give us a call anytime!

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

The post The benefits of syncing your Android phone with Google Chrome appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

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