The Power Platform Conference 2023 was a source of immense learning and excitement. Throughout the event the central theme was Copilot. JourneyTEAM CRM expert and conference attendee, Mark W. quotes, “Microsoft is always telling us what is coming next, and at this conference, AI was the big topic. The great thing with AI is that it is already being delivered to the platform with additional functionalities being released every month. The presenters were able to show us what is there today and what is being released in the near future.”
In the ever-evolving digital landscape, we are witnessing the AI era unfold. This includes the latest updates in Power Automate, the groundbreaking introduction of low-code capabilities within Power Pages, and the innovative enhancements in Power Virtual Agents. Together, they represent a pledge to redefine and shape the future of Power Applications with Copilot. Join us as we delve into these exciting advancements where Copilot in the Power Platform is set to revolutionize the way we work.
Copilot Updates in Power Applications and Dynamics 365
The tools we rely on daily to optimize organizational efficiency, engage with customers, and create sophisticated dashboards are updating with the age of A.I. Below are the key highlights of some Copilot advancements discussed at the conference.
Integration with Power Automate: Copilot is seamlessly integrated with Power Automate. When you open Power Automate with Copilot enabled, you can describe the type of automation you want, and Copilot will create a workflow based on your natural language input.
Interactive Assistance: Copilot does not just generate flows but also serves as a personal assistant during the development process. Copilot offers suggestions, answers questions, and can even redesign your entire workflow. You can interact with it using the "Copilot" button in Power Automate.
Power Virtual Agents: This no-code automation tool seamlessly integrates with Power Automate, Teams, and various other systems. The conference shared the new intuitive flow designers leverage with Copilot to simplify creating Power Virtual Agents for both web and mobile.
Updates to the Power Platform Flow Designer: Flow Designer has received significant updates with Copilot. The formula bar has been improved, making it easier to work with and reducing issues with logic not saving or updating correctly. The Power Platform's AI connectors and plugins open new avenues for customizations and system integrations. Notably, the convergence of OpenAI plugins and connectors allows Microsoft Fabric to bring a unified stack to the data analytics landscape.
D365 Customer Insights Journeys and Customer Insights Data (formerly D365 Marketing and Customer Insights): Another product infused with Copilot, Customers Insights Journeys and Data, has been developed to combine two former environments within one license to provide optimal value and insight. Copilot in this tool helps data analysts and marketers create personalized and real-time customer journeys using AI and data insights. For example, Copilot can generate content suggestions for email campaigns, answer questions about customer segments and behavior, and summarize key insights from customer data.
Importance of a Good AI Prompt in Power Applications
The conference stressed the importance of creating good prompts before development begins. This includes considering the steps, connections, email addresses, and other details related to your automation needs. A well-crafted prompt helps Copilot understand your requirements better. In addition, using text-generative AI models will provide content that supports the optimization. A takeaway trick is to reverse engineer content with AI by prompting the AI tool to tell a story, and ask it to show you the story themes, angles, steps, and outcomes.
Below are the top skills of storytellers and developers alike, in an AI driven world:
Writing
Research
Adaptability
Creativity
Collaboration
Culture leadership
The steps of an AI-powered story arc were shared in the below format:
Exposition
Rising action
Climax
Falling action
Conclusion
Opportunities for Process Intelligence and Low Code
The conference demonstrated that Microsoft is highly focused on overcoming complexity within Power Automate. One of the presenters shared that 60% of executives believe that their processes are too complex. As well as $2 trillion potential savings can be realized through improved automation. What can users can expect in process intelligence that embraces a low code model? Insight in a keynote from the conference explained that there will be 750M more apps, mostly for process digitization, which will be created and released globally by 2025. With the developments of process mining, there is a predicted 36% average improvement in performance metrics from low code automation implementations. The vision for Power Automate Process Mining includes turning every process and the tools that run them into a competitive advantage for the people, organizations, and customers they serve.
Ready to Elevate Your Business Operations?
The Power Platform Conference 2023 offered a glimpse into the future of power applications, brimming with innovation and potential. It reinforced the role of AI, the importance of good prompts, and the exciting prospects in process intelligence and low code automation. These developments promise to revolutionize the way businesses operate and innovate, setting the stage for a transformative future in the realm of Power Platforms. Learn more about incorporating Power Automate into your Microsoft tech stack.