How to get started with AI in Google Workspace

A lot of professional services firms are paying for powerful AI tools and not using them. If your firm runs on Google Workspace, this is almost certainly true of you.

Google has embedded Gemini, its AI model, throughout Workspace. Gmail, Docs, Drive, and Meet all have AI capabilities built in. If you are on the right plan, there is no additional setup required. The tools are already there.

Here is what is available and how to use it.

What AI is built into Google Workspace

Gemini in Gmail

The most immediately useful capability. Gemini can help you draft emails from a brief, summarise long email threads, and suggest replies. You will see a "Help me write" button when composing, and a summarise option in longer threads.

For professional services firms handling high volumes of client communication, this is where the time savings are most obvious. Drafting a detailed update email to a client used to take 15 to 20 minutes. With Gemini, you describe what you need to say, review what it produces, make any adjustments, and send. The time drops to five minutes or less.

Gemini in Docs

Gemini can draft sections of documents, restructure existing content, improve clarity and tone, and summarise long documents. The "Help me write" button appears when you create a new document or within existing ones.

For firms that produce a lot of written output, this is significant. Reports, proposals, client briefings, internal documentation. The blank page problem largely disappears.

NotebookLM

This is Google's most underused and most powerful tool for professional services. NotebookLM allows you to upload documents, spreadsheets, reports, and other files, and then ask questions of that content in natural language.

A firm that uploads its full policy library, its past proposals, its regulatory guidance documents, or its client files creates a searchable, queryable knowledge base. Instead of searching through folders or asking colleagues where something is, you ask the notebook. It answers from the documents you have given it, with citations.

This is a meaningful change for knowledge-heavy firms. Law firms, consultancies, accountancy practices, IFAs with large document libraries. The information is already there. NotebookLM makes it instantly accessible.

Google Meet transcription and summaries

Google Meet can now transcribe calls and generate summaries automatically. After a client call, instead of relying on notes or memory, you have a searchable transcript and a structured summary of what was discussed and what was agreed.

For client-facing firms, this is both a productivity tool and a risk management tool. What was said in a meeting is no longer ambiguous.

How to enable it

AI features in Google Workspace are available on Workspace Business Standard (approximately £10.20 per user per month) and higher. If you are on Business Starter, the core AI features are limited.

Alternatively, the Gemini add-on can be added to existing Workspace plans. Pricing varies depending on your current plan and the tier of Gemini access you need. Check your Google Admin console or contact your Google Workspace reseller for the specific pricing applicable to your account.

NotebookLM is available separately at notebooklm.google.com, and access is free for individual use with a Google account. Business plans are available for teams that want shared notebooks and admin controls.

Practical examples for professional services

IFA drafting client update emails

An IFA firm handles annual review letters for 200+ clients. Previously, each letter required drafting from a template, personalising, checking, and sending. With Gemini in Gmail, the fee earner describes the client's portfolio performance and any recommended changes, and Gemini drafts the letter. Review and send. The process compresses significantly.

Consultant restructuring a report

A consultant has written a first draft of a client report that is too long and not structured clearly. Rather than rewriting it from scratch, they paste the content into Google Docs and ask Gemini to restructure it into three clear sections with an executive summary. The output is not final, but it is a much better starting point than the original draft.

Firm making its document library searchable

A professional services firm has a document library built up over years: process documents, policy guides, previous proposals, regulatory summaries. No one knows exactly what is in it or where to find things. The knowledge exists but is effectively inaccessible.

NotebookLM changes this. The firm uploads its key documents. Anyone in the team can now ask a question and get an answer sourced directly from their own library, with the source document cited. The institutional knowledge becomes accessible.

Getting started

If you are on a qualifying Workspace plan, the tools are already live. Open Gmail and look for the pen icon when composing. Open a Google Doc and look for the Gemini icon. Go to meet.google.com and check your meeting settings for transcription options.

For NotebookLM, go to notebooklm.google.com, sign in with your Google account, and create a new notebook. Upload a few documents and start asking questions. It takes about ten minutes to see what it can do.

The tools are in your hands. Using them is a decision, not a setup problem.