Microsoft Power Automate is selected by Gartner as a Leader in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Robotic Process Automation. Power Automate is a cloud-based secured software solution that allows businesses to create and automate workflows between different applications and services they use.
It is a part of the Microsoft Power platform, which includes:
- Power BI – A Business Intelligence platform that provides analytics and actionable insights
- Power Automate – A cloud-based workflow automation software
- Power Apps – A low code development environment that enables users to build custom business apps
- Power Virtual Agents – A tool that helps create powerful chatbots using a guided, no-code graphical interface
Before looking at the benefits of Power Automate, let us understand the modern concept of Robotic Process Automation, in brief.
What is Robotic Process Automation?
Robotic Process Automation is a new-age technology that allows businesses to automate specific routine tasks performed by employees. It enables them to reallocate their freed-up time due to automation to more impactful business issues and serve their customers better.
It will typically help automate routines that consist of multiple repeatable sequences of steps, requiring a workforce with limited skill sets to execute these tasks.
Let us understand some key factors that make Power Automate a leader in the robotic process automation space.
Power Automate Benefits
1. Low code platform that is easy to set up
Power automate is a low code platform. It also allows users with limited technical knowledge to create customized workflows and automate tasks. It also comes with pre-built templates that enable users to start using it immediately. The users can tweak the templates to customize flows that meet their specific requirements.
A simple example of it could be an employee receiving a notification every time your manager sends you an email.
2. Streamlines data-driven processes
Power Automate can help businesses streamline data-driven processes and systems. Let us understand this with an example.
Consider running a marketing campaign directing users to a Contact Us form. Once the website visitor fills the form, the lead details are redirected to a spreadsheet or a CRM.
It can collate data from multiple sources and help organize it better. It also does this in real-time, which allows stakeholders access to updated data at all times and will help them make informed data-driven business decisions almost instantaneously.
3. Boost employee efficiency
Power Automate lets employees automate mundane repeatable tasks that require more time but are simple to execute. Once automated workflows are created around these activities, employee time is freed-up. They can reallocate it to work on more critical business tasks, thus boosting employee productivity and efficiency.
It also will reduce instances of human error that may arise due to the repetitive nature of these activities.
4. Always stay updated about important activities
Power Automate allows users to schedule workflows that instantly notify them about important updates or tasks. It can notify users in multiple scenarios like a milestone completion marked by a colleague, emails received from a particular person like a big client or your boss, notifications to approve certain documents, etc.
These notifications also help you prioritize work and immediately turn attention to a business-critical activity if required.
5. Integration with other Microsoft Apps
Power Automate has strong native integration capabilities with other Microsoft applications and software like Office 365, Power BI, Business Central, etc. Since businesses widely use these, Power Automate can be highly beneficial for the users in creating workflows across these applications and make the business-wide systems and processes highly efficient.
6. Integration with third-party applications
Power Automate also has 300+ built-in connectors with other popular 3rd party tools like Asana, Mailchimp, Twitter, DocuSign, Eventbrite, FreshBooks, Trello, etc.
These are some of the most widely used tools globally, and compatibility with these tools makes it easy for the users to create custom workflows as per their requirements.
7. Integration with third-party applications
For various legacy applications, API-based options are not available. Hence, they cannot integrate with new-age applications, forcing the businesses to either keep using the legacy systems or migrate to a modern software solution.
Power Automate enables users to automate legacy applications with incomplete or missing APIs. You can even combine legacy apps, modern apps, and manual processes in single automation.
As we can see there are numerous advantages that Power Automate offers. If you want to implement Power Automate for your business, connect with experts at Direction Software. Direction Software is a multicultural Information Technology Solutions and Business consulting company with Indo-German Management, headquartered in Mumbai, India.
We offer Bespoke solutions on .Net, Java & open-source platforms, E-Business consulting, Back Office Support, Business Intelligence, and Mobility Solutions. We are a Microsoft Gold partner since 2002.
We service 200+ clients across 10+ geographic locations and have a 20% growth rate year-on-year. Our large multinational clients have been with us for over 10 years. Direction Software works as an extension of the customer’s organization. It reflects in the close relationship and trust we build together, leading to us retaining over 90% of our clients. We equate their success with our own.
About the author:
Chirag Thakkar – Sr. Digital Marketing Consultant
At Direction Software LLP, Chirag works with the Marketing Team to enhance the Digital Marketing presence and Lead Generation.