Google Inc. has announced that it will be purchasing the Toronto-based developers behind Synergyse, a virtual training service that helps users master Google Apps.
Synergyse itself will be added to Google Apps later this year, Peter Scocimara, senior director of Google Apps Operations wrote in a May 2 blog post announcing the deal. In the meantime, existing Synergyse customers will retain their access to the program, and new customers will be able to download the Chrome extension for free.
“Given the enthusiasm that exists for Synergyse already, we want to extend this service to all of our customers,” Scocimara wrote. “By providing the right help at the right time, Synergyse will help our customers with the critical task of change management in the enterprise, and bolster the training and support programs we already offer today.”
Launched in 2013, Synergyse adds a virtual coach to the Google Apps interface, allowing users to search for voice- and text-based training modules within such apps as Gmail, Calendar, Drive, and Docs, so they can master existing features and learn new ones. To date, the program has been used by more than 4 million people and 3,000 organizations worldwide.
With Google Apps now used by more than 2 million paying businesses around the world, the company had been looking for an elegant way to provide user training for its rapidly expanding customer base, Scocimara wrote, noting that organizations which incorporate Synergyse see a 35 per cent higher adoption rate across Apps products.
In a May 2 blog post of their own, Synergyse founders Varun Malhotra, Majid Manzarpour, and Alex Kennberg said they were excited that Synergyse would be joining the Google Apps suite as well.
“By joining the Google Apps team, we can accelerate our mission because we will be working even closer with the teams that build Google Apps,” they wrote. “Advancing our mission at a faster speed is very exciting for the Synergyse team and our customers will directly see the benefits as we move forward.”