If you use Microsoft 365, you already have access to one of the most practical automation tools available to small businesses. Microsoft Power Automate is built into your Microsoft 365 subscription and it can save you and your team a significant amount of time on repetitive tasks.
Here are some of the most useful automations we see small businesses using, and how to think about whether they are worth setting up for you.
What is Power Automate?
Power Automate is a tool that connects your apps and services and automates the flow of information between them. When something happens in one place, something else happens automatically somewhere else.
It does not require coding knowledge to use at a basic level. Many automations are built using visual templates that you configure to match your setup.
Invoice and payment reminders
Chasing unpaid invoices takes time and nobody enjoys it. With Power Automate, you can set up a flow that sends an automatic reminder email a set number of days after an invoice is issued or overdue.
The email comes from you, looks professional, and goes out on time every time without you having to remember to send it. For businesses dealing with regular invoicing, this alone can save several hours a month.
Client onboarding workflows
When a new client signs up, there is usually a series of steps that need to happen: sending a welcome email, creating a folder, adding them to your CRM, sending a form, scheduling a kick-off call. Power Automate can trigger all of this from a single action.
Instead of working through a checklist manually each time, the workflow runs automatically and everything lands where it should.
Form submissions to spreadsheets
If you collect enquiries through a web form, a booking form, or a feedback form, Power Automate can automatically add each submission to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet or a SharePoint list in real time.
No copying and pasting, no manual logging, no chance of a submission being missed. The data is always in the right place.
Teams notifications from web forms or emails
When an important email arrives or a web form is submitted, your team does not always need to be checking their inbox to know about it. Power Automate can send an automatic notification to a Microsoft Teams channel so the right person sees it immediately.
This is particularly useful for sales enquiries, urgent support requests, or anything that benefits from a quick response.
Approval workflows
If you need sign-off from someone before an invoice goes out, a document gets sent, or a purchase is approved, Power Automate can manage that process automatically. The request is sent, the approver gets a notification, and the result triggers the next step in the process.
No chasing, no email threads, just a clear automated trail.
Is Power Automate worth setting up?
The honest answer is: it depends on where you are currently losing time. If you have tasks that you or your team carry out repeatedly in a predictable sequence, there is a good chance automation can help.
The most effective approach is to start with one or two high-impact automations rather than trying to automate everything at once.
Getting started
At Matthew Temple Consulting, we help small businesses identify the best opportunities for automation and set up Power Automate flows that actually work for how they operate. If you are curious about what could be automated in your business, get in touch and we can take a look together.
