Microsoft Power Platform Review: Virtual Agents

Microsoft is no stranger to world-changing technology. 

From Windows to Microsoft Teams, the company has introduced a slew of new innovations in the way we live and work over the years. The Microsoft Power Platform is yet another compelling addition to a portfolio full of amazing Microsoft products.  

Over the last few years, Microsoft has been gradually developing and rolling out pieces of the “Power Platform.” This environment is intended to offer companies an adaptable environment for data management and innovation. For instance, there’s Power BI for insights into statistics for better business decision making, and Power Flow, the workflow automation engine for teams. 

More recently, Microsoft PowerApps also appeared, giving developers a way to strengthen their performance with custom-made applications and automations.  

Let’s take a closer look at what the Power Platform can do, and how it can improve your CX strategy.  

Microsoft Power Platform Review: Features 

The Microsoft Power Platform is a comprehensive environment for data usage, development, and insights. According to Microsoft, the Platform will be the “extensibility” framework companies use across all Microsoft 365 and Dynamics products – including the Microsoft Dynamics CRM. 

By allowing companies to connect insights from multiple environments, build automated workflows and design custom reports, Microsoft Power Platform makes it easier for companies to get the most out of their transformation strategies in the digital age. The platform also connects with a range of other Microsoft applications and tools, like Azure, Dynamics 365, and Office 365. The features of Microsoft Power Platform include: 

• Microsoft Power BI: A data-driven platform where companies can get better insights into their business operations. If you want to improve CX by building a more informed, data-driven culture, Power BI will give you the up-to-the-minute analytics you need. You can even access AI capabilities for better understanding trends
• Microsoft Power Apps: A low-code environment for designing business applications, Microsoft Power Apps allows companies to design the tools they need for a stronger workflow. You can increase agility across your organisations with apps that improve team productivity, automate repetitive tasks, and deliver stronger customer experiences
• Microsoft Power Automate: Speaking of automation, Microsoft Power Automate allows companies to automate simple tasks, so their teams have more time to focus on the things that matter – like serving customers with excellent experiences
• Microsoft Virtual Agents: Augment your existing human workforce with customisable chatbots and virtual agents that grow with your company. You don’t even need any prior coding knowledge to start building, thanks to the available templates

All of the tools available as part of the Microsoft Power platform also come with support from the Microsoft Team. You can find tons of documentation and self-help solutions online to get you started, as well as high-quality specialist services too.  

Microsoft Power Platform: Benefits for CX 

Microsoft’s Power Platform is all about making the business landscape a more efficient and innovative place, whether you’re building apps, or creating your own chatbots. For customer experience purposes, this ensures you can make stronger decisions about your service strategies and empower employees to perform at their best. Features include: 

• Easily accessible virtual agents: With today’s team members now facing higher levels of demand than ever, virtual agents can add crucial support to the workforce. You can build the AI-powered chatbots you need in seconds to answer questions and resolve problems around the clock. The bot framework designer means you don’t need coding knowledge, and you can even implement your bots into custom workflows with Power Automate
• Improved agent efficiencies: Speaking of overworked agents, Power Automate means you can give your teams the time they need to focus on the conversations that matter. You can easily automate processes and build workflows within a range of environments, using drag-and-drop tools and prebuilt connectors to enhance productivity. There’s even an AI builder if you need to add intelligence into the mix
• Integrations: Connecting your apps and automations to existing tools in your workplace is quick and simple. Power platform solutions already connect seamlessly with the entire Microsoft ecosystem, including Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Teams. Plus, you can use native integrations and APIs to create links to the other tools you use too, whether your agents are working on the web, mobile, or desktop
• Extend your CX strategy: Creating a digitally transformed CX strategy couldn’t be easier with Microsoft’s Power Platform. Rather than waiting for new functionality to be rolled out to your CCaaS environment, or CRM, you can build the apps you need yourself, with low-code solutions that require minimal developer knowledge
• Incredible insights: The best business decisions for customers come from the right access to knowledge. Microsoft’s Power Platform allows you to build a more data-driven culture, with connected intelligence throughout your entire digital environment. You can discover the benefits of real-time analytics for making stronger decisions in the moment, and access historical reports for predictive analysis

Extensive support and guidance from the Microsoft community, as well as tons of documentation, forums, and other tools to help you get building mean you can start making changes to your CX environment instantly. Microsoft ensures that the Power Platform is suitable for everyone.  

Empower your Team with Microsoft Power Platform 

Microsoft’s Power Platform is an ecosystem of connected tools intended to help businesses grow with the right access to data and innovation. Whether you’re making more informed decisions with real-time insights or supporting your CX agents with support from chatbots, the result is better employee and customer experiences all around. 

Looking forward, Microsoft plans to continue building on the Power Platform experience, delivering more ways for companies to achieve their goals for excellent customer service and business innovation. The more the Power Platform continues to grow, the more companies will be able to accomplish with their data, automations, and workflows.  

In the meantime, make sure you check out the Microsoft Power platform if you want to discover the benefits of better data opportunities for your customer experience strategy.