What is Power Automate
Power Automate is a tool that enables users to create and automate workflows, by seamlessly connecting to other data sources such as Dynamics 365 & Office 365. Businesses can automate repetitive tasks by setting up ‘flows’ that are triggered by specific events, allowing employees to spend more time on bigger tasks. Hopefully, by the end of this blog, you will have a better understanding of the benefits Power Automate can provide to your business and some ideas of how you can use the tool.
Advantages of Automation in Business
Within a business, there are many processes that can be automated to allow better allocation of resources and increase productivity across teams. In particular, tasks that are repetitive and time-consuming can be reviewed, to understand if there is an opportunity to save time, and money and decrease the risk of human error, through automation.
It is thought that 60% of occupations could save 30% of their time with automation, just by automating simple tasks such as:
- Employee onboarding
- Contract management
- Approvals
- Document management
- Invoicing
Leveraging software, such as Microsoft Power Automate, can help you get the most out of your resources. We have pulled together our top processes you should automate using Power Automate that can help your business increase efficiency and drive productivity.
What are the benefits of Power Automate?
1. Streamline everyday tasks
Think about how many emails you receive on a daily basis. Now imagine getting a message when a high-priority email is received. With Power Automate, a template can be enabled for users to receive exactly that, ensuring an important email is never missed again.
2. Improve workforce productivity
Power Automate helps your business save time, improve productivity and ultimately work much more effectively. By automating repetitive tasks that take up time within the day, employees can work smarter and improve overall business performance.
3. Automate tasks across business systems
Power Automate connects and automates tasks across hundreds of apps, both within the Microsoft eco-system and external sources. Popular connectors include SharePoint, Power BI, Word, Outlook, Teams, Planner, Asana, Mailchimp, Twitter, Adobe Sign, DocuSign, Google Drive, Eventbrite, FreshBooks and Trello.
4. Increase employee satisfaction and reduce human error
Automating time-consuming, repetitive tasks enables employees to focus on the things that really matter and require more attention. As a result, this can lead to higher job satisfaction and increased feelings of accomplishment. Additionally, automation reduces the risk of human error, so you can feel confident that tasks are carried out to the highest standard.
5. Save time with decision making
By automating processes, such as approval workflows to respond to time off requests, document approvals, sales opportunities, etc, you are able to save time with decision-making.
6. Use predefined templates to create a flow
Although there is an option to build a flow from scratch, Power Automate boasts an extensive library of predefined templates. These flows all fall into one of the three types of flows in Microsoft Power Automate; cloud, business process or desktop. Different flows are best for different scenarios but they all tend to offer time-saving workflows around approvals, notifications, productivity, social media, and more.
7. Accessible anywhere
Microsoft Power Automate’s mobile app means that team members can create, run, and check on automated workflows even when out of the office.