SmallBusinessNewz

A question that often comes up when discussing Google Apps is "why?"  People are often unsure why they should use new software when existing solutions work just fine.  Well, one small business figure has outlined how Google Apps helped improve things for him.

A post on the Google Small Business Blog explained, "Michael Salvatore, chief officer of just about everything [at Bowery Lane Bicycles], was brought on board to help run the business.  His first task was to get the company operating and communicating on a more professional level by banning personal email addresses for work and implementing Google Apps so everyone had @bowerylanebicycles.com email addresses."

Then Salvatore himself added, "Google Calendar also helps us quickly spread the word among our friends about upcoming cycling and charity events where we'll need staffing help.  We keep a master calendar of all events and send out invites directly from Google Calendar.  On the sales end, our showroom is viewed by appointment only, so we use a shared calendar for all of our scheduling."

Plus, Bowery Lane Bicycles has come to use Google Docs to collaborate with business contacts and Google forms to track inventory.

Google Apps has managed to meet a lot of needs at this one company, then, and perhaps that helps illustrate how other small businesses might also be able to employ the offering.

Of course, as always, we'll admit that other solutions exist and every business owner has to pick what's right for his or her particular situation.