Artificial Intelligence is increasingly seen as the way to solve many operational challenges.
It’s tempting to believe that AI alone can unlock a company’s potential, but it’s just one tool for streamlining processes. This popular narrative and AI hype don’t always align with the complexities that many businesses encounter.
A critical part of digital transformation starts by identifying and addressing your organisation’s unique challenges and pain points.
Not every issue demands sophisticated AI automation. The key to unlocking performance gains lies in precisely diagnosing the processing problems at hand. This clarity is crucial to determine the most effective solution.
Unmasking the simple truth behind AI and automation is about recognising the power of the right tool for the job, especially when that job is to deliver reliability, efficiency and tangible results.
April 2025 Update: Since we published this post, the release of AI agents has introduced advanced automation capabilities. These autonomous agents can utilize organizational data and resources, applying reasoning to make decisions and take action. As a result, AI solutions are now more accessible than ever for businesses. However, we reaffirm the core message of this article: challenges should always be clearly defined before searching for the best technology solution to each problem.
Pragmatic Paths to Business Transformation
It’s easy to see AI as the go-to solution, but in certain scenarios, a more nuanced approach that better utilises your existing technology might be the best approach.
Let’s explore some scenarios where external AI services might be considered to highlight how the Microsoft Power Platform could address these needs in a more straightforward and practical way.
Data Entry Automation
- Scenario: Your company grapples with manual data entry, resulting in errors and inefficiencies.
- Initial thought: Using a new AI tool to automate data entry and reduce human errors.
- Actual solution: Configuring Power Automate workflows to handle repetitive data entry tasks and integrate data that simplifies processes.
Customer Communications
- Scenario: You manually send sequenced communications, leading to missed or incorrect messages.
- Initial thought: Implementing AI to automate communications.
- Actual solution: Triggering automated messages using a Power Automate flow or Dynamics 365 real-time marketing aligned with your business rules.
Intelligent Onboarding
- Scenario: You want a more efficient way to share relevant resources to onboard a new customer.
- Initial thought: Using AI for personalised onboarding.
- Actual solution: Using Power Apps or Power Pages to create a personalised onboarding journey to enhance customer experiences.
Document Management
- Scenario: You struggle with managing and retrieving large volumes of documents, leading to inefficiencies and compliance concerns.
- Initial thought: AI solutions for automatically processing and categorising large volumes of documents.
- Actual solution: Setting up Power Automate flows to automatically route, categorise, and store documents based on predefined rules.
Data Validation and Cleansing
- Scenario: CRM data inconsistencies, errors, and duplicates impede analytics and decision-making processes.
- Initial thought: Applying AI automation to identify and rectify data anomalies.
- Actual solution: Configuring automated validations and streamlined data entry processes accessible via Outlook and mobile to maintain the integrity and quality of CRM data.
Microsoft Power Platform products are infused with AI capabilities, offering transformative solutions to tackle challenges like data entry, customer communications, and process efficiency. Its adaptability enhances experiences and optimises operations, setting your organisation on the path to sustainable digital growth.
Choosing the Right Tool for the Job
At ServerSys, we prioritise empowering businesses with practical and streamlined solutions. A strategic selection of low code tools within the Microsoft Power Platform reflects this, each designed to adapt to and enhance your operational landscape.
Power Automate: By adopting automatic process management, Power Automate saves time and dramatically reduces manual errors, paving the way for more intelligent, more efficient workflows.
Power Apps: Enabling even non-technical users to develop custom business apps with relative ease. By using Power Apps, you can encourage innovation and create personalised solutions that meet your specific business needs.
Power Pages: A straightforward means to quickly launch modern, data-driven websites. Ensuring intelligent interaction with your CRM provides a coherent, unified user experience across your online presence.
Power BI: Takes the complexity out of data interpretation, transforming raw data into meaningful insights. The visual representation of performance indicators accelerates your decision-making process.
Transitioning from the challenge, ServerSys will help your business use these tools alongside Dynamics 365 and Microsoft 365 apps to redefine efficiency. With the Microsoft Power Platform, we offer a pragmatic approach to automation, enabling you to focus on growth without becoming entangled in unnecessary complexity.
AI and Automation: Taking the Next Steps
Consider the transformative impact of integrating increased automation into your processes where manual data entry becomes automated, freeing your team to focus on strategic initiatives.
Our consultants are ready to assist you in choosing and implementing the most effective Microsoft AI and automation tools to revolutionise your business and its operational efficiency.
