To really understand browser extensions, it’s best to start by thinking back about fifteen years. Back then, every company wanted to build the perfect website—and that meant information-rich and highly functional. But fast-forward a few years, and those same companies now wanted to build native apps. This time they wanted products that were sleeker, easier to use, and totally separate from Internet browsing.
Now back to the present. These days, companies are aiming for a middle road between those two digital experiences. Many of them are using extensions to create a custom browsing experience for the individuals who use their products.
So, what are extensions? Even if you don’t realize it, you’re probably already familiar with them.
Extensions are small software programs that tailor the Internet browsing experience to an individual’s preferences and offer helpful features based on their needs. Extensions have quietly become commonplace over the past few years. Many are displayed as icons beside the navigation bar in Google Chrome, which has built a robust extension collection.
Extensions Are Everywhere
Chrome extensions do all sorts of things. For example, Amazon makes an extension that automatically shows price comparisons in your browser. Pinterest’s extension lets users “pin” any online image to their own digital board. Ad-blocking extensions automatically hide banner advertisements and obnoxious, flashing pop-ups. There are extensions for email alerts, weather, grammar, to-do lists, and web security—just to name a few.
Extensions create a new level of functionality for users and keep them engaged in their customized web sessions by offering them the toolkits they care about most while browsing. Because extensions run in the background, people no longer have to go through the process of navigating to a different website, logging in to a separate app, or double-clicking a desktop icon (and then waiting—so much waiting!) just to accomplish a small task. With an extension, it’s all integrated into the browsing experience, which saves time and keeps people involved in what they’re doing online.
Extensions Are The New Normal
Of course, extensions don’t feel like some revolutionary time saver for most modern individuals, and that’s because they’ve quietly become so commonplace. There are millions of extensions available in the Chrome Web Store, and they’re no longer seen as “nice to have” features. Rather, they’re seen as essential to the way most people use the web both in their free time and, increasingly, in work settings.
Thanks to the rise of cloud-based software, powerful web dashboards (like IntelAgree’s dashboard), and helpful extensions, web browsers are increasingly re-establishing themselves as ideal hubs for navigating the digital world. Browsers like Google Chrome offer a centralized location where various tools cooperate efficiently with one another, and employees expect that from the software they use.
Work management companies like SalesForce and MailChimp have built out their own extensions too. Their subscribers can use their tools more quickly while operating a browser. They can access information the same way they might type a query into their search bar or click a notification. They can also retrieve information without clicking around nested navigation panels on separate sites, saving time.
Here at IntelAgree, we know people want to use programs that make their lives easier, not more complicated. And we’ve built our own Chrome extension that’s meant to work with your current tools and do just that. No overhaul required.
What Does IntelAgree’s Extension Do?
Our extension helps busy customers do more, even faster. For example, when your sales team is ready to send a contract to a customer, they can open the IntelAgree extension and begin the wizard creator immediately. After answering just a few questions—voila! The agreement is ready, using your current, approved template. Or perhaps while online or on SalesForce, you come across a company you want to do business with. When you highlight the text, the IntelAgree extension shows you what agreement (if any) your team has with that company. This intuitive integration makes using our software simple, fast, and easy; and it makes it obvious that letting extensions handle most of the information management is best practice.
We know companies dedicate so much time to building great workflows that maximize efficiency. So we want IntelAgree to enhance those workflows by connecting information seamlessly. An extension that integrates with your current contract management tools and makes information accessible right from Chrome makes contract lifecycle management (CLM) easier. And that is the goal, after all. Learn more today.
