Employee accounts are created when users are assigned an email and password. Email addresses are usually the first initial(s) and last name of the employee, followed by @BrightTrucks.com; for example, stbright@BrightTrucks.com. Accordingly, the company’s website can be found at www.BrightTrucks.com. 

Both the domain @BrightTrucks.com and the BTCN, generally are hosted by Google. When logged in to the BTCN then, FMs are provided access to Google’s full suite of applications designed to increase productivity, Google’s Workspace Applications. 

https://gsuite.google.com/learning-center/tips

Google Workspace Applications are an important addition to the BTCN. Users with Google Workspace company accounts will find the same user-friendly functionality of each Google Workspace application, as with individual consumer accounts, but with some additional features and connectivity. The most commonly used Google Workspace applications are listed below:

1. Google Mail

Google’s Mail (Gmail) Application is by far the company’s most widely used workspace application.  Most, if not all of a FMs communications to customers will involve using the gmail application in some way. Each FMs mail account comes with specific enhancements or add-ons, designed to help FMs become more organized, boost efficiency, and maintain a professional profile. 

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. • email filtering–with folders labeled to organize incoming mail according to preset filters, 

               • detailed email templates for operational workflows, 

               • professionally designed email signatures provided by CloudHQ. 

2. Google Voice

Phone Accounts include individually assigned phone numbers for FMs, provided through Google Voice. The Google Voice number assigned to the FM is the FMs direct business line. An auto-attendant that monitors the businesses’ main corporate number (832-570-9960) filters calls with designated prompts. FMs can be reached by calling the company’s main corporate number or calling the FMs business line directly. 

When calling the company’s main number, by following designated prompts, callers can reach other departments too. For example, drivers can reach the Maintenance Department to resolve tire and/or mechanical issues, or the Accounting Department to resolve pay and settlement issues. Prospective and current employees can reach the Human Resources Department for information on job openings or employment verifications. Google Voice is an important application then, because it is the application the company has chosen to provide telecommunication services.

Moreover, the messaging feature in Google Voice is the preferred method of communicating to drivers, when that communication is initiated by a FM.  As you’ll learn other sections of the learning center,  drivers have a number of Communications Forms (Comms) they can submit when needing to communicate specific information to FMs. These Comms are needed mostly because many circumstances require that drivers communicate a large amount of specific information. FMs need this information captured in a detailed and organized way. In line with that, drivers mostly use Comms when initiating communications to FMs. 

Conversely, when initiating communications to drivers, FMs mostly use the Google Voice messaging feature. Most times, FMs only need a short message to communicate what is needed to a driver, and a quick affirmative response from the driver. Google Voice messages are the most effective way to be sure messages to drivers are being received and read. 

The Google Voice messages sent from a FMs Google Voice number are received to the driver’s phone as text, and drivers can respond to messages by sending replies. The reply is sent back to the FMs Google Voice number as both: 

• 1) a message that can be viewed in Google Voice (on one’s mobile device or on the web), and 

• 2) as an email sent to the FMs company email address.

Google Voice is one of the most important and widely used applications for FMs then, because the Google Voice messaging feature is the best and most reliable way for FMs to communicate with drivers.

3. Goolge Drive

The Google Drive Application is used by the company for all of its record-keeping, and is where all company documents and records can be found. All documents stored on the drive are the property of Bright Trucking, and the terms each user/employee agree to acknowledge as much, when a new employee account is created. The Drive however is a “Shared Drive”, which means it can be accessed by any employee with an account (a login and password which enables them to sign-in to the BTCN, when on a Google Chrome browser). 

The Drive is organized similarly to “The Bookmarks Bar”, by department. Each Department has a main folder with additional sub-folders; the subfolders labeled according to the records or documents each Department in the company handles, mainly.

It’s not uncommon however for FMs to access subfolders in other Departments too. Therefore, FMs should learn the Company Drive generally, and where they might find various types of documents. Because “The Booksmark Bar” and Drive are organized similarly, FMs should find it easy to learn the company structure, as they use both tools, while completing daily workflows.

4. Google Maps

Maps is one of the company’s most used Google Workspace Applications simply because of its precision and accuracy. Maps is the company’s go-to application when verifying addresses and city-to-city distances that may or may not be recognized among all the different load databases the company uses. 

Sometimes loadboards will list the cities a shipment picks up and delivers in, but will not include the mileage totals of DH and/or Loaded Miles. Maps, then, becomes a useful application to search for the approximate distances between two cities to give an accurate quote on the price of a load or to determine the feasibility of the load in planning. Also, sometimes a city or address may not be recognized as it is given on a particular RC, in the LoadOps TMS or other location/load databases. Maps, then, becomes useful to see what other “city-name” a town or location may be recognized as, so as to help populate a physical address in that specific database or in the LoadOps TMS. 

In addition, FMs can use the functionality of “Street View'' to physically see a particular distribution center, truckstop, dropyard, or maintenance facility. A physical picture or actual viewing of a location can sometimes be very helpful in advising drivers what they might expect, or determining the feasibility of any planned maneuver.

5. Goolgle Sheets

The company has two types of Google Sheets that are standardized in FMs workflows. First, the company uses an Expired Events Registry (EER), a Google Sheet that tracks, for each driver and their equipment, the dates of expiring compliance documentation and preventative maintenance intervals.

Second, the company uses various Sheets to view responses from drivers after submitting a Google Form. For these sheets, each Google Sheet is integrated to a corresponding Google Form, to list the responses from drivers when they send various Communications (Comms).

Sheets and Forms are sometimes integrated to work together then; the drivers submitting specific information through Forms on their end through their tablets or mobile devices; and the FMs receiving that information on a previously integrated and formatted Google Sheet. Please refer to the "BTCN's 4 Core Features: Company Network Feature 6-Expired Events Registry (EER)” and the "Planning Loads Section: Skill 6-Properly Analyzing Communications Responses” for more detailed explanations on these sheets. 

6. Google Forms

As mentioned in the previous subsection, Google Forms and Google Sheets work together through integration.

 We use the Google Forms Application to facilitate communications (Comms) from drivers. Different forms (Comms) require different responses depending on the situation, and each Comm’s responses are linked/integrated to a previously formatted Google Sheet. FMs can quickly view responses this way.

Some Comms, for example Comm 4-Detention, require immediate action by the FM. For Comms that require immediate action, an email is sent to the FM to notify of the driver’s submission. The responses from the driver can be viewed from a link in the email, as well as on the corresponding integrated sheet.

There are fourteen different Communications Forms drivers use to relay information to FMs. See "Planning Loads: Skill 6: Properly Analyzing Commuications" for the complete list and summaries for each Comm.