Harnessing Microsoft's Power Apps and Power Automate for Digital Transformation

For some companies, the focus on productivity is nonstop. For others, the necessity to deal with productivity grows in an uncertain economic climate. The ability to adapt, innovate, and streamline operations is crucial for staying competitive. According to McKinsey, 60% of jobs have at least 30% of their activities that can be automated using today’s technologies during a digital transformation.

Digital transformation is about reimagining the way work is done, leveraging technology to enhance efficiency and drive growth. It's not just a matter of adopting the latest gadgets; it's about harnessing the right tools to optimize processes and empower employees.

For those companies using Azure and Office 365, Microsoft's Power Platform provides a robust foundation for achieving these goals. Let’s explore what each of these tools can do for your organization.

‍PowerApps: Quick Low-Code Applications

One of the key challenges in digital transformation is enabling employees to create custom solutions without the need for extensive coding skills. Power Apps addresses this challenge by creating a low-code way to build custom apps quickly and easily. All of those usages of products like Microsoft Excel instead of a proper website with an audit trail can easily be replaced.

1. Rapid App Development: With a low-code/no-code approach, Power Apps empowers business users to create apps tailored to their unique needs. This accelerates the development cycle to where our Power Platform Centers of Excellence can create new applications each week.
2. Integration Capabilities: Power Apps seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft products like O365, SharePoint, Dynamics 365, and Azure. This enables users to connect to data sources and automate processes effortlessly. 
3. Mobile-Friendly: In a mobile-driven world, Power Apps ensures that your apps are responsive and can be used across devices, enabling productivity on the go. 
4. Improved Decision-Making: Custom apps provide real-time insights, helping employees make data-driven decisions and streamline workflows. 
5. Security and Compliance: Microsoft ensures robust security and compliance features, making it suitable for organizations with strict data governance requirements.                                                                                                                    

‍PowerAutomate: Streamlining Workflows and Enabling New

Efficient workflows are the backbone of productivity. Power Automate allows organizations to automate repetitive tasks and processes, freeing up valuable time and resources.

1. Automated Workflows: Power Automate enables the creation of automated workflows that connect various apps and services, eliminating manual, time-consuming tasks. It will orchestrate everything from Robotic Process Automations (RPA) to more advanced business processes.
2. Integration with Microsoft 365: It seamlessly integrates with Microsoft 365 apps like Outlook, SharePoint, and Teams, making it an ideal choice for organizations already using these tools.
3. AI-Powered Automation: AI-driven capabilities can be leveraged to make intelligent decisions and automate complex processes.
4. Notifications and Alerts: Stay informed and respond promptly with notifications and alerts, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. With seamless connection into PowerBI, reporting is made easy from Power Automate. 
5. Cross-Platform Integrations: Power Automate can connect to a wide range of third-party applications, allowing for comprehensive automation across the entire tech stack. Microsoft boasts over 1,000 integrations in Power Automate making it more useful that just an orchestration tool.                                                                                                                           

An example of a Power Automate Flow we built recently looked like this:
Webhook --> Azure Function --> Power Automate Flow --> Salesforce --> ChatGPT -->Outlook

In that, we took a webhook from a system and connected to an Azure function. The Azure function then calls a Power Automate Flow, which pushed connection to Salesforce, wrote an email with the data using Chat GPT, and then sent that email through a shared Outlook Inbox. All of those integrations made for a custom automation in just a few weeks. 

The true power of Microsoft's Power Platform lies in its seamless integration. Power Apps andPower Automate work harmoniously with other Microsoft tools, creating a cohesive digital ecosystem. This interconnectedness enables organizations to create end-to-end solutions that enhance productivity and drive digital transformation.

Microsoft's Power Apps and Power Automate are valuable tools for enabling productivity and driving digital transformation within your organization. Through rapid application development to automating processes, you can streamline operations, improve decision-making, and stay competitive in an ever-evolving business landscape. Talk to our team at BUILT to create a Power Platform COE in your company.

Interested in learning more about how BUILT’s digital transformation experts can take your business to the next level? Connect today: https://www.builtglobal.com/contact