Microsoft Power Apps

Power Apps is Microsoft’s tool for rapid development of business applications. You can connect the applications to a variety of data sources, such as an underlying data platform or your on-premises and online applications from the Microsoft 365 suite—SharePoint, Dynamics 365, SQL Server, Microsoft Teams, etc. Apps developed with Power Apps feature a responsive design and can be run either in browsers or on mobile devices. Power Apps comes as a suite of apps, services, connectors, machine learning tools, and a data platform, all of which allow users to create feature-rich, custom business apps without writing code. In reality, Power Apps users will need technical training and a bit of experience before they are creating their own apps, so you may need to add developers to projects to work on more complex functionalities.

What can Power Apps be used for? 

In general, Power Apps can be used for automating multiple business processes, optimizing their efficiency, and facilitating collaboration between team members, field workers, management, and customers. Here are some specific ideas:

• Enable manufacturing or distributing unit workers to identify and track product items by taking a photo for analysis by machine learning algorithms (AI Builder).
• Equip field workers with an app where they can enter data when out in the field, e.g., to report a site inspection or log repairs.
• Improve the KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure by guiding customers through due diligence using an app that integrates with various databases.
• Create document templates and fill them in automatically with data from online and on-premises systems.
• Automate marketing processes by applying machine learning algorithms (AI Builder) to analyze and categorize customer responses and take specific actions.
• Create a standard automation process to follow up with clients based on their interactions and responses.
• Optimize the work of a service delivery unit by using chatbots developed with a no-code interface of Power Virtual Agents.
• Extend Microsoft Teams’ functionality by creating a new tab or a personal app that could be integrated with a wide variety of data sources within Microsoft 365 and third-party data sources.