🍵 7 Powerful Google Docs Tips You Didn’t Know That Will Save You 1,000+ Hours

(5-min read)

Welcome to the 36th edition of my weekly Customer Success Café newsletter!

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Driving Customer Success is about being productive, not doing busy things.

And one of the major productivity tools CS teams use is Google Docs. Actually, 1.9+ billion people use it worldwide.

But most people are not aware of its full potential, yet. 

If only they knew what the best features for productivity were, they would jump out of their chairs.

Discovering these tips will almost make you scream. And this is what I’m going to show you today.

It will help you save thousands of hours and deliver amazing work faster.

So here are 7 Google Docs tips that are so powerful that you’ll wonder why you didn’t know them earlier:

1/ Create a new document from your browser

To create a new doc, you usually go to your drive and click on “+” right?

Did you know you can do so in seconds from your Chrome browser?

1. In the address bar, type in “doc.new”

A new Google Doc will open.

Short and sweat.

2/ Embed your document in emails

Sharing a doc in an email is easy.
You insert the shared link in the body of your email or add it as an attachment.
But a better option is to embed your doc into your email:
Go to File => Email
Email this file
Check the box “Don’t attach, include content”

3/ Add watermark

Want to share the doc with a client or on the web but keep it under copyright?
Add an image or text watermark on the background:
Insert
Watermark
select “text watermark” or an image.

4/ Use substitutes for phrases

Do you have a sentence or block of words you use often?
Stop wasting time typing the same things over again.
Highlight the text you want to create a shortcut for.
Copy it to the clipboard (Ctrl+C or Cmd C)
Then go to:
• Tools => Preferences => Substitutions
• define the shortcut = > add its replacement
Now, whenever you type the shortcut and press Space or Tab, it will bring up the entire block for you.

5/ Share a preview, anonymously

By default, people can see who is viewing the document.

But sometimes we’d like to share without allowing anyone to see who is on it.

To do so, change the URL from /edit to /preview and share the new link.

This way, no one will be able to copy, or make changes

6/ Add building blocks

There is an easier way to add block templates to your doc.
Go to:
Insert
Building Blocks
Select Review Tracker, or any other blocks you need.

7/ Lowercase the entire block

It often happens that you start writing your doc but forget you were in all caps.

So you delete and start over.

From now on, do this instead:

• Select the text in capitals

• Click Format => Text => Capitalization

• Select “lowercase”.

And voilà 😎 I hope that helps!

About you

I’m introducing a new section where the stage belongs to my most active readers.

And today, it’s my absolute pleasure to introduce you to Diana Pavic.

She’s been a consistent reader of my newsletter since when I launched my newsletter 8 months ago.

I enjoyed interviewing her and appreciate her genuine answers.

So here we go. The stage is yours, Diana!

Where are you from?

I’ve been living in Auckland, New Zealand for 15 years. I’ve recently relocated to my home country Zagreb, Croatia

Your career path

I always had an interest in people, and everything related to them. This led me to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology.
My interest developed further when I moved to New Zealand.
I started working in community services and used my skills and passion to improve people’s lives.
This is when I enrolled in a Bachelor of Social Work which I completed in 2015.
Since then, I have been working as a Social Worker in various fields (family, mental health).
In 2022, I started working in digital mental health.
I am currently working as a mental health professional/customer support.
This is where I started to see the potential and opportunities to make a positive impact on people.

How did you join Customer Success?

I am currently transitioning into Customer Success.
As I came across the CS function, I started doing a lot of research on the topic.
And I found it more interesting and related to my previous profession.
I enjoy solving problems, building rapport, and assisting people in reaching their goals.
I am eager to take my skills from previous roles and my passion for the tech industry into my next position.
To me, Customer Success was an obvious choice for my career journey.

Where do you see yourself in 3 years?

I tend to plan things within a shorter time frame.
My previous experience thought me that I always end up exactly where I should be.
And that everything happens for a reason.
What are the things you are most passionate about?
Personal growth, people, and social issues.

What are your top 3 priorities at the moment?

Family, well-being, and professional development

Why did you join my newsletter? was it helpful? what was the impact on you?

I find the CS Café newsletter to be a great opportunity to learn and get insights about the CS role.
I appreciate the format of the newsletter which is simple, concise, and to the point.
Your newsletter covers CS topics very well.
You deep dive into a variety of areas such as metrics or efficient customer interactions.
It’s also a free learning opportunity for me.
I often get back to it and read previous editions again to reflect and learn something new every time.
I appreciate your intention to make the reading enjoyable, interesting, and approachable.
And you do all of this regardless of people’s professional backgrounds or years of experience.

What are some unknown facts about you?

I am a cat lover. Actually, I’m searching for my next one 😊
I enjoy singing. I’ve been part of different music choirs. In one of them, I had an opportunity to sing in Latin.
I have a passion for Italian and Spanish language, which I want to learn at some point.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Be proud of who you are and always stay true to yourself, especially in challenging times.

How can we contact you?

I am always open to new connections.
And I love to meet new people and learn from them. We all have so much to offer. You can connect with me on Linkedin here.

Well, thank you so much, Diana!
Wishing you all the success in your journey!