A Sortd Review For Google Workspace Users

If you work with email as a primary form of communication, you know that management takes time. Which is why developers are always working on different softwares that help business owners thrive in the digital spaces. However, given that there are many options going around, it’s important to see which one can fulfill your needs. In this Sortd review, we will explore the features, drawbacks and advantages of this add-on.

What is Sortd?

Sortd is a Gmail add-on that turns your inbox into a functioning management tool. You can use it for managing your team, tracking the progress of specific projects, optimizing your workflow, etc. That is, a Sortd review on your inbox makes it quite more efficient on day to day tasks.

As a Google Workspace add-on, Sortd is installed into your Google account and syncs with your inbox, bringing its management features into it. So, in theory, it should be an easier process to install it and customize it to your needs. Sortd markets itself to workplace managers, aka people who need to be on top of many different projects at once.

How to start using Sortd

To start testing Sortd, all you need to do is log into your Google account and going to the Chrome Store. There, you will find the Sortd page and click “Add to Chrome”. A pop-up window will appear, then you confirm your installation and are ready to go.

Installing and setting up your boards

The installation process is very easy. After adding the extension from the Chrome store, you need to open Gmail and a pop-up will appear.

To set up the software, you click through the buttons on this menu, then choose a name for your team and who to share the boards with. Here, you’d share it with employees or colleagues. Ideally, there is a different board for each team or project, to keep it organized.

Now, by clicking the “Link shared mailboxes” option, you are able to add incoming email from any account on your organization. So if a team is dealing directly with sales, you would add sales@companyname to the incoming messages.

As for the list customization, you can set them up by status (To-do, Current and Done columns), by assignee, by deadline or any other format that suits your project’s needs.

Turning emails into tasks

Now that Sortd is installed, it’s time to use it for the main function: turning email messages into tasks and organizing them. To do it from your inbox, all you have to do is select the email and click on the Add to Column button.

However, if you are reading an email and decide to turn it into a task, it’s just as easy. Click on the Add to column button on the top menu. From there, a menu appears on the right, where you add all relevant information to the task card.

Adding information to a card

On this Sortd review, you can see that there are a couple of details you can insert into the card. As you create it, you can give it a deadline, assign it to an user, create reminders or add notes. This is important because, often, collaborators need to view the context of a task to complete it. So adding all to the card makes your communication easier.

Sortd review: features

Sortd claims to be a solution to multiple issues companies face when using email. The idea behind this add-on is to make your workflow more efficient right into your inbox. That way, you wouldn’t have to switch between tabs and tools. To make this possible, there are a few different features that build Sortd. 

View switch

One of the key aspects of Sortd is that it brings tasks management to your inbox. But how can the user find what they need when they open their email account? On Sortd, you can switch between viewing modes right on top. The sliding button goes from traditional inbox view to Board view, with columns and cards.

Card fields

To make the task management happen, the messages have to be clear and concise. Another feature of Sortd is the card details. There are multiple fields, such as status labels, deadlines, assignment to users, reminders and notes.

So, for instance, if the user receives an email about a new product launch, they can turn it into a card, assign each launch step to a collaborator, elaborate on what the project requires, set a budget and much more. Then, if they or anyone else needs to refer back to information, it’s all on the card.

Sortd review: the good and the bad

Since Sortd markets itself as a full solution to management, right from the inbox, it’s important to notice the biggest advantages and disadvantages of using it for your company. Or maybe you need to find a Sortd alternative that fits your needs better.

The biggest advantages of this tool

Some of the features included in Sortd make team management easier. Since it has delegation tools and you can assign cards to each collaborator, the project manager has a clear view of the process. That way, people also have accountability. Instead of having to question each person, everyone can access the cards and see what still has to be done.

The reminder function helps with time management. Setting up deadlines and ETAs give you a better tracking system. With time, that contributes to a more organized workflow. Sortd also includes Notes on its cards, meaning people can contextualize the actions and help others understand better. Less time spent aligning expectations = more time for productive teamwork.

What Sortd is lacking

Now, even though Sortd can be quite useful for a company’s needs, there’s still a gap to keep in mind. For instance, the integration between boards lacks flow. You can move a card from one board to another, but you cannot have it on both at the same time. So if a project is done by two different teams, someone will have to update it.

Using email for customer support, for example, means that you have to be able to reach different departments from the same inbox. So the lack of interface has an impact on productivity.

On the topic of productivity, one of the biggest disadvantages of Sortd is that it lacks the email auto move to folder option. That is, you can’t easily set up a filter that automatically sends emails as cards to your boards. So there’s still a manual aspect to inbox management. Canned responses and templates aren’t easily available either.

The biggest con to Sortd, however, is that most of the tools are only on the paid version. Such as: incorporating multiple boards, shared inbox and calendar integration. And the history limitation of 6 months, which can be tricky for longer projects, since it doesn’t allow for a full view.

Plans and pricing

Like many Google Workspace add-ons, Sortd has a free version and two tiers of paid versions.

Free plan

The features include: Drag and drop task manager, one personal board, a daily planner, one extra board, reminders and deadlines and a 30-day history. On the free version, you cannot collaborate with other users, but for solo entrepreneurs, it can be very useful.

Paid plans

The first tier is called Essentials. Costing $10/month/user, it incorporates shared mailboxes, up to 20 users and calendar integration. You can create up to 20 boards and two automations, which allows work to be more productive. You can also use Google Drive to upload files, set up a task view by deadlines and assign labels. But the history is only 6 months long.

The more expensive option, Business, costs $15/user/month. With unlimited boards and customizable fields, you can make it ideal for your company inbox. This tier includes a contact manager, so that you can find the person you need without leaving your tab. And there’s an option to export data as well, for backup. There’s no time limit on cards, so it works for longer projects as well.

Sortd alternatives

Through this Sortd review, you are able to determine if it’s the option for your needs. Often, Gmail add-ons might not be ideal, so you need to find an alternative. Some of the Sortd alternatives are:

DragApp

Drag is a shared inbox tool that included productivity and collaboration features. With Drag, you set up an inbox that all collaborators can access, no need to switch tabs and log out. On that inbox, you can automate turning emails into tasks, labeling and sorting them into boards.

On these boards, you can track the progress of each step and assign them to team members. This is also helpful for tasks such as customer service and Sales CRM. If you’re reaching out to clients, it’s important to keep track of responses and follow up. So a task card with relevant notes, labels and reminders help you visualize it more clearly. Drag features automated responses and templates, which optimize your productivity.

Kanban software

Kanban is an analog task management method that sorts tasks into three columns: to-do, in progress and done. It helps teams view and track what needs to be done. This idea has been replicated by many task management tools, which allow for a custom system. That is, you can create a digital board and set columns according to your process. If you’re launching a product, for instance, you can create columns to signify each step of the launch.

There are many Kanban-style tools, such as Trello and Asana. With them, you create an account and invite your team members. Then, the manager creates task cards, organizes them into boards and assigns to members. When you’re done with your task, you fill he checklist an it moves to the next step.

These tools allow for automation, so as tasks are completed, they travel through the columns. There’s also an option for viewing the tasks in a calendar that can be useful for planning.

Shared calendar

Using a calendar can be the best way to manage a team. If your company uses Google Workspace as the main form of filesharing, all you need to do is create a shared Google Calendar and add events and tasks to it. From there, other users connected to the Workspace can access and add their own contributions.

Calendars can be color-coded to make it easier to view the tasks. You can add reminders and send them as emails or notifications to the team. So a shared calendar can be very beneficial to overall productivity.