Replacing Outlook with Google Email (aka Gmail for Business) requires proper setup.

In my experience, the most common scenario is for a business to move its email servers to Google, but then completely drop the ball when it comes to setting up the web email client.

Sure, you can simply open a browser, login and there’s Gmail. However, this substantially reduces the probability that users will accept the web-based Gmail client, even though it has substantial advantages.

How to view your email settings

1. In the top-right corner of Gmail, click the gear icon , then click Mail settings.

Notes

• You will have to view your email settings repeatedly. Gmail automatically closes your settings each time you make a change and click Save. It’s an annoyance, but one that’s easy overcome.

General Settings

1. Follow the steps above to view your email settings.
2. Click the General tab.
3. Set the following options:

Option	Value	Why you want this setting
Maximum page size	Set each options drop-down list to the value shown below. Show 50 conversations per page Show 250 contacts per page	I like to see the maximum number of emails per page. This reduces the next to click next page.
Keyboard shortcuts	Select Keyboard shortcuts on.	Shortcuts are a key strength of Gmail. Once you get used to them, you’ll find Outlook mouse-intensive.
Browser Connection	Select Always use https.	If your admin has not set this up by default (which he/she should have), then you’ll want this setting to help secure your business email.
Conversation view	Select Conversation view off.	This is a matter of personal preference, but if you’re coming from Outlook then you want this setting to ensure that each email is displayed as a separate email. Trust me, conversation view is high on the list of reasons why users reject Gmail.
Desktop Notifications	Select Chat notifications on. Select New mail notifications on.	Users have become accustomed to the little popup when a new message arrives. This setting helps preserve this functionality for users.
Signature	Create a signature.	Personally, I find it annoying to receive emails without a signature. It’s business. Customers, vendors and co-workers may want to contact you.
Attachments	Select Advanced attachment features.	This makes attaching multiple files easier…but your users need Flash.

4. Click Save Changes.

Remove Web Clips

1. Follow the steps above to view your email settings.
2. Click the Web Clips tab.
3. Uncheck Show my web clips above the Inbox.

Web Clips are a distraction and really should not be in email.

Enable Labs features

1. Follow the steps above to view your email settings.
2. Click the Labs tab.
3. Set the following options:

Option	Value	Why you want this setting
Canned Responses	Enable	Improves email efficiency by using templates for repeat messages.
Default Text Styling	Enable	Allows users to set fonts.
Google Calendar gadget	Enable	See upcoming events in the email client. This reduces the need to switch to Calendar
Inserting images	Enable	Everyone needs to insert images in email. I can’t figure out why Google doesn’t include this as a default feature in the email editor.
Right-side chat	Enable	Makes initiating chats more efficient as you can quickly see who’s online on the right-side of your email.
Send & Archive	Enable	You must archive email if you’re going to use Gmail correctly. This button automatically archives each email message that you send.
Signature tweaks	Enable	This should be a default. However, you’ll want this setting as it’ll put your signature above previous messages in a thread.
Title Tweaks	Enable	This makes the web browser display the Label (aka Folder) and the number of unread messages in the left of the title. In other words, this features makes it easy for users to see how many unread messages are in their inbox or other Labels.

 

4. Click Save Changes.

How to setup Labels and Filters (i.e. Folder and Rules in Outlook terminology)

Organizing email is one of Outlooks strongest features. Fortunately, similar functionality is available in Gmail.

Labels (aka Folders)

1. Follow the steps above to view your email settings.
2. Click the Labels tab.
3. Scroll down past System Labels and Circles. You should see a Create new label button.
4. Click Create new label.
5. Enter a name for the new label, such as Customer Inc.
6. Click Create.

Repeat the steps above for each Label that you want to create.

However, you’ll noticed that Labels by themselves are somewhat useless. The real power in Labels comes from Filters.

Filters (aka Rules)

1. Follow the steps above to view your email settings.
2. Click the Labels tab.
3. Scroll down to the bottom of your Filters list.
4. Click Create a new filter.
5. Enter your filter rules. For example, you may want to filter all email from @customerinc.com into the Customer Inc Label. To achieve this, enter @customerinc.com in the From textbox.
6. Click Create a filter with this search.
7. Check Apply the label, then select a label in the drop-down list. To continue our example, you’d select Customer Inc.
8. Click Create filter.
9. Hint: I recommend that you check Also apply filter to ___ matching conversations. This will ensure that all old messages are also displayed in the new Label.