Most Microsoft 365 subscriptions include Power Automate, which uses AI to automate a lot of administrative tasks. It not only eliminates a lot of tedious copying-and-pasting routines, but it also lets you put many routines on an hourly, daily, weekly or monthly schedule, taking the burden of remembering things off your shoulders.

Power Automate lets you create automated workflows between various applications and services, such as sending notifications, moving data between systems, and managing approvals. It also works seamlessly with Microsoft 365 tools like Excel, SharePoint, and Teams, as well as third-party applications in what Microsoft calls a “low-code environment” that lets users with little to no coding experience to create workflows easily. It has three types of workflows:

• Cloud Flows that trigger automatically, instantly, or on a schedule
• Desktop Flows that automate tasks on desktop applications and the web
• Generative Actions that use AI features such as Copilot to determine the right actions based on user intent

Power Automate is suitable for any size user base, ranging from individuals to large corporations. Anyone with a work or school email address can sign up and register to access the platform through a web browser or the Power Automate desktop app available for Windows.

One of the ways I’m using it is to look for emailed reports that I get several times a day in Outlook. It takes the data in the reports and enters them into an Excel spreadsheet and color codes it to indicate which numbers have changed or remain the same. It also lets me know what numbers have not changed for two weeks. AI reads my invoices, and it scans data and puts it into a OneNote notebook that I can look at and decide what to keep.

I also use Power Automate to track my appointments and hours, and I now have a routine that sorts them all on the first of the month. Overall, I’d say all my routines saved me 17 hours of work in the last week.

While similar automation platforms are available, Power Automate integrates much better with Microsoft systems, including third-party apps that tie into Microsoft. To make it work effectively for you, keep these factors in mind.

• There are limits to how many requests you can make in a 24-hour period.
• You need to select the right triggers and actions to ensure your workflows are activated precisely when needed.
• You need to clearly document your workflows thoroughly so that those who maintain the system and work team members understand the workflow logic.
• You must test it comprehensively and thoroughly to ensure that your workflows function as intended and handle errors gracefully.

We can help you set up and optimize Power Automate routines focusing on adopting consistent naming conventions, implementing robust error handling, and avoiding unnecessary loops. We can also help with configuration management and flow performance monitoring for continued efficiency. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us to discuss your needs and design a system for them.