Here’s a fact to consider: 93% of all Fortune 500 companies use Power Automate. And we’re willing to go out on a limb and say that already impressive number will continue to rise as more and more AI features are being added to the platform. These low-code/no-code tools can really save you heaps of time by making complex automations easier than ever.
Microsoft Power Automate: A Quick Overview
Power Automate is a cloud-based automation solution that is part of the Microsoft Power Platform, an integrated applications platform that also includes Power Apps and Power Pages.
Power Automate allows you to axe tedious routine tasks, streamline business processes, improve efficiency, and reduce operational costs by automating repetitive task. And with the ongoing introduction of more and more AI features, it’s only getting more robust and easier to implement, even for employees with little to no coding skills.
AI Capabilities in Power Automate
You can harness the AI capabilities in Power Automate in four key ways:
Authoring
Power Automate users can now design intelligent workflows using AI capabilities without needing extensive technical knowledge. Just drag and drop AI models into workflows to perform tasks such as sentiment analysis, language translation, or text recognition, or use natural language with Copilot in Power Automate.
Insights
Leverage machine learning to analyze data and get actionable recommendations. Power Automate can process large volumes of data to identify patterns and trends, offering insights that help businesses make informed decisions.
Processing
Use AI to automate repetitive work on documents. This includes capabilities like optical character recognition (OCR) to extract text from images or documents, natural language processing (NLP) to interpret and respond to user queries and machine learning models to classify and trigger document actions.
Generation
Create content using AI. In Power Automate, this can involve generating reports, drafting emails, or creating data summaries automatically. AI generation saves time and reduces the burden of manual content creation, ensuring consistency and accuracy in the outputs produced.
How to Use AI in Power Automate
Embracing the AI capabilities in Power Automate is not just a technological advancement; it’s a strategic move towards smarter and more innovative business operations. Here are just a few ways you can get started.
Accelerate Automation with Generative AI
AI flows are a new type of flow recently added to Power Automate. If you’ve ever been able to describe what you need to automate but weren’t sure how to actually go about building it, this tool is for you. The AI flows feature sits inside Copilot and allows you to describe what you want to automate using natural language and —voilà! — it will create the model. No more having to map out entire sequence of triggers, actions, and conditions! Instead, you work with the AI tool via a series of iterative prompts to create an automation plan, and then the AI builds it, validates it and offers improvement suggestions.
The Whitecap POV: We see this as a really effective way to start “kicking the tires” and take AI automation out for a spin. There are endless ways that all business functions could leverage AI flows to reduce manual labour. For instance, in a customer service department, you could use AI flows to go through incoming customer service emails and both categorize them and prioritize them so that any urgent issues are dealt with immediately by the proper person in the proper department.
Use a “Show and Tell” Approach to Train Your AI
Power Automate’s RPA capabilities enable the automation of desktop processes. Hosted RPA bots can perform tasks such as data entry, screen scraping, and interacting with legacy systems. Mimicking the hands-on way we train employees, you can now use multimodal AI recording for desktop flows to show the AI tool what it needs to do. This new feature, that combines screen understanding and speech processing to automate processes, is part of Microsoft’s ongoing efforts to bring AI to robotic process automation (RPA). Simply share your screen as you record and explain the various actions to perform to complete the task. The AI uses your recording to create a desktop flow in just minutes.
The Whitecap POV: Similar to the AI flows, a “show and tell” approach can be a simpler, more intuitive way to train your AI model, which can be especially helpful for non-IT resources. We’ve seen clients who need to sift through mountains of documents, such as invoices to get specific data which is then put into an Excel spreadsheet. Not only is this type of work incredibly time-consuming, but the “swivel chair” act of rekeying of data between systems can result in a lot of human error. That’s where Power Automate equipped with easy training tools like multimodal AI recording can be a boon. It can pull everything together, giving you back hours to your day and reducing frustration.
Harness the AI Builder to Create Models
In many ways, AI Builder is the heart and soul of Power Automate’s AI capabilities. It’s a user-friendly “point and click” solution that allows users to create and integrate AI models into their workflows without the need for extensive coding or technical expertise. AI Builder offers:
- Prebuilt AI Models: These “out of the box” solutions are designed for common tasks. Users can extract or translate information from scanned documents, process forms, perform a sentiment analysis as well as get predictive analysis based on historical data.
- Custom AI Models: Here you have the tools needed to create and train models for specific business needs. With a user-friendly guided, no-code interface, the custom models give you the flexibility to design solutions that do not exist in the pre-built models.
The Whitecap POV: AI Builder is the go-to solution for improving your business performance by automating processes and predicting outcomes. Its low code/no code functionality democratizes the act of creating automation models. By simplifying the creation of AI models, it quite literally turns employees into skilled developers, capable of creating their own automations. And it’s versatile. With over 500 connectors, including integrations with Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365, organizations can employ AI seamlessly across all data sources.
Use GPT for Generating Text
The integration of Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) into the Microsoft Power Platform, particularly within Power Automate, is a real game-changer. You can now set up a flow in AI Builder to include a prompt that automatically generates human-like text using GPT. This can range from creating posts or reports to responding to customer queries or complaints. In addition to generating text, GPT in Power Automate can also summarize text, extract information, and classify text, correct grammar or expand on topics.
The Whitecap POV: Imagine being able to generate text instantly and professionally without the need for human intervention. From HR departments being able to respond to common queries about employee policies or benefits to customer service departments having the power to deliver better, more personalized customer experiences through faster responses to individual questions. Not only does this merger of GPT and Power Automate make the workflows smarter, but the “dynamic duo” also helps to reduce errors, offer better insights, and overall provide a competitive edge with minimal effort. Yet, before allowing GPT the freedom to generate answers or content to your clients and employees, you must validate its responses for accuracy, tone and adherence to company policies.
Use AI to Troubleshoot Errors
So, you’ve built and deployed your flows, and now comes the dreaded error message. If you aren’t a coder, debugging programs can be, to put it lightly, a little less than fun. Thanks to Copilot within Power Automate, you have a troubleshooting friend on your side. Repair tips with specific, actionable steps are sent to flow owners whenever a cloud flow fails. The flow owner simply has to click on “Edit flow” to follow the suggestions.
The Whitecap POV: Pinpointing where you went sideways in your flows can be a time-consuming hassle. And there will be errors. For people who are not proficient in coding, understanding where the bad request happened and why can be challenging. While Power Automate won’t automatically fix the issues, it does help you understand where and why they’ve occurred.
A Little Help from My (AI) Friends
Worried that you won’t know where to start? Microsoft has you covered. New users to Power Automate can get personalized recommendations for automation opportunities. The suggestions are “created from your own graph data—specifically, job role, sent emails, calendar invites, and files.” Essentially, the AI mines your processes and looks for patterns and repetitive tasks that could be automated to save you time.
The Whitecap POV: Often with new technologies, the phrase “you don’t know what you don’t know” rings true. There can be a lack of adoption when people don’t have a clear idea of where to begin to harness the new tech. While there could be an initial knee-jerk reaction that having AI mine your processes might be a little unsettling, ultimately, it’s a powerful way for new users to open their eyes and see which manual tasks could be automated. It’s easy to keep doing what’s been done before and this aspect of Power Automate could really help pinpoint which workflows could be done faster and better by AI.
What are Some Typical Use Cases for AI-Driven Power Automate?
Power Automate can help streamline almost every function, in every industry. Here are just a few of the typical use cases we are seeing with clients and in the marketplace:
Customer Service Automation
AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can handle customer inquiries, provide support, and resolve common issues without human intervention. Power Automate can integrate these AI solutions into existing customer service processes, enhancing responsiveness and customer satisfaction.
Document Processing
One of the most common use cases for AI in Power Automate is document processing. AI models can extract data from invoices, receipts, and other documents, automatically populating databases or triggering further actions. This automation saves time and reduces the likelihood of errors associated with manual data entry.
Human Resources Automation
HR departments can leverage AI to automate processes such as resume screening, employee onboarding, and performance evaluations. AI models can analyze resumes to identify the best candidates, automate the onboarding process, and provide data-driven insights for performance reviews.
Predictive Maintenance
In industries such as manufacturing, AI models can predict equipment failures based on historical data and sensor readings. By integrating these models into Power Automate workflows, businesses can schedule maintenance proactively, minimizing downtime and extending the lifespan of equipment.
Sales and Marketing Automation
AI models can analyze customer data to identify trends and predict future behaviour. Power Automate can use these insights to trigger targeted marketing campaigns, personalized offers, and follow-up actions, increasing the effectiveness of sales and marketing efforts.
The Benefits of AI in Power Automate
The companies we work with are embracing Power Automate as there are countless advantages, including:
- Increased Efficiency and Productivity: AI-driven automation significantly reduces the time spent on repetitive and mundane tasks. By automating processes such as data entry, file transfers, and notifications, employees can focus on more strategic and creative tasks that add greater value to the organization.
- Enhanced Decision-Making: AI capabilities in Power Automate enable businesses to make data-driven decisions. AI models can analyze large datasets, identify patterns, and provide actionable insights, helping employees and their organization to anticipate trends and make informed decisions.
- Scalability and Flexibility: Power Automate’s AI features allow businesses to scale their automation efforts effortlessly. Whether it’s handling increased workloads or expanding to new areas of the business, AI-driven automation ensures processes remain efficient and effective.
- Improved Accuracy and Reduced Errors: Automating tasks with AI minimizes the risk of human error. AI models can consistently perform tasks with high accuracy, ensuring data integrity and process reliability.
- Cost Savings: By automating routine tasks, businesses can reduce operational costs. AI-powered automation can handle tasks faster and more efficiently than manual processes, leading to significant cost savings.
The Challenges of Citizen Development
We have shared our thoughts on the opportunities and risks of citizen development within the Power Platform in a previous post. Check out Promises and Perils of a Low Code World.
A lot of that applies to handing over the power of AI in Power Automate to your employees as well. The ease-of-use and productivity benefits make it very tempting, but there are some challenges to take into consideration such as data security, model accuracy, training, support and maintenance. Organizations must set company-wide guidelines that allow your people to create models yet maintain rigor over issues concerning governance and compliance.
Citizen development can easily get out of hand and there needs to be oversight to make sure AI use aligns with business strategy and does not disrupt existing systems and processes.
For more complex process automation projects, you’ll still need an experienced software development partner to make sure it is designed and built in a way that aligns with your business strategy, governance and security standards, and that you have the training and support you need to realize the full benefits of AI and automation.
How Can We Help You?
The integration of AI in Power Automate marks a significant advancement in the realm of business automation. If you need help with AI strategy and implementation, we’ve got a proven approach, and the expertise leading businesses depend on to develop custom software solutions that become core to their companies. Let’s chat.