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Reduce the Burden on
Your Brain, Part 4: Automation

Automation is a powerful tool that can streamline and simplify your work routine. With an accessible and flexible solution like Microsoft Power Automate, you don’t need to be an IT whizz to benefit from cutting-edge automation technology.

In a previous blog post, we looked at some of the ways automation can simplify your daily work routine. Today, we’re returning to the topic in the final part of our series about reducing the burden on your brain.

It’s a topic worth coming back to, because automation is an evolving area of information technology – and one with plenty of resources! While it can take a little time to get set up and adjust to the new way of working, the right tools can do a huge amount to relieve the pressure on your mental processes. One of the best tools out there is Microsoft Power Automate

One feature, many functions

We won’t deny that starting to automate your daily work can be a fiddly process. Depending on your role, you’re likely to be dealing with a lot of different business functions every day: data entry, reporting, invoicing, scheduling meetings and processing forms … If you had to find the right tool for every one of these tasks, you’d have a lot of work on your hands.

One big advantage of Power Automate (formerly known as Microsoft Flow) is that it can take care of a lot of your automation needs within a single interface. It can do this because it connects with your other Microsoft tools, apps and services. All you have to do is create a new ‘flow’ – either from scratch, or using one of the pre-made templates – and drag and drop the elements into place. It’s an easy and intuitive interface that doesn’t require much learning to use.  

Work smarter

Power Automate is simple to operate, and it’s quite possible to make it an integral, useful part of your daily work life by sticking with the built-in flow templates. These are a great solution if you’re short on time, energy and/or expertise.

However, you can really power up your use of Power Automate by integrating Microsoft’s AI Builder tool. This allows you to pull data from documents, emails, social media posts and other sources, analyse it, and feed the necessary information into your automation flows. It works with print as well as digital sources, making it very easy to process documents like paper invoices or receipts. You can even set AI Builder to identify and translate the source language. 

Depending on your comfort level and what exactly you want to do, you can use preset AI models or build your own custom ones. Like Power Automate itself, this tool is designed to be accessible to users who may not have a lot of technical knowledge or experience.
If you’re dealing with a lot of different tasks day to day, Microsoft Power Automate might just be the tool that makes your life easier. If you have any questions or are interested in exploring automation further, why not get in touch with us here at One Technology? We’ll offer you a free 15-minute consult to talk about your business’s needs and the kind of solutions that can work for you.