A Beginner’s Guide to Power Automate
Created by the klar Content Team 11 August 2025
- Key Insights
- This beginners guide to Microsoft's Power Automate will help show you where you can be saving time and adding more value to your clients.
If there’s one universal truth in admin work, it’s this: there’s always more to do. Whether you’re chasing up approvals, managing multiple inboxes or manually updating spreadsheets, some days feel like a constant loop of repetitive tasks.
That’s where Microsoft Power Automate comes in – a tool that can quietly take care of the repetitive stuff so you can focus on the meaningful work.
But don’t worry – this isn’t about learning to code or becoming an IT expert. Power Automate is made for non-technical users, and with a little know-how, it can start saving you hours every week.
Power Automate is part of the Microsoft 365 suite (alongside Outlook, Teams, Excel, etc.). It allows you to create automated workflows, or “flows”, between your apps and services.
Think of it as a virtual assistant for your admin tasks – one that works in the background, 24/7.
A “flow” can help you:
- Send automatic email reminders
- Move attachments from email to SharePoint
- Collect data from forms into spreadsheets
- Get alerts when files are updated
- Schedule calendar events from forms or lists
All without lifting a finger (after the initial setup, of course).
But modern communication goes beyond just being “clear” or “polite.” It now also means:
- Choosing the right tone for each audience
- Adjusting your style for email, chat, video or in-person
- Handling difficult conversations with tact and confidence
- Using structure and formatting to make your message stand out
- Listening actively and reading between the lines
Let’s break it down into practical skills you can develop and apply straight away.
Whether you want help drafting an email, creating a summary, or organising event details, it all starts with the right ask.
As someone responsible for keeping things running smoothly, you’re uniquely placed to spot repetitive tasks and streamline them.
Power Automate can help you:
- Reduce manual tasks like data entry and email follow-ups
- Improve response time to requests and approvals
- Standardise processes across teams
- Free up your time for more strategic support work
You don’t need permission to explore it (if your organisation has Microsoft 365), and you don’t need to be “techy” – just curious.
Here are just a few practical examples tailored to typical admin roles:
Task | Flow Idea |
Managing Meeting Requests | Automatically create a Teams meeting and calendar invite when a form is submitted |
Inbox Overload | Save all email attachments with a specific subject line into a SharePoint folder |
Event Planning | Send confirmation emails automatically after someone fills in an RSVP form |
Project Updates | Alert your manager via Teams when a file in a shared folder is updated |
Chasing Responses | Send follow-up emails if someone hasn’t responded to a form within 3 days |
Many of these have ready-made templates you can customise – no building from scratch required.
If you’re new to Power Automate, here’s how to get going.
- Access Power Automate
Go to https://make.powerautomate.com – sign in with your work Microsoft 365 account.
- Start with a Template
Browse the Templates section. You’ll find common flows like:
- “Save Outlook attachments to OneDrive”
- “Send a Teams message when a form is submitted”
- “Create an Outlook task when flagged in email”
Choose one that matches something you already do manually.
- Customise the Flow
Power Automate walks you through each step. You’ll choose triggers (like “when an email arrives”) and actions (like “save attachment”).
You don’t need to write code – just fill in the blanks. Think of it as creating a digital recipe.
- Test and Tweak
Run a test to check it works. You’ll see step-by-step progress and can make small changes if needed. Once it’s working, it runs on its own.
Let’s say you often handle travel booking requests via email or Teams.
You can build a simple workflow like this:
- Trigger: Someone submits a Microsoft Form (with fields like destination, dates, preferences).
- Action 1: Automatically add the details to a SharePoint list or Excel sheet.
- Action 2: Send an automated confirmation email to the requester.
- Action 3: Alert you in Teams when a new request is submitted.
Now your requests are logged, tracked and acknowledged – with no manual data entry or back-and-forth.
- Start small. Automate one repetitive task and build from there.
- Name your flows clearly. (“Save event RSVPs to Excel” is better than “Flow 1.”)
- Test thoroughly. Especially when using flows that send emails or updates.
- Use conditions. You can set rules like “only run this if the email is from [X]” to avoid clutter.
- Lean on templates. Microsoft and other users have created thousands of flows to adapt.
Power Automate has a large community and loads of guides available. If you ever get stuck:
- Use the “Learn” section on the Power Automate homepage
- Google specific flows (e.g., “Power Automate flow for approval request email”)
- Ask IT for support if you’re trying to integrate with more advanced systems
Even better: collaborate with others in your organisation. Someone in finance, HR or IT might already be using flows you can adapt.
Power Automate doesn’t replace your judgement, creativity, or people skills. It handles the repeatable, the boring, the admin of the admin – so you can focus on high-value work that truly needs your attention. one task automated is one less thing to worry about.