Hiver is like having another person on my team. Achieving this level of coordination without Hiver would take
50-100% more time.

Nathan Strang

Ocean Freight Operations Manager, Flexport

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Shared Inboxes v/s
Google Groups

Shared Inboxes and Google Groups have the same appearance ([email protected] or [email protected]). They’re both used for managing group emails.

Some people might think they are one and the same thing. Except, there’s a world of a difference — in the way they work.

Hiver Shared Inbox vs Google Groups Hero Illustration

Hiver Google Groups What is Shared Inbox Illustration

How is a Google Group different?

It is a distribution list — a group of users that can be addressed as a single recipient.

Do users access the same set of emails from a common inbox? NO.

INSTEAD: A copy of every incoming email is sent to users who are a part of the group — to their personal inboxes.

What is a Shared Inbox?

Any inbox that lets more than one person access, read, and reply to emails is a shared inbox.

All members handle the same set of emails — from a common inbox.

Hiver How is a Google Group Different Illustration

The finer differences between Google
Groups and Shared Inboxes

Shared
Inboxes

A shared inbox is a full-fledged inbox. It has a separate Inbox, Drafts, and Sent Items.

Every email sent to the shared inbox — can be seen by users with access to the email account.

When replying, users can change their ‘send as’ field — to send emails from the shared inbox address.

The moment a user deletes an email, it will be deleted for everyone.

Google
Groups

Google Groups are groups of email recipients with the same email address.

The same message is reproduced for everyone on the list — and they receive it in their individual inboxes.

The users can only use their personal address and not the Google Group email address.

When one user deletes an email, it does not affect others’ inboxes.

Shared
Inboxes

A full-fledged inbox with Inbox, Draft, etc.

Everyone accesses the same email - in the common inbox.

Replies can be sent from shared inbox id.

Deleting an email deletes it for everyone.

Google
Groups

A group of users with the same email id.

The email is reproduced for users - and sent to their personal inboxes.

Replies can only be sent from personal email id.

One person deletes - does not affect others.

Guess what!

Hiver turns your Google
Groups into Shared Inboxes

Use Google Groups to manage a shared email address like [email protected] or [email protected]?

Not a great way of doing things

Turn your Google Groups into shared inboxes with Hiver — and manage them right from Gmail.

Interface

Assignment

Visibility

Team discussions

Managing Google Groups (the old-school way)

Google Groups does not look or work like Gmail. Teams need training to use it.

Forwarding emails is the only way to assign emails to teammates.

Teams lack alignment. Two users might end up working on the same email.

For internal discussions, team members write emails to each other.

Managing Google Groups with Hiver

Manage Google Groups right from Gmail. Hardly anything to learn.

Assign emails to your teammates in 1 click from Gmail. No email clutter.

Everyone knows who is working on which email. No room for collisions or duplicate efforts.

People write Notes to sync up with teammates — and keep email clutter at bay.

Manage Google
Groups natively

Manage Google
Groups with Hiver

Interface

New and
complicated.
Demands training.

Inside Gmail. No training needed.

Assignment

Forwarding
(creates clutter).

1 click from Gmail.
No clutter.

Visibility

Teams are not on
the same page.

They always know
who is working on what.

Team discussions

Teammates send emails to each other.

They write Notes -
and keep clutter
at bay.

Hiver helps you manage Google Groups right from Gmail

Show me how

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