Recently, several of our clients have expressed an interest in Power Automate. This Microsoft service, previously called Flow, allows users to integrate applications to automate processes and tasks. Pre-built connectors to a wide range of applications, from SharePoint to Salesforce, enable you to create automated workflows and simplify your task management. You also have the option to  build your own custom integrations to automate everything from small tasks to large systems.

The advantages include improved productivity and increased accuracy, making Power Automate a great way to get the most out of your investment in Microsoft’s products. Here are just some of the applications you can build to benefit your organisation.

Streamline your sales workflow

One of our clients, a data management company, asked us to use Power Automate to streamline their sales process. The process required their sales team to create a Q&A style document for each new customer to fill in. We connected Power Automate to Oracle NetSuite, so that each sales person can now complete a simple form, which automatically generates a range of template documents in Word. Fields are automatically populated and quotes are automatically generated, saving time and improving accuracy.

The implementation is cheaper than building a solution from scratch. Furthermore, the client is not tied to Microsoft products; the solution will integrate with any application that has a modern API.

Capture on-the-go data more easily

You may have a CRM system and some of your users may want to capture simple data whilst out and about. Rather than expecting a user to navigate the CRM on their mobile, purpose-built forms can be used to capture the information. With no coding required, Power Automate can be used to create forms to send items such as client contact details, tasks or notes straight to your CRM.

Workflows can also be built to capture on-the-road data such as hours worked, work locations and task completion.

Switch securely between on-premises data and the cloud

With pure configuration and no code, Power Automate can integrate with on-premises data via Microsoft’s on-premises data gateway. This enables simple, secure transfer of data between non-cloud systems and Microsoft’s cloud services. These cloud services include Power BI, Power Apps, Azure Analysis Services, and Azure Logic Apps. Creating workflows in Power Automate provides the flexibility of using data in the cloud while the data is stored in on-premises networks. Multiple users can securely access multiple data sources. For instance, data from paper forms, such as insurance documents, can be managed in the cloud by multiple teams.

Use AI to improve productivity

Easily train Artificial Intelligence (AI) models, without using code, using the built-in AI capabilities of Power Automate. AI Builder, a simple point-and-click interface with pre-built scenarios, enables you to build AI models for processing forms, binary classification, object detection and text recognition.

For instance, a form processing AI model can be trained to extract specific data from forms, such as product codes from invoices, reducing the need for manual processing. The yes/no outcomes of binary classification can be used to categorise potential leads according to their predicted behaviour. Organisations can use object detection to automatically count stock levels or identify spare parts. And text recognition AI models can detect and categorise text to organise workflows according to defined emotions, customer requirements or spam.

What next?

Power Automate helps you get more return on your Office 365 investment. Get in touch for a free consultation if you would like to explore the possibilities.

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