17 Gmail Extensions that Make Your Life Easier process.st/gmail-extensions/
In today’s email-centric work environment, you have to make sure you’re on top of your game. But that’s easier said than done. You likely use email to manage customer relationships, talk to your team, network and manage your to-do list. Keeping up with everything makes it all-too-easy to drown in an ocean of emails. Luckily, tons of Gmail plugins exist that make your life way easier. Some of these Gmail extensions add handy new features and capabilities to your email account, while others make a huge difference in email optimization. You can now send higher-quality, better-informed emails, faster than ever—so that communication with clients and peers doesn’t have to take up half your day. Here are 17 game-changing Gmail extensions, compiled and researched by us over here at Process Street.
Use Gmail for more than email Most businesses take advantage of numerous productivity and workflow tools—from CRM, to messenger apps, to project management software. But sometimes all those tools get tiresome, so it’s an awesome feeling to get to combine multiple tools into one. Here are a few Gmail extensions that turn your inbox into much more than a storage platform.
1. Clearbit Chrome Web Store rating: 5/5 stars
1/18
Clearbit serves as a prospecting tool that helps you collect emails and fill in the blanks on leads you already have. After receiving a single email, you have instant access to all the senders info, like his or her role, the size of their company, and even how much money it raised. This discreet but powerful plugin has done wonders for businesses that are looking to increase lead quality. In fact, thanks to Clearbit, the media monitoring startup, Mention was able to increase their signup conversion by over 54%.
2. Streak Chrome Web Store rating : 4/5 stars
2/18
Streak is a sales-oriented Gmail plugin for teams that are tired of switching between their CRM and their email. Streak literally turns your Gmail into a CRM, changing the appearance and organization of your inbox. It allows you to organize your sales funnel, keep track of leads, set reminders, and share your workflow with your team.
3. Todoist Chrome Web Store rating : 4/5 stars
3/18
Todoist, one of our favorite Gmail extensions, turns your email into a task management system. Accessible straight from Gmail, this extension lets you access and amend your to-do list anytime, anywhere (even offline!). Our inboxes are filled with questions, scheduling requests, and various other delegations. You might not realize it, but your email is probably already a to-do list—just a disorganized one.
Use Gmail extensions to secure your data Businesses are trusted to keep their customers’ data confidential, so they have to take email security much more seriously than regular consumers. While many emails don’t contain any valuable information about your company or clients, you want to make sure you don’t let your guard down. Passwords, personal client information, or even insider company information should be handled with great care. Check out these Gmail extensions that ensure your actions and data stay private.
4. Mailvelope Chrome Web Store rating : 4.5/5 stars
4/18
It is well-known that Gmail is not impervious to hackers. This is why Mailvelope takes security to the next level by offering end-to-end encryption. It encrypts any requested email and provides a unique key to the sender. Share that key with the recipient of your email (obviously not via email), and your data will be delivered safe and sound.
5. Dropbox for Gmail Chrome Web Store rating: 4/5 stars
5/18
Often the most private files are sent as PDF attachments—contracts, documents, financial records. That means you’ll want to take extra precautions when it comes to email attachments. Any documents that are uploaded to Dropbox are encrypted at rest and in transit. With this plugin, you can easily send and preview these files without leaving your window, while never having to worry about them getting into the wrong hands.
6. UglyEmail Chrome Web Store rating : 4/5 stars
UglyEmail is a simple but useful Gmail extension that puts an “evil eye” next to emails that are being tracked.
6/18
With all those email trackers out there, it’s unsettling to know that some of your clients might be keeping tabs on whether or not you have checked their email. If any of your contacts know that you’ve opened their email but are not responding, you can come across as negligent or disinterested.
Eliminate context-switching You open up Gmail and go to draft an email. Then you remember that you need a PDF file from a previous email. So you open a new tab, search your archive, find the PDF, download it, and, finally, re-attach it to the correct email. Sound familiar? There’s nothing more annoying than switching between screens and devices to gather all the necessary, relevant information for what should have been a quick email. Here are a few extensions that will eliminate some of that friction.
7. Checker Plus Chrome Web Store rating : 5/5 stars
7/18
The Checker Plus Gmail extension allows you to fully customize email alerts. You can decide which emails will trigger a notification, and how Checker notifies you— whether it’s via push notifications to your desktop, a sound, or it can even read the subject line out to you. If you enable push notification, you can also quickly interact with the emails, deleting them or marking them as read when they pop up.
8. Cloudy Chrome Web Store rating: 4/5 stars
8/18
Cloudy gives you instant access to almost any cloud file—Google Drive, Box, Picasa, Facebook, Flickr, Instagram and even direct URLs. If you store files on numerous different platforms, you are all-too-familiar with the nuisance of downloading them and then attaching them in your email. The plugin appears as a little cloud button on the bottom menu of your email and lets you access any file in just a few clicks.
9. HelloSign Chrome Web Store rating : 4/5 stars
9/18
HelloSign enables you to sign documents with just a few clicks, taking all paper out of the equation. We all know what a pain it is to sign documents sent to us by email. It involves having to print, sign, scan, attach, and reply. This Gmail extension makes the process fast and easy, and don’t worry, it’s legally-binding and equipped with bank-level security.
Improve the quality of your messages When you’re not communicating with clients face-to-face, your email has to say it all, and say it well. Your email is a small representation of the quality and professionalism of your company, so not only does it have to be clear and coherent, but it has to be free of all grammar mistakes. Since not all of us have a copy editor handy, here are some extensions that should do the job.
10. Ginger Chrome Web Store rating : 4/5 stars
10/18
Ginger checks for grammar, spelling, punctuation and sentence structure. And it even has a translating function that can translate words and sentences from 40 different languages. Even if you’re a grammar whiz, when you’re sending dozens of emails a day, you’re sure to get exhausted by the last batch and let a few grammar and spelling errors slip. Use this extension to keep your emails mistake-free.
11. Google Dictionary Chrome Web Store rating : 4.5/5 stars
11/18
Not sure you’re using the right word in that email? Install this plugin, and you won’t ever have to second-guess yourself again. You’ll be able to double-click to find out the definition of any word, in any language. And if you learn a new word, you can save it and reference it later, building a small library of great new words to try out.
12. WiseStamp Chrome Web Store rating: 4/5 stars
12/18
WiseStamp is a nifty extension that enables you to place a professional, dynamic signature on the bottom of all your emails, with links to all the profiles, blog posts, videos you could possibly want. It also lets you easily add a custom signature, quote, or logo for some extra flair. If you put a lot of time into carefully crafting emails, then make sure that your signature is also up to par.
Draft emails faster with these Gmail extensions According to a survey conducted by Reuters, U.S. workers spend approximately 6.3 hours daily checking email. That’s more than half a typical work day. Navigating through your inbox, clicking through different tabs, and searching for various emails, all eats up a lot of precious time. Here are a few Gmail extensions that enable you to get through just as many emails in a fraction of the time.
13. Gorgias 13/18
Chrome Web Store rating : 5/5 stars
If you find that you are writing the same three emails a hundred times a day, you’re in serious need of canned responses. Gorgias is one of the best Gmail extensions out there, enabling you to save templates and then set up keyboard shortcuts to implement them. You can also set up liquid tags, which will autofill the recipients information into specific slots. And if you set up an awesome workflow with Gorgias, you can easily share it with your team.
14. KeyRocket Chrome Web Store rating : 4/5 stars
14/18
If you’ve been in a position where you’ve envied hotkey masters who have the ability to pluck away and manage their email inbox crazy fast, you’re in luck. KeyRocket doesn’t add keyboard shortcuts the way Gorgias does—it simply teaches you to use the ones that are already there. Through subtle notifications, it guides you through workflow optimization.
15. Assistant.to Chrome Web Store rating : 5/5 stars
15/18
Assistant.to enables you to view your calendar and select a few different time windows, all without leaving your window. Almost every business has to go through some kind of back-and-forth with their clients to figure out a time to connect that works well for both parties. With this extension, when your client receives the email, he or she will be presented with different clickable options, the selection of which will update your Google calendar.
Draft on your own time For those of us who use email as a primary method of communication, let’s face it, we’re slaves to it. We’re constantly combing through to find which emails need to be followed-up on or responded to. And then there are all these rules. Don’t send emails in the middle of the night. You can’t send emails when you don’t have Wi-fi. We’re at the beck and call of our inbox. Here are a few Gmail extensions that will let you take control over when and where you draft your emails.
16. Followup.cc Chrome Web Store rating : 4.5/5 stars
16/18
Folllowup.cc lets you draft emails at your convenience and send them off at a later time. You can also set reminders for yourself to follow-up, and see if and when your emails get opened. This keeps your mailbox tidy and organized, so you don’t have to comb through the same batch of emails every few hours to remind yourself which need a follow-up.
17. Gmail Offline Chrome Web Store rating : 4/5 stars
17/18
Gmail Offline puts the email-drafting power back in your hands. It lets you view, draft, and respond to emails, even when you don’t have Wi-fi. This way you can choose whatever windows of time you’d like to check your email—whether that’s your morning commute, or right before bed.
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