Start your google guides program – Google Apps for Work User Manual
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Change Management Guide
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Phase 1: Core IT
Start your Google Guides program
Time frame: Weeks 2–3
What are Google Guides? To ensure the best possible experience for
both your users and support staff, you need a solid support plan in
place on day one.
You know that some of your users are apprehensive about the
change. Many need live help getting started no matter how much
documentation and training you provide. This is where Google
Guides can make all the difference in a smooth rollout to your user
community.
Google Guides are specially picked—or sometimes self-selected—
users who will serve as your on-the-floor ambassadors, counselors,
educators, and general go-to people who will deal directly with new
Apps users.
These guides are switched to Google Apps in advance of most of your
user community (usually as part of the Early Adopter phase), and
provided with extra product training and support.
Why it works: Users are typically more productive with their new
services if they can get immediate, one-on-one help from their peers.
Google Guides understand your users’ needs best and can provide
more targeted, efficient, and personal support.
You’ll reduce the load on IT and help desk staff, so your staff can
focus on any pressing support issues, instead of repeatedly handling
the same “How do I...?” questions.
The result: An outline for how you want to use Google Guides and
the list of the people who’ll serve as your guides.
Google Guides from The Weather Channel
“I loved having some of the Early
Adopters as Google Guides. If people
had a simple question, they could get an
answer fairly easily. They also helped
keep a positive vibe.”
—Christina Jobes, Change
Management Lead, The Weather
The Weather Channel is a cable and satellite