Repetitive tasks, entering the same information in several programs, superfluous clicks… Many software programs, such as Power Automate or Lapala, can help you solve these problems. To the question “What is Power Automate?”, we’ll tell you that it’s an attractive automation tool for companies with more than 500 employees.
If you have fewer than 500 employees in your company, don’t waste your time. Microsoft Power Platform is far too complex to set up, the Lapala tool will be much more suitable.
In the first part, we’ll give you an overview of Power Automate. In the second part, we’ll explain the tool’s limitations.
Power Automate is part of the Microsoft Power Platform suite
Power Plateform is an add-on to Microsoft Office 365. It specializes in the creation of Cloud business applications.
This brick is mainly composed of :
- Power Apps, for application creation.
- Power Virtual Agents, for creating chat bots.
- Power BI, for data visualization.
- and Power Automate for task automation.
What is Power Automate?
Power Automate, Microsoft’s cloud-based work automation solution
Power Automate, formerly known as Microsoft Flow, is a software package for automating tasks, processes and calculations in spreadsheets in the cloud. It is the worthy heir to Excel macros. It manages a company’s various workflows, enabling experienced users to create and automate their work without the help of a developer or the IT department.
Power Automate can manage any type of workflow, business process or operation. From sales and logistics to accounting and customer services, all activities can be integrated into Power Automate.
Find out more in our article on process automation
The benefits of using Power Automate
Time-saving for teams
Incessant copying and pasting, multiple clicks in non-ergonomic interfaces… the nightmare is over. Power Automate automates repetitive, non-value-added tasks.
Data flow from your Cloud software
You’ll be able to connect your company’s software to enable the smooth flow of data. Whether you need to import or export data, Power Automate takes care of it.
Reduce human error
Now that data entry is automated, errors are a thing of the past. Sending an erroneous order to production is no longer an option. The process can then run smoothly and efficiently.
Power Automate? key features
Automated workflow
Build automated no-code workflows. If business processes are well formalized, everything will run smoothly, otherwise you won’t get anywhere.
Graphic design interface
The Power Automate designer is a graphical designer that makes it easy to learn. Adding functions to the process, such as triggers and logic conditioning, is just a few clicks away.
Connectors to your Cloud software
Power Automate features numerous connectors to Cloud applications. These include Outlook, Excel, OneDrive, Sharepoint and all the major applications on the market. Integrating them requires a little practice, but no IT development.
Triggers and actions
Each automation consists of a trigger and several actions. If you want to build one flow with several triggers, this is not possible. You’ll have to make several flows. There are many types of webhook triggers.
Process calculations and rules
In a Power Automate workflow, you can define conditions, rules and calculations to enable automation to follow its course independently of human intervention. Just like macros in Excel.
Main examples of Power Automate applications
Automating business tasks
Sales administration
- Create, send, follow-up and sign quotations
- Ditto for invoices
- Ditto for contracts
- Automated sales reports
Accounting
- Payment management
- Payment reminders
- Monitoring cash receipts
- Importing invoices into accounting software
- Expense management
Marketing / Sales
- Automatic opportunity identification
- Qualifying requests in CRM
- Information gathering
- Making an appointment
Customer service
- Qualifying requests
- Handling certain customer requests
- Sending out questionnaires
- Reporting
- Monitoring quality indicators
Production management
- Alert and boost
- Collecting data
- Automated data entry
- Tidying up notes
- Planning
Purchasing
- Inventory tracking
- Alerting and notification
- Order entry
- Controlling the validation circuit
HR
- Notifications related to the recruitment process
- Leave request process management
- Onboarding management
Information systems
- Qualification of support requests
- Processing certain tickets
- Computer security alerts
Integration with Microsoft software
Power Automate necessarily communicates with Microsoft suite tools such as Microsoft 365, Microsoft Dynamics and Microsoft Power Platform.
Office 365
Automate the tools you use every day. With Power Automate, Outlook, Excel, OneDrive, PowerPoint, Word and Teams software can be made more efficient. For example, in document management, automated e-mailing, PDF generation, automatic filing and renaming.
Power Platform
With Power Apps, you can add automatic executions to the business applications you create.
With Power BI, your reporting is automatically updated by Power Automate. Power Automate circulates data from one system to another.
In particular, Power Automate will automate data analysis for faster visualization.
SharePoint
By coupling SharePoint with PowerAutomate, you can make your document management even more efficient. For example, you’ll be able to manage validation and signature circuits, notification of modifications, reminders…
Dynamics 365
The Dynamics 365 suite enables users to benefit from CRM and ERP functionalities. For example, you can automate sales administration, invoicing and operations management processes…
Integration of your existing software and cloud applications
What are Power Automate integrations? With Power Automate Cloud, you can connect your company’s software without writting a line of code. Your CRM like SalesForce or Hubspot. Your ERP like SAP or Dolibarr. E-mailing services like SendGrid or Mailchimp. Collaborative tools like Monday, Slack…
To do this, Power Automate uses native connectors or APIs to collect and circulate data through the sequences.
How to use Microsoft Power Automate. Start with the models
What are Power Automate models? Once you’ve registered for the Power Automate Cloud service, you can start from scratch or use one of the many templates available. Templates are the easiest way to get started. You can then connect your existing software and start testing your first automations.
You can then share your automations with your teams and collaborators.
How do I set up Power Automate?
Do you have more than 500 employees?
I repeat, Power Automate is not recommended for companies with fewer than 500 employees. Of course, the marketing arguments put forward are simplicity and no need for technical expertise.
The reality is that Power Automate requires a certain level of knowledge and skill. Indeed, managing functional complexity, managing Microsoft technical services, maintenance, problem management and not forgetting the price make its use unthinkable for small and medium-sized structures.
If you have fewer than 500 employees, we recommend you take a look at Lapala.
What you need to know when using Power Automate
- The flow editor lets you create a fully customizable automation scenario. It starts by selecting a trigger (for example, the arrival of an email). You then add the relevant actions, linked or not to the company’s various software applications. The workflow can be subject to conditions or rules, creating decision trees. It doesn’t require any coding skills, but it’s still complicated to get to grips with.
- Security has to be taken seriously, and it’s important to set up the workflow correctly to manage authorizations, data protection, hacking attempts… and that’s no simple matter.
- Automating is good, documenting is better. Don’t hesitate to document your workflows on process documentation that can be easily accessed and upgraded when changes are made.
Power Automate, where’s the wolf?
As we said earlier, Power Automate is designed for companies with more than 500 employees. However, there are a number of limitations to be aware of before setting foot inside.
The cost is high, even if the ROI is good.
It’s true that Power Automate offers a definite return on investment in terms of time savings, error elimination and simplified collaboration. However, the price per user can quickly become astronomical, so beware of options and surprises.
What’s more, you never really know how much it’s going to cost in the end. You need to call in Microsoft experts, either in-house or externally, to find out what the real monthly subscription will be.
You have to accept being a prisoner of Microsoft’s experts, who will charge you for the slightest modification request.
Power Automate’s marketing pushes simplicity, but the reality is more like complexity. Power Automate is not easy to handle for non-experts.
Once you’ve started using Power Automate with Microsoft experts from outside your company, you’ll find it difficult to upgrade your automation and easily manage maintenance on your own. Each modification or problem management will require you to call in the Microsoft expert (a request which will inevitably be billed by the expert).
In the same way, if you recruit an expert internally, there will be some compartmentalization of skills, which needs to be handled carefully.
Alternatives to Power Automate, Zapier, Make, Lapala, Workato…
Conclusion: So what is Power Automate?
What is Power Automate? It’s a task automation tool designed for companies with more than 500 employees.
It enables you to manage workflows, automate business processes and reduce human error.
Despite a graphical interface that makes it easy to create automated workflows, connect to existing software and manage triggers and actions, Power Automate is relatively complex to use.
What’s more, the cost of subscription, implementation and maintenance can quickly become astronomical, not least because of the need to call on Microsoft experts on a regular basis to maintain it.
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