What is Power Automate? – A Business Owner’s Guide
From accountants and marketers to manufacturers and logistics professionals, almost every job features small but significant tasks which simply can’t be avoided. Notifying colleagues about a new project. Copying files between different storage points. Or just remembering to send an updated document.
All of this and more adds up to take time away from what you do best. Not anymore. Microsoft Power Automate allows you to create automated workflows that take small repetitive tasks off your plate, saving you time and allowing you to focus on what’s important. In this post, we’ll answer the question: what is Power Automate?
What is Power Automate exactly?
Originally launched as Microsoft Flow, Power Automate is a cloud-based platform for creating automated workflows. It allows you to link up actions in different apps, automating the small tasks that you do on a day-to-day basis. The apps can be anything from Outlook and Teams to Twitter and Mailchimp – with hundreds of connectors to choose from.
As a basic example, you can create a workflow to send an email notifying colleagues when a task is completed. That saves you the time and effort of doing it yourself – but more importantly, it means you don’t have to constantly remember to do it each time.
Different types of workflow
What is Power Automate’s core tool? At the heart of the software, you’ll find three broad types of workflow:
- Automated – This flow is automatically activated by a trigger event
- Scheduled – This flow occurs at a set time, such as a notification to check your emails or reminding everyone about a weekly meeting
- Button – Slightly different to its counterparts, a button flow is activated by pressing a button
Within these broad categories, there are several sub-types of workflow, such as approval and business process. Approval flows allow you to automate the approval process. So, rather than having to email back and forth to arrange time off work, employees simply create an item which is automatically sent for approval.
Slightly more complex, business process flows provide a step-by-step guide to get work done. They reduce the need for training and support, guiding employees through a set of steps and stages to reach the desired outcome. That could be turning a lead into a sale or resolving a customer query, for example.
Going beyond training and on-boarding, business process flows can be used to improve consistency and productivity for even the most experience members of your team. With a step-by-step workflow in place, there’s no need to rely on your memory for different parts of the process. That allows you to manage multiple projects without constantly having to retrace your steps. So, what is Power Automate? It’s efficient, effective and effortless all in one.
Empower your team with Power Automate
Ready to boost productivity, improve consistency and make everything you do effortlessly scalable? Speak to the team at silverlimes. As Microsoft business automation specialists, we can help you identify areas where automation can help and build flawless workflows that keep everything running smoothly.
Call us on 0116 319 4402 or email hello@lowaired8.sg-host.com to arrange a no obligation chat. It’s time to power up your business.
