10 Ways to Automate Business Processes with Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 Governance 

Automation possibilities are endless with tools like Power Automate, as well as opportunities within Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and the Microsoft Viva suite. By integrating these features, you can unlock the full potential of automation in your organization. M365 automation tools like Orchestry allow users to seamlessly initiate tasks and workflows, while incorporating generative AI and Microsoft Copilot to pave the way for even more sophisticated business automation, reshaping the future of work.

With so many exciting options at your fingertips, it can be challenging to know where to start. In this post, we’ll dive into business processes you can automate, backed by real-world examples from clients and organizations. Use this guide to ignite conversations, generate fresh ideas, and prioritize your next automation project!

1. Tag, You’re It: Document Management with Metadata

The ability to quickly find and access the right information is paramount. Imagine finding the right information is as easy as a few clicks—no more wading through countless files and sites. For organizations utilizing Microsoft Teams and SharePoint document management features, enhancing findability within intranets and digital workspaces is crucial for empowering employees and driving productivity. When documents and content are properly tagged, they become the key to unlocking a seamless flow of information, connecting your team with exactly what they need, right when they need it.

Thanks to the latest leaps in generative AI, the game has changed. Auto-tagging is now more accurate and efficient than ever, making it an essential tool for any forward-thinking enterprise. By integrating Microsoft Copilot within Microsoft 365, you can automate metadata tagging like never before, enabling personalized user experiences and revolutionizing the way your team searches for information.

2. From Clutter to Clarity: Data and Content Archiving

Effective governance over archiving and deleting content isn't just important; it's essential for maintaining order and boosting productivity. It keeps your digital environment running smoothly, ensuring that your team can effortlessly access the information they need when they need it. No more digging through cluttered files or outdated documents. Automation takes the heavy lifting out of the equation, automatically archiving documents, content, and spaces based on criteria like approvals from content owners. What was once a tedious chore is now a seamless, hands-off operation.

In Microsoft 365, automated archiving enhances data security by protecting sensitive information from unauthorized access and data breaches. Orchestry enables efficient Microsoft Teams, Groups & SharePoint archiving, making it easy to create and enforce  archiving, renewal, and deletion policies. This provides peace of mind for IT administrators while optimizing storage management by removing redundant data, freeing up space, and improving system performance. This results in a sleek digital environment where employees can quickly find relevant information.

3. Digital Workspaces: Automated Site Requesting, Creation and Provisioning

Automated site requesting, creation, and provisioning within Microsoft 365 is a game-changer for managing your growing digital workspace. As your organization expands, so do the teams, projects, and collaborative efforts that fuel its success. But manually managing the creation of these spaces can quickly become a daunting task, prone to delays, errors, and inefficiencies. That’s where automation steps in, transforming what was once a tedious process into a streamlined, efficient operation that ensures everything is done right, every time.

Streamline the process of creating new Teams spaces and SharePoint sites by automating the creation process with Orchestry self-service provisioning. This includes applying prebuilt templates tailored to any business function, ensuring that each Teams space and SharePoint site is set up with the right structure and resources from the outset. For example, when a new project team is formed, an automated process can create a Teams workspace and a corresponding SharePoint site with appropriate document libraries, folders, and permissions, aligned with the project’s needs and user’s role.

4. AI Evolution: Image and Text Generation

Microsoft Copilot is transforming the way we create, turning the once time-consuming process of image and content generation into a dynamic, effortless experience. Powered by generative AI, Copilot doesn’t just assist—it acts as your creative partner. Whether you’re looking for fresh ideas or unique perspectives, Copilot quickly generates and delivers content aligned with your brand's voice and standards.

Traditional content creation can be painstakingly time-consuming, often requiring hours to produce high-quality images or text. Copilot transforms this process by expediting content production, enabling businesses to generate visually stunning graphics and engaging written content in a fraction of the time, which can be further refined and tailored by human authors.

5. Approval Made Easy: Workflows and Requests

Imagine a world where handling requests and approvals is no longer a tedious back-and-forth process. With Microsoft 365 automation, that world is here. Say goodbye to endless emails and hello to a seamless, automated workflow that empowers your team. Automation in Microsoft 365 gives your employees the tools they need to streamline everyday tasks. With Orchestry’s Teams and SharePoint provisioning capabilities, team members can easily track the status of their requests, make necessary adjustments, and receive real-time updates—all within the familiar interfaces of Teams and SharePoint.

Together, Teams and SharePoint create a cohesive experience where requests initiated are effortlessly tracked, managed, and approved. As approvals speed up, so does your team’s ability to make decisions and drive projects forward. Microsoft 365 automation doesn’t just keep you organized—it accelerates your entire workflow, reducing delays and keeping your team focused on what really matters: achieving your goals faster and more efficiently than ever before.

6. Stay Ahead of the Game: Tenant Assessment, Analytics & Insights

Optimizing the performance of your collaboration tools is critical for maintaining productivity and efficiency. With Microsoft Teams and SharePoint at the heart of your organization's communication and content management, automated analytics, tenant assessments, and detailed reporting can revolutionize the way your people work. Get real-time insights into the health of these platforms with Orchestry Health Checks and Intelligent Reporting, allowing organizations to monitor key metrics like usage, storage and sprawl.

Regular tenant assessments are not just important—they’re essential for maintaining a secure and efficient digital environment. Automated assessments provide a comprehensive overview of your tenants, pinpointing potential security vulnerabilities and optimization opportunities. By analyzing usage patterns, storage consumption, and collaboration trends, you can make informed decisions and enforce best practices using Intelligent Recommendations to strengthen security, streamline operations, and ensure compliance with policies and regulations.

7. Welcome Aboard: Employee Onboarding

The onboarding process involves many tasks that can be automated or semi-automated even before a new hire’s first day, requiring collaboration across departments like HR, IT, and Learning. By automating key tasks, organizations can transform what’s often a complex and time-consuming process into a smooth, efficient experience that sets the stage for success.

With SharePoint, new employees can quickly upload all their essential documents in one place, while automated approval workflows instantly alert HR and other departments, eliminating the need for tedious follow-ups. Automated workflows can be set up in Microsoft Teams to add new hires to relevant Teams channels and groups, facilitating immediate communication with their teams and departments. Onboarding using Microsoft Teams can also help with tasks such as coordination, document management, scheduling, and cultural integration that streamline onboarding. By utilizing Teams templates and integrations, organizations can simplify administrative tasks, while SharePoint can provide access to training resources, company policies, and handbooks.

8. Seamless Transitions: Employee Offboarding

While employee onboarding often takes center stage, offboarding is equally crucial and involves a multitude of steps. Automation can transform offboarding into a seamless and efficient process. By automating tasks such as equipment retrieval, paperwork completion, and system adjustments, you can ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

A critical aspect of offboarding is ensuring departing employees no longer have access to company systems and data. By integrating Microsoft Teams with identity management systems, automated workflows can trigger access removal as soon as offboarding begins. This integration helps IT departments efficiently manage and revoke access, minimizing security risks. Teams can also provide checklists to verify that all access points are disabled. Additionally, SharePoint can notify relevant departments of access removal deadlines through automated workflows, ensuring prompt completion. Leveraging these tools helps organizations protect their data while maintaining a structured and efficient offboarding process.

9. Navigating Assignments: Project Management

Effective project management is crucial, especially in industries like engineering, legal and financial, where precision matters. Microsoft 365, particularly through Microsoft Teams, enhances this by streamlining workflows with automation. Imagine automatically creating a Teams channel for every new project, complete with tabs for documents, timelines, and task management.

For organizations with established methodologies, Microsoft 365 project management tools help automate consistency. You can assign Orchestry templates in Teams and SharePoint, ensuring every project starts on the right foot, helping teams follow best practices and stay on track. Download our Microsoft Teams for Project Management Guide or Microsoft Teams for Project Management Webinar to learn more about using Microsoft 365 for efficient project management.

10. Navigating Assignments: Project Management

Marketing automation is a powerful tool that’s often underutilized. With Microsoft Teams, you can fully harness its potential to save time, enhance your sales funnel, and deliver personalized experiences at scale.

Imagine as soon as a prospect fills out a form on your website, Microsoft Teams automates the process—sending a targeted email, alerting your team, and ensuring no lead slips through the cracks. Teams can also handle more advanced tasks, like sending personalized messages based on user behavior, and automatically generating performance reports. This seamless integration transforms marketing automation from a wish-list item into an essential part of your daily operations, empowering your team to execute and optimize campaigns with precision.

Conclusion

Microsoft 365 provides an extensive array of automation capabilities that significantly enhance the management of Teams and SharePoint environments. Tools like Orchestry can unlock the full potential of these platforms, allowing organizations to automate key processes, improve governance, and maintain a secure digital workplace. By embracing the power of Microsoft 365, businesses can stay ahead of the curve, ensuring their operations are streamlined, productive, and future-ready.

Explore Orchestry features and download our feature sheets to unlock the full potential of your M365 environment.