Smartsheet and Google Docs

We got an email the other day asking "how does this [Smartsheet] compare to Google Docs?"  As you might guess, we get this question occasionally.  We find Google Documents quite useful for some things like back and forth edits on web copy. For tracking personal expenses a few of us use Google Spreadsheets instead of Excel.  Where Smartsheet wins is managing the coordination, tracking, and assignment of work within our business – and all that is related to it (files, discussions, etc…)

Here was my reply to the customer’s email:

Thanks for asking.  Are you looking to:

1)     Share spreadsheets of financial information (or other typical, numbers-oriented spreadsheets)?  

2)     Or are you looking to track and share work that needs to be done by a number of people who all want to be on the same page? 

Google Spreadsheets is a viable option if you're looking to do #1.  Smartsheet is focused on being the best solution for #2.  To track work that needs to be done, we do several things that Google Docs does not (here are five):

·   attach relevant files to a row or a sheet

·   track discussions and comments on a row or a sheet

·   send an update request via email, enabling someone to update your sheet without logging in

·   brand your Smartsheet account or your workspaces with colors and logos

·   create reports across sheets (e.g. show me all work items that have a priority of ‘urgent’ across all my sheets)

Let’s take math formulas as an example - we're focused on enabling you to sum up the budget items or hours associated with the work you are tracking vs. creating a complex financial model.  We’re not looking to compete head on with Microsoft Excel or Google Docs as an online spreadsheet – we want to be the tool you use to track your work and everything associated with it.

I hope this helps you determine which product is the right fit.