Microsoft is an American technology corporation with a focus on computer software, personal computers, electronics, and related services. The corporation is widely known for its software products, including Windows Operating System, Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, and Edge Web Browser. In recent years, to support the efficiency of client businesses, Microsoft has worked to develop platforms that utilize robotics process automation (RPA) and artificial intelligence (AI). This blog will provide an overview of Microsoft Power Automate, including its features and benefits and how it can help businesses automate their workflows and increase productivity.
Microsoft Power Automate RPA
With over 100 million users, Power Automate is a cloud application that can easily automate Office 365 and other Outlook 365 applications like Microsoft Teams. Power Automate helps users with tasks such as importing email from multiple sources, adding custom fields, creating templates, and much more. Allowing Office 365 administrators to configure their environment with the simple drag-and-drop interface through the 'Power Automate '-enabled Outlook 365 apps makes it easy to identify problem areas and resolve them quickly.
Easily accessed from a device with Windows 11, anyone can learn to automate everyday tasks using RPA. Desktop RPA through Power Automate is a low-code/no-code platform encouraging users from any background to start automating processes. Tutorials for making these automatons are readily available through Microsoft Learn and guided in-product experiences. Videos from Microsoft Power Platform can also teach users about establishing and managing custom RPA tasks on their desktops. Microsoft also provides community and support contacts for any questions and issues from Power Automate users.
Many applications of Power Automate can simplify everyday personal activities without the user’s necessity for a background in software development. It provides the option for automated Windows desktop tasks, including data entry, reporting, gathering internet information, transfer of data between applications, and scheduling. Capabilities include automation of manual tasks like mouse clicks, keyboard strokes, and data entry. All of which can save significant time and energy while promoting accuracy for each task.
Digital Process Automation
Teamwork activities in business can be improved by implementing digital process automation through Microsoft Power Automate. The program provides an intuitive interface for creating automated workflows. Regardless of technological knowledge, teams can easily work from shared information from different applications, databases, and the cloud.
Hundreds of applications are available to select and connect, and users can submit their own connector applications. Thousands of templates for common automation or connections are available and can be customized to accomplish specific automation goals. These processes can be observed and managed from anywhere using the web portal, mobile application, and Microsoft Teams.
Proper implementation of these capabilities can positively impact any team or business. Manual and repetitive tasks can be easily automated to save time and reduce the chances of human error or miscommunication. Employees can be made more accessible to contribute to complex responsibilities, with less need to focus on tedious tasks.
Xerox designed an RPA bot to be used with Power Automate, which services small business ventures. Its use to assist a legal practice’s operation is an excellent example of the promise of Power Automate. Before utilizing the program, this legal firm spent 250+ hours a month to manually process exhibits as they worked on cases. The program implements document conversion technology to handle the entire process unattended. They can now focus on high-value tasks like growing the firm.
Business Process Automation
Consistency in business is crucial, and utilizing business process automation from Power Automate can help ensure that common process flows are completed efficiently and in the intended order. Connections between processes in sales, marketing, and other services using automation can be streamlined regardless of the complexity of each process.
Using the Microsoft Dataverse, each business department can provide automated inputs to a central database. This database can then be used to access and analyze relevant information easily. This consolidation of information allows for informed high-level business decisions and revision of process structure. Within this database, process flow charts and lists can be viewed by users and used to streamline approval granting and relevant next steps. Information security is promoted with administrators' ability to control access to information and process flows.
The Power Automate platform provides prebuilt business process flows. These templates can help a business get started or improve pre-existing business structures. Templates are built for common scenarios and can be edited to the exact needs of each business. Implementing Power Automate can lead to informed business decisions and a comprehensive view of complex processes.
Coca Cola Bottling Company United has utilized Power Automate business process automation for managing information. This allowed for comprehensively digitizing a complex manual billing, invoicing, and order management process. Power Automate provides unattended bots to sync data between the company’s SAP management system and Azure SQL. Implementing this has significantly reduced costs and increased the ability to process more orders.
Advisement and Artificial Intelligence
Process advisor is an essential component of Power Automate for business. This is due to the intuitive interface providing insights on process improvement and workflow visualizations, detailing possible areas to modify. This built-in capability utilizes process mining and task mining to advise business administrators.
Process mining is a great way to discover efficiency issues throughout a business's entire digital portion. Accessible process maps can lay out every automated process utilized and help identify opportunities to make further RPA connections. Task mining involves the ability to analyze desktop activity throughout an organization. Mining will resolve specific processes and generate more efficient task grouping. Using the gathered information, the program can make recommendations for automation that would be beneficial.
Automation can be more advanced and specialized to business needs through custom AI models using Power Automate AI Builder. These models are easy to create due to available guidance from Microsoft. Like other components of Power Automate, a company can utilize AI automation for connections on all relevant applications, including Microsoft 365. AI automation can then have extended capabilities using built-in connections to Azure APIs. This technology includes but is not limited to automations understanding complex text, detecting information from images, analyzing customer comments, and even providing predictions on future business.
The Dura Digital Takeaway
Microsoft Power Automate is a cloud application that can easily automate Office 365 and other Outlook 365 applications like Microsoft Teams. With over 100 million users, Power Automate helps users with tasks such as importing email from multiple sources, adding custom fields, creating templates, and much more. Power Automate provides an intuitive interface for creating automated workflows, allowing teams to efficiently work from shared information from different applications, databases, and the cloud. Don’t let manual and repetitive tasks hold your organization back. Contact us today to learn how Microsoft Power Automate can help you streamline your business processes and free your employees to focus on high-value activities.
