Among all the business tools out there, the humble spreadsheet is one of the most versatile.
It has a wide range of applications, from basic business administrative tasks to complex data analysis.
Remote teams and work-from-home flexibility have become the norm today. It’s become essential for companies to adapt, and ensure that the tools used by teams have upgraded features to match new ways of working.
Can your spreadsheet be viewed on various devices by different team members at the same time? Can you connect and automate it using third-party apps?
If your answer is no, then you’re probably missing out on both the convenience and efficiency of using an online spreadsheet for daily tasks.
This article will explain how powerful online spreadsheet software can help you grow your business. We’ll also look at how a Work OS like monday.com can be just the thing you need to bring your spreadsheet online.
What are the benefits of using a spreadsheet online?
Businesses of all sizes use spreadsheets to perform daily administrative tasks.
Spreadsheet software — such as Microsoft Excel — helps companies to organize, track, analyze, and present data across multiple areas of operations, from accounting and finance, to budgeting and project management.
If you only have a small team — with just a few people working on a simple spreadsheet at a time — this is pretty manageable.
But what happens if your team needs to grow or your project starts to get more ambitious?
Then your Excel spreadsheet starts becoming a pain to update and share.
There are limited visualization options, and reporting becomes harder as your data gets more complex.
When you’re using a spreadsheet program that’s based on the cloud, there are several key advantages.
From real-time collaboration to multiple users, your online spreadsheet app will offer the following essential features.
Collaboration
You can quickly make changes, add comments, and update your worksheet in real-time. You can have many people working on one file at the same time, with no confusion about dealing with multiple versions of the same document.
Easy access and sharing
Your work and updates will be automatically saved, and you’ll be able to access it from anywhere. Whether that’s your smart device, a web app, or anything else, you’ll always have the information you need just a tap away.
Simply share a link with your internal team or external stakeholders when you want to present your data, and have them edit or make changes as needed.
Customization
Whether you’re looking to create a pivot table or colorful charts based on your data, an online spreadsheet allows for greater flexibility and customization.
You can change font types and sizes or use a unique visual format to create graphs and charts of your choice.
Can monday.com online spreadsheet software help your business?
A cloud-based tool like Google Sheets is popular when it comes to online spreadsheet software.
However, it has limitations. For instance, you’ll need to set up your data table manually, like you’d do on a basic Excel sheet.
A Google Sheet alternative like monday.com is a better option for project managers because you can also use it to easily organize work and collaborate on your team tasks.
But what is monday.com?
monday.com is a Work OS that lets you build the custom tools you need to track progress and address roadblocks in your workflows.
Here’s how you can simplify your workflow and grow your business with monday.com
Simple and intuitive interface
No major onboarding is required at monday.com. That’s because our system is easy to learn and simple to get started with.
You can easily create your perfect workflow by using one of our amazing, fully customizable templates.
Centralized project management
Track all your team’s work and projects from one place — from sorting out a daily task list to complex data analysis and visualization.
There are 8 different ways of viewing your spreadsheet data within the same platform, which gives you flexible options to view your data the way you prefer.
For example, use the Calendar view to see your team’s workflow through a month, or track project status via the Timeline view.
Integration with Excel
If you’re worried about how to transfer your Microsoft Excel files to monday.com, don’t sweat it!
monday.com integrates well with Excel, so you can easily import or export data from your existing spreadsheet in a few steps.
Centralize communication
Our platform supports real-time collaboration so that team members can add tasks, view files, upload documents, and communicate with each other within the same interface.
So no matter where they’re working from, your team can access and update their work across devices in a few seconds.
24/7 support
If you face any issues with managing your spreadsheet data or have a question about how to make better use of a particular template or feature, we’ve got a 24/7 customer support team ready to help out.
Or browse our knowledge base or check out our daily webinars for in-depth information.
7 features of monday.com’s spreadsheet view that can grow your business
Sure, you can work out of an Excel file or a Google spreadsheet if you’re using it for financial analysis or data pivoting.
But what if you need to assign tasks, communicate with team members, or visually analyze your data? This is where these popular tools are limited.
monday.com, on the other hand, allows you to do all of this and more.
Which is why we’re over and beyond a simple spreadsheet tool.
Here are a few features that are specifically useful for project managers as they manage their workflow.
Assign tasks and track progress
When you’re planning a project, you need functionality like being able to assign tasks and track progress from A to Z — doing either with monday.com is a breeze.
Assigning tasks allows you to pass on ownership, and keep track of who’s working on which task. Use the people column to assign a task to one or 2 team members or the team column to assign the task to a team.
To view progress updates at a glance, use the status column and customize the color of your labels. Change the status of each task to ‘Done’ as and when tasks are completed.
Set reminders for deadlines
If you’re a project manager, you’ll find it pretty handy to be able to set reminders when you’re facing an upcoming deadline.
monday.com’s automation allows you to create an alert to notify your team members when a task is due.
You can also integrate your calendar with our boards to ensure that nothing falls through the cracks.
Communicate in one place
As mentioned earlier, collaboration is easy with monday.com as you needn’t leave the platform to update or notify a team member. Centralize your communication by viewing all communication in one place.
Simply @mention the team member to trigger a notification to alert them of your update.
Manage files
Apart from keeping track of all conversations in a single location, you can also use monday.com to store and manage all your files.
Attach files from Google Drive, your PC, or Dropbox to your board and manage them using the Files view.
Create interactive reports
The Dashboard feature allows you to easily make interactive reports that can clearly present your data the way you want it — from a bird’s eye view to a drill down into the fine details of your project.
You can visualize your data board via the Chart view and use our amazing reporting features to make data-informed decisions.
Analyze data
You can also use the chart view for a detailed look into the analytics of your workflow. The chart view allows you to customize your chart — choose from a pie chart, bar graph, line graph, and stacked graph.
Use it to see how quickly tasks are getting done, how tasks evolve, or to view the performance of team members.
Use formulas
The formula column can help you to perform simple to complex calculations, just like you would do in Excel.
You can use it for standalone calculations, or use it alongside data from other columns, to handle financial tasks such as managing your budget or inventory.
Bringing your spreadsheet online improves collaboration and efficiency
We’ve looked at the benefits and value of using an online, shared spreadsheet.
We’ve also explored monday.com’s spreadsheet views and looked at individual features that make it a powerful aid for work and business growth.
From awesome data visualization options to a centralized system to collaborate and communicate, monday.com is so much more than a simple spreadsheet tool.
Don’t know where to begin? Check out our library of brilliant templates to get started. Why not dip a toe in the online spreadsheet water and start by managing your budget using our budget tracker template.
