Beyond the prompt: How to create a Google Guides program to drive adoption of Workspace with Gemini

Welcome back to Beyond the prompt, our blog series focused on actionable tips to get the most out of Google Workspace with Gemini. 

Having access to the power of Gemini right in the Google Workspace apps can help you and your teams improve productivity and collaboration, build new skill sets so you can accomplish more than previously possible, and even support new ways of working and problem solving. To get the most out of Workspace with Gemini, organizations need to set effective goals, measure progress, and ultimately create a comprehensive change management program to support employees. 

Setting up a “Google Guides” program is one tested, effective strategy that can help organizations drive deeper understanding and adoption of Workspace with Gemini. Google Guides are chosen or self-selected users who act as on-the-ground ambassadors, counselors, and educators for Workspace with Gemini. They help drive adoption by providing peer support by answering questions, sharing best practices, and more bridging the gap between the project team and end-users, facilitating communication, and championing new use cases. 

Here are four tips to get started. 

1. Select the right people to be your Google Guides. They should be a set of employees who are eager to lead, credible, and enthusiastic about the technology. They should be early adopters from many different departments and roles, representing all major user groups and locations. They don’t have to be technical — but they should have a learning mindset and be willing to mentor others.

2. Be clear on what you expect your Google Guides to do. Google Guides play a critical role in supporting your employees. They can help understand the needs of different teams and demonstrate how to use specific features to best benefit them. They can also promote effective adoption strategies and provide constructive feedback to executives and the Workspace with Gemini deployment team to enable well-informed improvements.

3. Encourage creativity. Google Guides can help set up and maintain different communication channels, such as:

• A dedicated Google Chat space where users can easily communicate, get to know one another, and offer quick tips and tricks.
  

• Recurring office hours where users can get personalized attention and help, give direct feedback, or even share success stories.
  

• An internal resources hub that gathers all of your related Workspace with Gemini resources in one place — think short videos, how-to tips, demos from different teams, lunch and learn content, and more.
  

4. Reward your Google Guides. Typically, Google Guides are volunteers who take on the chance to lead and impact teams across the business in addition to their day-to-day work. It’s important to recognize their efforts and their contributions to the broader success of the company. You can consider rewarding them with exclusive development and influence opportunities so that they can continue to grow their skillset. 

Google Guides are just one strategy you can use to drive deeper adoption of Workspace with Gemini. To learn more, check out our next steps and helpful resources:

• Read our framework for successful generative AI change management

• Check out our Google Workspace with Gemini adoption guide

• Discover how ATB Financial set up an effective adoption strategy for its employees

• Read our blog with 101 ways customers are using AI for business