TL;DR
Power Automate with Copilot is a no-code game-changer for busy businesses. From creating Excel files to automating social posts, it saves time, cuts errors, and boosts productivity, no tech wizardry required.
Why your to-do list might be your biggest blocker
Running a business means wearing a lot of hats. One minute you’re scheduling social posts, the next you’re wrestling with spreadsheets. It’s no wonder the actual growth-driving stuff keeps getting pushed back.
Power Automate changes that.
With Power Automate Copilot, you don’t just automate. You optimise. It’s like handing over all your repetitive tasks to a tireless digital assistant that just gets it.
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What is Power Automate?
Microsoft Power Automate is a cloud-based automation tool that connects your apps, services, and data. It helps you build streamlined Power Automate flows that take care of the boring bits, no coding required.
- Automate emails, notifications, file moves, and more
- Run tasks across apps like SharePoint, Outlook, and Teams
- Use Power Automate desktop flows for tasks on your local machine
- Let Copilot guide you through building smarter workflows
Learn how Power Apps complements Power Automate
How does Copilot improve Power Automate?
Think of Power Automate Copilot as the brains behind the operation. Just tell it what you want in plain English, and it’ll build the automation for you.
For example:
“Create a flow that adds form responses to Excel and sends a Teams alert.”
Done. It even suggests improvements, analyses patterns, and helps you fix bottlenecks.
Understand the differences between Copilot and ChatGPT
16 practical Power Automate use cases for small businesses
Whether you’re new to automation or ready to go full throttle, here are 16 ways to use Power Automate that actually save time.
Sales & marketing
- Add leads to your CRM automatically from forms and emails using Power Automate flow templates.
- Create Excel files from web form submissions and store them in SharePoint or OneDrive.
- Schedule social media posts from a shared document or planner.
- Send personalised emails at each sales stage using Power Automate for each contact type.
- Trigger surveys post-interaction to gather feedback without chasing.
Admin & finance
- Extract invoice data from emails and update Excel or your finance system.
- Automate expense approvals, ensuring they land with the right person first time.
- Flag low inventory by connecting Power Automate with your stock system.
Team ops
- Send automated welcome emails and assign onboarding tasks when someone joins.
- Set recurring reminders for compliance, check-ins, or project deadlines.
- Auto-schedule meetings by finding free slots across team calendars using Power Automate flow logic.
- Get real-time alerts in Teams when a key action happens—like a new sale or completed ticket.
Document & data handling
- Monitor compliance deadlines and alert your team before anything slips through the cracks.
- Send approval notifications when documents are uploaded.
- Use desktop flows to extract data from legacy software that isn’t cloud connected.
- Automate data entry: collect info from forms, emails, or scanned files and feed it straight into Excel.
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Getting started with Power Automate
If you’ve got Windows 10 or 11, Power Automate Desktop is already built in.
You can also access Power Automate via Microsoft 365 or as a standalone plan. Pricing starts at around £12.30 per user/month.
Discover more ways to enhance productivity with Microsoft 365
FAQs
Is Power Automate hard to use?
Not at all. It’s made for non-technical users, especially with Copilot guiding you. Most automations are built using drag-and-drop or plain English instructions.
What’s the difference between cloud flows and desktop flows?
Power Automate desktop flows run on your PC, ideal for automating legacy systems. Cloud flows work across your online apps and services.
Can I use Power Automate to create Excel files?
Yes and it’s one of the most popular use cases. You can pull data from forms, emails, or CRMs and generate spreadsheets automatically.
How can I automate actions for each item in a list?
Use the Power Automate for each control to run actions on every item in a dataset, like sending follow-ups to a list of contacts.
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Ready to stop wasting time on repetitive tasks?
Let’s explore how Power Automate and Copilot could save you hours every week.
