Efficiency Pt II- Google Sites CRM

Using Google Sites and Docs to Track Your Clients. Being a small nonprofit we do not have the resources to acquire Peoplesoft or similar CRM programs. Luckily, there are a variety of free or cheap solutions. Our office decided to go with Google Docs and Google Sites to keep one user account for multiple applications and worldwide accessibility.


Google Docs lets you create documents, spreadsheets, forms, drawings and presentations. Documents created on Google Docs can be shared with other Google Doc users from any computer, additionally they can be embedded onto websites and Google Sites. In this post I will show you the differences between using the Google Sites built in spreadsheet vs. importing one you create in Google Docs.

Google Sites is a What You See is What You Get (WYSWYG) web site creator. I have found it easy to use and recommend it for intra-company sites that will not be published to the internet.

Benefits of Sites:

• free
• access is by invitation only
• do not need a domain name
• seamless integration with other Google products
• receive email alerts when staff have made changes or additions

The employment team at our office has used it to successfully to track clients as they progress through our service delivery system (i.e., enrollment, ESL class, to job readiness training, to pre-employment services, to placement, to post-employment services). Tracking job placement is especially vital because our billings to the state are time sensitive. We also use it to store employer information for outreach and follow up.

If you want help setting up a site, leave me a comment at the bottom of the post along with your email address or email me at info@newrootsconsulting.com.  Once you have a site, you will be able to create a client database to maintain enrollment, track client services, and share information among authorized staff.

There are two ways to create a client database. You can create and import a spreadsheet from Google Docs or create a database within your Google Site using a built in template. Below I will walk you through creating a spreadsheet, first using Google Sites List template, after that I will take you through creating a database with Google Docs and embedding it on your Google Site.

Creating a Google Sites Spreadsheet: Once you have set up a Google site, select Create page (upper right corner) in order to get started, then select the List template, give it a name. You will need to select whether you want to put the database at the top level or under another page (e.g. home page-clients, project page-donors, etc.)

Next, on the far right, choose Create a custom list:

Here you add the columns you want, the title for each column, and the type of data you will be entering (e.g., text, checkbox, date, etc.)  Below is a sample spreadsheet I created for our agency that demonstrates a mix of data types: check box, dates and text.

To enter client data, just click Add item, fill in the boxes and Save.  You will need to select Add item for each additional client you are entering.

This method is quick, easy to manage and easy to read.  There doesn't appear to be any limit to the number of clients you can enter. However, the width of the webpage will limit the number of columns you will want to create.

We had this issue occur when tracking our clients. Once we added more than 10 columns, the database became too difficult to read.  Luckily I found a solution--creating a spreadsheet in Google Docs and embedding it into our Google Site webpage.  Another benefit of this approach was it allowed staff to edit the spreadsheet both from Google Docs or from the embedded spreadsheet file on the site.

Creating a Google Docs Spreadsheet and Embedding it on a Site:  On the Google Docs website, select Create new (on the far left side of the screen) and select Spreadsheet from the drop down menu.    Click on Unsaved Spreadsheet and replace with your database name.  It is now ready to use.

Embedding the spreadsheet on your Google site is straightforward once you have set up a Google site.  As before, select Create page (upper right corner), however, select the Web Page template instead of List.  Give it a name and decide if you want to access the database at the top domain or through another level.

Finally, go to the menu bar and click Insert (upper left) then Spreadsheet from the drop down menu.  All your Google spreadsheets will appear so just select the one you want to embed.  NOTE:  Make sure you select View as: "List" so you can continue to make edits on the site, otherwise it will be published as a static spreadsheet. 

Here's an example of a spreadsheet that I created for our agency:

Click +add to enter data, you can sort and scroll as well.

Hope this helps your team access information and manage client services more efficiently.  As always, please direct any questions to infor@newrootsconsulting.com or leave a comment below.