What is no code workflow automation for Google Workspace?

In this article we will explore What is no code workflow automation for Google Workspace?

The no-code workflow automation doesn’t need any programming knowledge to handle it. It streamlines your business process through a graphical user interface (GUI). Thus you don’t need to implement any automation programming for this. Instead, it will provide a step-by-step procedural guide to complete your task. So, both technical and non-technical background Admins and users can automate their business process through no-code workflow automation. The actual goal of this process is to eliminate redundant tasks, time, and complexity and increase business agility.

Overview of Google Workspace

Google Workspace is a cloud-based productivity platform that helps your business streamline with a set of productivity apps like - Google Sheets, Google Forms, Google Docs, Google Drive, Google email, Groups, and Google Calendar. Also, it provides security and data encryption to your account. Google Admin Console manages the security and settings for your device, accounts, apps and data. So, it can easily add or remove users and devices to manage the data for your OU. It provides cloud identity features like 2-step verification and security key to protect the users’ data. Additionally, it integrates with the endpoint management, access transparency, and advance protection program.

Overview of the various Google Workspace apps

Google Sheets

1. It’s an online spreadsheet processing tool. It helps to create, edit, and collaborate your spreadsheets with other teammates.
2. You can customize your spreadsheet by merging cells, formatting your data, changing text alignments, etc.
3. You can analyze your data by adding rows, columns, and filters.

Google Forms

1. Google Form is an online event processor that helps you to create surveys, registrations, quizzes, opinion polls, etc.
2. You can get instant responses from these events.
3. Later, you can summarize the results with corresponding charts and graphs.
4. Also, you can customize responses and quizzes, learn different methods of form sharing, etc.

Google Docs

1. This online word processor helps you with these tasks.
2. You can create, edit, and format documents, newsletters and automatic outlines.
3. It helps you to edit, collaborate, and share proposals.
4. You can add features like – images, tables, links, bookmarks, etc.
5. It allows you to work with different versions and copies of it. Ex. duplicate document creation, email attachment of the document, etc.

Google Drive

1. Drive itself provides cloud storage to store and back up your files, folders, images, and other data. So you don’t need to store them within your devices.
2. It provides built-in protections against any security threats like – spam, malware, etc.
3. It integrates with different collaboration apps and helps you to collaborate on time.

How can these apps be used in no-code workflow automation?

You can simply use them to perform different tasks like user data retrieval, sending messages, and more in your no-code automation tool. It legitimizes Google Admins to what is no code workflow automation for Google Workspace with some simple steps. Thus it helps to get rid from repetitive and overwhelming administrative tasks, such as – creating user accounts, assigning the users in an OU, etc. for the Admins. These tasks become manual and error-prone when they perform them in Admin Console. But Foresight does these efficiently without any risk of errors.

By default Google provides Google Apps Script to customize the functions of Google Admin Console but with the help of Foresight you can proceed with your automated task without any automation script. So, it implies pure no-code automation for the Admins and users. So you can easily manage your automation with Foresight automation actions. Also, you can track the rule history from the Logs page and learn about the past actions becoming successful or not. Now, you can use the Google Workspace apps for no-code automation with Foresight. Here is how you can do this –

1. With Foresight, you can export your organizational data through a Google Sheet in the form of CSV format. Later, you can download the file, also.
2. You can send Gmail notifications through automated emails to the users about significant changes to their Google Workspace account.
3. You can notify a manager in your organization through an automated email about specific employee details, etc.

Benefits of no-code workflow automation

• Increased efficiency

The no-code automation simplifies integration between different apps. You need a platform like Foresight to implement the proper workflow within a few minutes. You have to choose the right triggers and actions to create an automated rule for a task. These platforms help you to learn complex workflows by providing some easy steps. As a result, you build confidence within yourself and can save time. Thus it increases your efficiency. Your manager doesn’t need to hire extra employees.

• Reduced errors

These no-code platforms analyze complex workflows in simple procedures. It reduces the risk of appearing bugs, error-prone statuses, etc., side-by-side, they provide a workflow diagram to ensure the transparency of the automated process. So, there is no need to fix any bugs through assistance from the IT department.

• Improved productivity

They eliminate the repetitive and hectic tasks of your business workflow. So, it saves a lot of time and cost from hiring extra manpower. Thus you get more time to plan your business growth, empower your employees with new skills, purchase new tools, etc. Finally, it will improve your business’s productivity.

• Examples of no-code workflows

You can create different types of no-code workflows in Google Workspace. We will discuss them in sections 5, 6, and 7.

What is Foresight?

Foresight is a no-code workflow automation and productivity tool. It helps to design your business in a manner so that it can move faster. Also, it creates Google Workspace Workflow automation without deploying any coding and implements the missing features of Google Cloud services. Ultimately, it refines your business workflow without any complexity and reshapes the time framework by removing the daunting repetitive task. Thus it increases your business productivity.

How can Foresight be used to automate tasks?

How Foresight Works?

• Foresight offers many services for your organization to build and automate business workflows with the help of some easy setups.
• It helps to automate the rules with zero-coding experience.
• You can create your automation with different rules and actions - email your employees, create users, suspend users, perform Google Drive changes, etc.
• Get real-time alerts by triggering your rules for changes/statuses of your automation processes. It will let you know whether the automation works successfully or not.

Some use-cases of Foresight

• You can send custom welcome emails to the new users based on their profiles.
• The Google Workspace Admin terminates certain user accounts someday. Thus you don’t need to remember them or haven’t performed any task for their account.
• A retailer may want to watch stocks in a spreadsheet. It helps to send an order email to the supplier when the stocks fall below the marginal value. As a result, we don’t miss the exact time to restock the product for selling seasons.

Get started with no-code workflow automation

Step-by-step instructions on how to get started with Foresight for no-code workflow automation in Google Workspace. 

• From the Foresight page in G-suite marketplace, Add the relevant link., click the INSTALL button. If you're a Google Workspace administrator, you will find two buttons. So, click the INDIVIDUAL INSTALL button.
• After signing in to the application, you will see a few screens about starting your process. If you're an administrator, you may prefer to automate domain administrative tasks. For this reason, you can Enable API access from Google Admin Console.

Then, you can create the first rule once you navigate to the main screen. The steps are as follows -

1. Click the New Rule button to create a new rule.
2. Select a Time trigger from the rule editor dialogue.
3. Select a post-time (ex., 15 minutes from now) as the trigger time, and click Next.
4. You can find a list of actions. You can select Email action.
5. In the next screen, you have to create the email subject, recipient, and content. Also, click Request Access Permission to access permission for Foresight to send emails to you. Click Next.
6. Now review an automation workflow diagram generated for you. Give it a name on the Rule Name page and click Create.
7. It's a simple process to set the no-code automated workflow with Foresight. Foresight will send an email automatically to you on that trigger time you set. Verify your Gmail inbox to review this email.

Foresight includes more triggers, actions, and workflows to allow you to make combinations of rules to automate many tasks.

Tips on choosing the right rules, setting up workflows, actions, and flow runs

• Rules are the most important component for setting the right automated workflow in Foresight. They consist of one trigger and one or multiple actions. The rule starts with a trigger. Some examples are Manual Trigger which starts the rule by manually clicking on the play icon or Data Upload Trigger, which starts the rule by uploading a file, or Time Trigger, which starts the rule at a specific time. Besides these, there are hundreds of Triggers and Actions you can see in Foresight. Thus, select the correct trigger to initiate the rule.
• There are different actions involved in your rule creation for Foresight. As an Admin, you have to create the right rule (with suitable Trigger and Action) to notify your user about the modifications or data retrieval from their Google services. So, you can choose an Email action to inform them about the successful workflow execution or data export. Again you can choose to rename a Google Doc or move a file to the Google Drive folder as per your need.
• Simply, you can say an automated workflow helps to reach your users to the ultimate goal. It involves rule creation. Thus select a rule that's easy to understand and takes a few minutes to create and execute.

Best practices for no-code workflow automation for Google Workspace

Foresight provides the best practices for creating effective and efficient no-code workflows in Google Workspace, such as some popular admin use cases and Google Workspace use cases.

Admin use cases

• How to bulk add calendar resource buildings: Sometimes, you may need to book a particular room in your office for a meeting for a certain period. In such times, you can book calendar resource buildings. First, you need to add those resources to the calendar with Foresight. There you can automate the process by uploading the details of your resource building with the Data uploaded trigger. Later you have to select the Create building action to create and execute the rule. Finally, you will see the newly added buildings on the Admin Console.
• How to schedule a bulk force password change for users in Google Workspace: This workflow helps you to prevent a user's account from being password stolen and other suspicious activity. Foresight will help you to automate the workflow with two steps. For the first step, you will force the users to change their password for the next sign-in. The second step helps to schedule the actual rule with an automated time trigger.
• Bulk add email aliases to user accounts: To add an email alias, you must simply upload the CSV file containing the emails and alias emails. Then you need the Add user email alias action and trigger the rule to execute successfully.

Google Workspace use cases

• Google Workspace archive user: This workflow becomes essential when a user or employee leaves your organization. Then you can store their data by configuring them as an archive user. So, you can select the Archive User action from Foresight and request their account access to Google Workspace. Also, you can un-archive them as per your need.
• Auto accept Invites in Google Calendar: When you get a meeting request in Google Calendar, you can automatically accept or decline it. You can select the Respond to Event action from Foresight. Otherwise, you can decline it by selecting No by creating a Branch in the auto-accept list in your automated workflow.

Embrace the future with Foresight. Click here to learn more use cases of Foresight: https://xfanatical.com/blog/what-is-google-workspace-and-does-it-fully-replace-g-suite/

Is It Possible To Automate Google Workspace Admin Tasks?

Wrapping up

This is all about no-code Google Workspace Workflow automation. You can learn it from Foresight without knowing any code. It improves business streamlining and productivity and eliminates time consumption by the complex workflow. So, try a 14-day free trial with Foresight and set your journey!