Google Apps vs. Microsoft Office 365: Google Wins Big Canadian Realtor

Google Apps and Drive for Work have scored a huge win, thanks to partner Cloud Sherpas. The Atlanta-based Google partner was responsible for luring Microsoft customer and Canadian real estate company Royal LePage away to become a Google customer.

And the reasons for the century-old real estate company are interesting. According to the customer win announcement, Royal LePage made the jump after evaluating both Office 365 and Google Drive for Work. Initially looking to replace its Microsoft Exchange Online email solution, the company evaluated both Microsoft and Google cloud options.

Its reasons for selecting Google Drive for Work instead of Microsoft Office 365? According to Royal LePage, Google’s cloud offering is easier to use, more integrated amongst Google cloud services (including Gmail and Hangout) for easier collaboration, better mobile integration with a variety of mobile devices, and the fact it believes Google is “more innovative” and faster to add new features and functionality.

“We continue to see the rise of the consumerization of technology and Royal LePage has enabled their network of agents to work the way they live, while delivering the ultimate customer experience,” said Doug Shepard, Google business unit president for Cloud Sherpas, in a prepared statement.  “We are proud to have brought our expertise to the table, alongside the suite of tools from Google Apps for Work, to reinforce Royal LePage’s technology leadership position, which allows them to continue to attract and retain top talent.”

A few of the ways Royal LePage is using Google Drive for Work include:

• Leveraging Google Hangouts to meet clients at a moment’s notice and when an in-person meeting is not possible from whatever mobile device agents are using.
• Using a Google Chromecast to broadcast a presentation using Google Drive from their mobile devices to big screen televisions at an office or for an in-home presentation.
• Promoting details of upcoming open houses by creating a special open house calendar to share with clients.
• Storing and sharing all documents with the client on Google Drive relevant to the purchase or sale of a home, including property listings, photographs, contracts and other property information.
• Reviewing and commenting in real-time on a document with the client in Google Docs.

“Google Apps for Work not only provides essential communication tools but it also goes above and beyond with additional collaboration tools that support our culture of agility, transparency and providing a voice to everyone in the organization, said Carolyn Cheng, senior vice president of strategic business services at Royal LePage, in a prepared statement.