Harnessing Microsoft Power Platforms: Custom Solutions for Streamlining Operations
By: Corey Shaner
Historically, I have focused on data and using tools like Power BI to automate the repeatable work previously performed by Financial Planning & Analysis departments. However, over the last year we have had more and more customers asking us to help them use technology to automate manual processes throughout all aspects of their organization.
As businesses evolve, the importance of adapting technology to fit their specific needs becomes increasingly clear. Microsoft’s Power Platform Suite offers a robust foundation for automating and enhancing business processes. However, out-of-the-box solutions often need a bit of customization to truly align with the unique business requirements of any organization. At Vertilocity, we specialize in adapting Power Platform Solutions to meet these specific needs, enhancing their inherent capabilities with custom solutions. Here are six examples of how we’ve tailored these tools to help our clients achieve remarkable improvements in efficiency, security, and overall business agility.
1. Securing and Streamlining Processes in Healthcare
Healthcare is an industry where the stakes are incredibly high, especially when it comes to handling secure and sensitive materials. Take, for example, a client from the medical imaging sector. This client provides comprehensive nuclear imaging services, including the operation of highly specialized equipment and the delivery of nuclear isotopes essential for diagnostic procedures.
When we met the client, they managed their operations through somewhat rudimentary means —using a service as simple as Dropbox to handle crucial data from their field operations. This method posed significant security risks; a single disgruntled employee could potentially access and destroy vital information. To address these challenges, we turned to the Microsoft Power Platform toolset to create a more secure and efficient workflow.
Using Power Pages, part of the Power Platforms Suite, Vertilocity was able to develop a secure portal that completely changed how the client’s technicians and delivery drivers reported their activities. Drivers now submit delivery details through a form app embedded within a secure portal. This form records essential data such as delivery locations. Since each user now has their own unique login credentials, each entry is also stamped with the date and time of the entry as well as the ID of the user that submitted the information. Similarly, technicians now submit their work hours and volume of patients scanned through the same portal, ensuring that all data is immediately and securely logged into a Dataverse table. (Note: A Dataverse table essentially is a database table sitting behind the scenes, collecting the submitted information.)
This automated process not only fortifies the security of sensitive data but also streamlines the entire data collection process, eliminating the need for manual data entry from physical forms to digital storage. This shift not only safeguards the client’s critical operations but also enhances overall efficiency, allowing them to focus more on their core mission of providing top-tier medical imaging services.
In the next phase of our solution, we will be automating the billing process to further enhance efficiency. Remember, this organization’s previous billing process relied on files saved in Dropbox. Each day the billing staff would manually open each Dropbox file, over 200 individual files, and manually transcribe the data into their ERP system for invoicing. Phase 1 pulled all submitted data into a single organized table that the billing staff now work from. This alone saves them countless hours by pulling together all the information into a single view.
In Phase 2 we will be automating their invoice calculation process and sending the final calculated amounts directly into their ERP through an API. We are building out the business logic for each of their contracts. Currently billing is based on the amount of nuclear isotopes generated by each generator daily. They have two methodologies when it comes to the rental of a tech; either hourly or based on patient volume. This logic will be built into tables behind the scenes, and we will write logic to calculate invoices based on the client specific agreement. Once the logic has been thoroughly tested, we will then upload the final invoice amount via API directly into their ERP, Sage Intacct. We will also create a workflow in Sage Intacct for the approval of the final invoice before it is sent to the customer.
Phase 2 will reduce a repetitive manual task, which previously took two full-time resources, down to just one person spending about 3 hours per week reviewing the invoices. With the completion of both phases, the client can anticipate an annual savings of approximately $50k in labor expenses.
2. Automating Logistics and Tracking for a Regional Shipping Hub
Another client operating a busy shipping port outside a major metropolitan city was struggling with the complexity of managing multiple applications for shipment tracking. The 3PL vendor was using three primary business applications to track shipments, depending on the shipment’s status in the process. One application tracked shipments on cargo ships entering their port. Another application tracked shipments stored within the client’s warehouse at the port. And the third application, their TMS, tracked shipments loaded on trucks for delivery to their final destinations.
Each day their call center was inundated with calls from customers inquiring on the status of their shipment. While the call center resources were experts at navigating the three separate applications to find a shipment, it required a labor-intensive process to triage these calls and provide customers with the answers they needed. Vertilocity’s challenge was to centralize and streamline the client’s three shipment tracking systems to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction.
We started by utilizing APIs to pull data from each application. The data was then temporarily stored in a database that allowed us to begin collating the data from the three disparate applications. We collated the data in a way that allowed us to have it displayed by customer. To elevate the customer experience, we developed a user-friendly portal using Power Pages that enabled customers to track their shipments in real-time, just like they would with major logistics providers such as UPS or FedEx. This new portal offered complete visibility of the shipping process from start to finish and was built to leverage row level security (RLS) so, when a customer logs in with their credentials, they only see their shipments and not those of other customers. It is these kinds of thoughtful solutions that help our clients stand out in a crowded market.
This solution is set to launch in the coming months. We are anticipating a significant reduction in the volume of calls to their call center ultimately resulting in improved customer satisfaction, an increase in employee satisfaction, which is important in a traditionally high turnover role, and a reduction in overall labor expenses.
3. Streamlining Sales and Management Processes with Dynamics 365 for Sales Integration
A client in the office equipment sector required a tailored solution that would enable their sales team to access real-time pricing and inventory data directly from their ERP system. Our custom integration at Vertilocity not only met this need but also allowed sales representatives to swiftly generate accurate and competitive quotes, thus ensuring profitability while satisfying customer expectations.
Our proprietary QuoteTool integration enhances overall operational efficiency. We also implemented safeguards within Dynamics 365 to manage discount levels, and pricing groups by customer effectively. These controls ensure profitability is maintained while still providing sales associates the flexibility to offer discounts to their customers. This enhanced integration streamlined the client’s quoting process, enabled competitive yet profitable pricing, and gave management improved visibility and control over sales operations, leading to better financial outcomes and operational efficiency.
4. Custom Solution to Overcome a Microsoft Bug
Vertilocity developed a custom solution to address a critical issue for multiple clients. The customer solution resolved a native Microsoft bug that was disrupting calendar synchronization within their Dynamics 365 systems. This bug prevented meetings and appointments properly displaying in users’ calendars, a vital component of day-to-day sales operations. Our innovative workaround not only restored functionality but also improved the automation of calendar entries, enhancing end-user experience and productivity.
5. Pioneering Integration: DevOps to ConnectWise
We are currently automating processes within our own business as well. A year ago, we acquired a software development business that focused on Power Platform solutions; primarily within Dynamics 365 for Sales. The employees that we gained through that acquisition develop the aforementioned custom solutions. In addition to pure consulting work, we also have developers that write custom code for proprietary products we make available to our clients.
One of the first things I noticed is that we were not tracking how much time was required to develop our products. This is vital information required for Vertilocity to make decisions about pricing and to determine ROI. Additionally, as a product company, we need to track bugs in our products and the average time for individual bug resolution.
Organizationally we utilize ConnectWise Manage for our time tracking and billing but Azure DevOps for development tracking. All development tickets and code repositories exist in DevOps, where our developers spend most of their time. It is imperative for us to reduce the time spent creating duplicate tickets in our ticketing system, ConnectWise, to track the developers’ time.
To resolve this problem, we are currently developing a cutting-edge solution that addresses a significant gap in Azure DevOps functionalities: the absence of native time tracking. We are, once again, turning to Power Automate combined with custom code to automatically create a duplicate ticket in ConnectWise whenever a ticket is created in DevOps. This integration will also provide a quick and effortless way to launch the ConnectWise ticket to allow for easy tracking of their development time. Additionally, this integration will do more than just track time; it will ensure all notes associated with specific tasks in DevOps are seamlessly synchronized with ConnectWise. This will provide a unified view of project timelines and documentation, enhancing workflow continuity and reducing the administrative burden on IT professionals.
6. Webscraping Online Marketplaces
Online retailers like Amazon and Walmart have an open marketplace, but they also tend to encourage competition between wholesalers and manufacturers to offer the lowest price, and thus, presumably to win the most customers. A Vertilocity client with a large e-commerce presence wanted to gain a competitive advantage to help ensure they are the vendor Amazon and Walmart clients are purchasing from. To do this we are using an AI Builder that is native to Power Automate, one of the Power Platform applications that does not get a lot of attention.
With Power Automate, we will “teach” the application to view identified URL’s and capture specific data off each web page. That data will then be pulled into a table where it is compared to the client’s product catalog. This application will identify and report when a product the client manufactures is sold on the marketplace by a wholesaler they originally sold the product to. When this occurs, the product will be flagged allowing the client to modify their pricing, shipping, or even subscriptions to ensure they are the more attractive vendor.
The Power of Customization
Microsoft’s Power Platform Solutions offer a versatile and powerful toolkit for addressing a wide range of business challenges. These solutions are not just about technology; they are about transforming business processes to be more efficient, secure, and user-friendly.
Many Power Platform solutions can be used without customization. My colleague Ruth Estridge shares how she’s successfully leveraged Power Platforms in “How Managed Support Services Bolster Modern Workspaces .” By leveraging these tools, businesses can achieve greater operational efficiency, enhanced security, and improved customer satisfaction.
While the out-of-the-box solutions can be transformational, the true strength of Power Platform lies in its adaptability through solution customizations. Tailoring the solutions to meet specific organizational needs allows companies to optimize workflows, enhance data management, and ensure that every aspect of the technology aligns perfectly with their operational goals and addresses their challenges. By customizing Power Platform Solutions, organizations can address the unique challenges that out-of-the-box solutions may not solve, making this technology a strategic partner in their growth and development.
If you’re interested in exploring how Microsoft’s Power Platform Solutions can be tailored to meet your business’ needs, contact us at 833-246-7500 or via email at ModernWorkplace@vertilocity.com.