Best automation tool from Microsoft
Updated June 18, 2024

Best automation tool from Microsoft

Dineshkumar Rajendran | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Software Version

Other

Overall Satisfaction with Microsoft Power Automate

We use Power Automate solution to automate workflows for SharePoint online solutions. Few business problems that addressed using Power automate: 1. SharePoint Approvals flow 2. Capture audit version from the SharePoint items 3. Read email attachments and upload to SharePoint 4. Monitor the field status change in the SharePoint list and send email notifications to users for action

Pros

  • Automate SharePoint Approval flows
  • Integration with Outlook
  • Item updates in SharePoint list
  • File uploads to Document library
  • Integration with RPA tool like UiPath

Cons

  • No activity disable feature in the workflow, this would have saved lot of time
  • Allow turn off feature to not trigger any pending runs in the queue or add new feature to just run pending runs when the workflow is turned off
  • Allow easy copy and paste activities from UI
  • Integration with Teams
  • Integration with Outlooks
  • SharePoint online integration to create/edit/delete list items
  • Trigger power automate using API calls
  • Files upload to SharePoint list/document library
  • Quickly design workflows for SharePoint solutions
  • Connectors to different tools/systems like Outlook, teams, Database for different activities
  • Allow any non-technical persons to build automation workflows
We also use Nintex automation workflows in our organization for SharePoint solutions. Currently the road map is to migrate all the workflows developed using Nintex to Microsoft Power automate. I have been involved in this migration project, migrated around 50+ workflows that are integrated with SharePoint online to Power automate. Power Automate has better user friendly UI and has more connectors compared to Nintex and dont see any challenges migrating the workflows to Power Automate
Power Automate is very well integrated with Microsoft office 365 suit, Teams channel and SharePoint online. The workflow UI is very user-friendly and the users from non-technical background can easily understand the tool and start automating any simple and complex workflows. This is the best tool compared to Nintex Workflow products.

Do you think Microsoft Power Automate delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Microsoft Power Automate's feature set?

Yes

Did Microsoft Power Automate live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Microsoft Power Automate go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Microsoft Power Automate again?

Yes

Here are couple of use cases where Power Automate is well suited for us.

1. Send auto-reply to users whenever an email received to Shared mailbox. Currently Outlook 365 auto reply function allows to send auto response just onetime but the requirement is to send auto response to use whenever an email received. This was easily automated using Power Automate integration with Outlook 365.

2. Integrated well with Teams channel. The teams notification is expected to send when the status change in SharePoint online list time. This is the common use case from the business group, workflows can be automated in few seconds using Power automate

Using Microsoft Power Automate

1000 - They represent different key business functions aim to automate different automation processes like workflow automations, notifications and alerts, document approvals workflows, integrations with RPA UiPath tool, outlook automated response, cross platform automations, SharePoint list updates, documents meta data column update, sending email remainders for bot identification expirations, calendars update notifications.
1000 - Skills include some basic programming knowledge, issues analysis and troubleshooting skills. Users who have experience in any automation tools can provide support to this tool and also Business Analysts and citizen developers capable to support power automate workflow tool.
  • SharePoint list updates
  • Integration with RPA tool
  • Sending auto reply emails from Outlook
  • Sending teams alerts and notifications
  • SharePoint document approval process
  • Integration with RPA tool UiPath
  • Sending auto reply emails from distributed email groups
  • Integration with teams channel and chat groups
  • Quality Assurance and Testing
  • Integration with Database and execute query
  • Customer onboarding process
Provided this rating because Power automate improves efficiency and reduce manual efforts. It can integrate well with other apps like teams, Outlook, file attachments.. etc. This tool has better user experience and ease of configuring the workflows.

Evaluating Microsoft Power Automate and Competitors

  • Cloud Solutions
  • Scalability
  • Integration with Other Systems
  • Ease of Use
Power automate can provide seamless integrations with Microsoft products like O365, Sharepoint and teams. This provides flexibility in designing workflows and automating complex scenarios. This platform provides user-friendly with an intuitive interface that allows for easy creation, management, and monitoring of automated workflows.
Conduct a detailed cost-benefit analysis to evaluate the total cost of ownership (TCO) of Power Automate. Develop a scaling plan that accounts for organizational growth, additional use cases, and expanding automation capabilities over time. Review detailed use case analysis that includes identifying critical workflows, repetitive tasks, and integration points that could benefit most from automation.

Microsoft Power Automate Implementation

  • Implemented in-house
Change management was a big part of the implementation and was well-handled
  • Version controls
  • Audit history
  • Monitoring and maintainence

Microsoft Power Automate Training

  • No Training
It is easy of learnings, provides No-Code/Low-Code Approach. The Power Automate community is active and supportive, offering forums, and other resources. Microsoft provides comprehensive documentation, tutorials, and learning paths for Power Automate. I would strong recommend this approach to other.

Configuring Microsoft Power Automate

It is just right for the target audience.
Take advantage of Power Automate's extensive library of templates and connectors. Templates provide pre-built workflows for common scenarios, while connectors enable integration with various applications and services (e.g., Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Twitter). Start with templates closest to your needs and customize as necessary. Incorporate error handling mechanisms within workflows to manage exceptions and ensure robust performance.
No - we have not done any customization to the interface
No - we have not done any custom code
I have not done any custom configurations

Microsoft Power Automate Support

Sometimes Microsoft support team takes more time to review the issues and get back. I have no complains receiving updates but the amount of time takes to resolve/troubleshoot is not great
ProsCons
Good followup
Kept well informed
Escalation required
Need to explain problems multiple times
We did purchase premium support because to receive fast response time and prioritized handling of support requests. This is critical for resolving urgent issues and minimizing downtime in critical business processes.
Yes - Yes, workflow unable to access when it is accessed via modern view. The issue was later identified and addressed by Microsoft.
We had issues accessing the Microsoft power automate workflows due to some changes impacted the modern view of workflows. The issue was opened with Microsoft support since it was critical and impacting lot of business users, the issue was escalated to Microsoft support and the issue was immediately addressed by Microsoft team. Not only the issue was resolved fast, also provided the temporary work around to access the workflow files.

Using Microsoft Power Automate

Power Automate features a clean and intuitive user interface that allows users to create, manage, and monitor workflows easily. The UI is designed to be accessible to both technical and non-technical users, with drag-and-drop functionality for building workflows. Power Automate supports integration with a wide range of Microsoft and third-party applications. This flexibility in integration allows users to automate workflows across various systems, enhancing overall productivity and efficiency.
ProsCons
Like to use
Relatively simple
Easy to use
Well integrated
Quick to learn
Lots to learn
  • Integration with Teams
  • Integration with Outlook
  • Integration with SharePoint
  • Error handlings
  • Integration with Legacy systems
  • Integration with databases

Integrating Microsoft Power Automate

I have integrated with RPA tool UiPath, Teams, Outlook and SharePoint apps. I could seamlessly integrated power automate with other Microsoft products, third party connectors.
  • RPA UiPath tool
  • Teams
  • Outlook
  • SharePoint

Relationship with Microsoft

I have not participated with vendor during the sales process
I have not participated with vendor during the sales process
Microsoft's professional services provide hands-on support throughout the implementation lifecycle of Power Automate.This includes initial setup, configuration, integration with existing systems, testing, and deployment. They ensure that workflows are correctly designed, optimized for performance, and aligned with security best practices.
I have not participated in any negotiation with the vendor.
I have not done any participations
I have not interacted with the vendor

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