Google Workspace

Google Workspace is the foundation of our communication and collaboration. It’s an integrated suite of productivity apps we use to ensure that everything runs smoothly. The core tools we use include:

Gmail (Integrated with Copper CRM): Gmail is our official communication platform for client and internal emails. It’s where the communication happens, but it is not where the record lives and Gmail alone is not enough-if messages stay only in your inbox, the rest of the team has no visibility and communication for specific projects get lost. Every important client email must also be captured in Copper.

How to use Gmail at Pilina:

• Send/receive emails to clients, hotels, and vendors.

• Respond promptly to client questions and negotiations.

• Schedule calendar invites for calls, site visits, and check-ins.

• Check Copper sync: Ensure that any important client-facing communication shows up in Copper (see below).

Example: You email a client about room block requirements. You send this email from Gmail, but Copper automatically logs that email to the client’s contact record. If the sync fails, you manually add a note in Copper so the team can see it.

• Day-to-Day Use: Send and receive emails, manage your calendar invites, and respond promptly to client and team communications.

• Integration with Copper: Copper automatically syncs with Gmail so that emails and calendar events are logged to the correct contact or project. Always check that key communications appear in Copper.

• Best Practice: Treat Gmail as the action tool for writing and responding. Treat Copper as the system of record that holds the history. If it’s important, it must be in Copper.

Google Drive: Our cloud storage solution. Here, you’ll find shared folders for project documents, event details, contracts, and templates. It’s our central hub for file management, ensuring the team always has access to the most current version and making collaboration easy. There is a shared folder titled "Pilina Hub" that is accessible as soon as you login to the Google site. This is where all the most current, updated and shared documents and resources live.

Google Calendar: This helps you manage your time effectively, coordinate meetings, and stay on top of deadlines. Client appointments, internal check-ins, and event timelines are all tracked here. Many calendars are shared, which helps us maintain transparency and alignment. 

Google Docs & Sheets: These are essential for creating and sharing real-time documents and spreadsheets. Use Sheets for data tracking, budgeting, and reporting, and Docs for creating proposals, contracts, and internal notes. Both tools allow multiple team members to edit simultaneously, with version history for accountability.

Google Chat: Our quick communication tool for day-to-day collaboration. Chat is used for fast internal messaging, project-specific group conversations, and sharing files or events without creating long email threads. It helps keep client emails focused and professional while maintaining rapid internal communication.

Google Sites: Our centralized hub for resources and onboarding. Sites hosts our handbook, playbooks, branding resources, and process guides. It serves as a living company manual, always up to date, and easily accessible for both new hires and current team members.

Google Meet: Google Meet is our video conferencing tool, fully integrated with Gmail and Google Calendar. It allows us to connect face-to-face with clients, hotels, vendors, and teammates—no matter where they are.

• Client Meetings: Use Meet links (auto-generated in Calendar invites) for discovery calls, proposal reviews, and contract negotiations. This ensures all client interactions are professional and recorded in one place.

• Internal Collaboration: Use Meet for weekly team check-ins, strategy sessions, and ad-hoc discussions that need more than chat or email.

• Integration with Calendar & Gmail: Every calendar invite includes a Meet link by default. Joining or creating a meeting is seamless—no separate login or setup required.

• Best Practice: Always confirm Meet links are included in client invites. After a call, log key notes or outcomes into Copper so the entire team has visibility.