by Piotr Kerner on August 22, 2023 You read:
PowerPRM: Freeing Up Programmers’ Time (Part II)
Power PRM is a unique and flexible product that takes network partner potential to a whole new level—intuitive, fast, and convenient. It is precisely this flexibility and compatibility with other systems that allow seamless integration into a client’s existing tools and services. Piotr Kerner, Solution Architect at PowerPRM, explains the importance of this in the second part of the interview.
How are PRM systems and Microsoft Power Platform developing today?
Microsoft releases over 300 new features and improvements annually. The technological innovations from this company are leveraged in the creation of many new products and services. A good example is the increasing popularity of ChatGPT and artificial intelligence. If we wanted to add modules for image recognition, intelligent chatbots, or schemes matching products to customer demand, it would take years trying to write the right algorithm and then train it to behave correctly by feeding it the appropriate data model. Thanks to the Power Platform, we have access to the most powerful artificial intelligence engine – ChatGPT – along with built-in models. But that’s not all. By using easy-to-write connections, we can adapt existing algorithms to specific product requirements, such as adjusting the platform to changing and incomplete customer demand information. This combination offers a powerful range of possibilities, from high-performance professional cloud services based on Microsoft Azure and highly optimized code, to numerous services, connectors, and ready-to-use components.
What does this mean for PowerPRM?
This allows us to deliver solutions tailored to our clients’ needs in a very short time while maintaining the highest quality standards. For example, PowerPRM offers the ability to create visits, audits, and reports. For clients, we can utilize the OpenAI model to easily analyze real-time processes and recommend next best actions based on collected data. Adding churn pattern detection or identifying potential risks is just a formality.
Is PowerPRM compatible with your other systems/solutions?
PowerPRM can be seamlessly integrated into a client’s existing systems and services. This is another advantage over other similar solutions. Choosing the same technology stack allows us to natively leverage the full range of Microsoft services, such as seamless integration with Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, or the Microsoft 365 suite.
What does the implementation of PowerPRM look like?
Currently, systems are not isolated islands. Each of them has its domain and role to fulfill, and the collection of all client systems, called the “landscape,” looks like a network of interconnected vessels. PowerPRM is not implemented separately from what the client already possesses and uses daily. On the contrary, it complements missing elements and must be able to fit flexibly into the landscape. Thanks to its architecture, it can easily use over 1000 native connectors (this number grows every day) to integrate with almost any system and exchange information rapidly. Even in the case of old computer programs that do not provide developer tools for integration (APIs), it is possible to use RPA (Robotic Process Automation) to synchronize data and smoothly transition processes between different systems. The first and fundamental step in implementation is to examine the systems the client uses. PowerPRM will draw data from and report back to those systems. We pay great attention to not duplicating the work of other systems, creating unnecessary flows, or additional manual work. As I mentioned, PowerPRM’s advantage is its ability to automatically connect to any system, even those that only provide a user interface. Once responsibilities are planned and divided, we gather additional client requirements specific to their industry and work model. With our experienced and diverse team of experts, from citizen developers and consultants to programmers, we customize the platform to meet the client’s specific needs.
What are the advantages of using MS Power Platform?
First and foremost, the speed of delivering a system is crucial, and this aligns well with an agile approach. The multitude of ready-made components allows us to realize even the most complex projects. Our developers can design tailor-made solutions, utilize ready-made “building blocks,” and deliver a finished product in a week, although it usually falls somewhere in between. For example, we completed a low-code project for a large franchise network in just 9 days. Within that time, we created a functional application almost from scratch, including data integration.
How can process automation improve partner relationship management within a network?
An advantage of the PowerPRM platform is the ability to easily and flexibly define workflows, data, and processes both within the system and between systems. By using elements such as DataFlows or Power Automate Flows, we can easily create additional approval processes, automatically update data in external systems, or delegate tasks to partners/franchisees. During onboarding, we can define a custom flow that verifies the franchisee, suggests the next steps, automatically approves if everything meets the specified criteria, or redirects for manual verification if parameters don’t comply with established norms.
Can we then say that the PowerPRM platform frees up employees' time?
Definitely. Let me provide one more example to illustrate the extent of process automation through PowerPRM. I’m referring to Robotic Process Automation (RPA). If a client has an older system that requires a user to open a specific view/window/form and manually enter data from one system to another, we can automate that task. We don’t need programmers for this; we can instruct the platform on how to handle the graphical user interface of a specific application (where to navigate, click, and input data) and integrate it with existing processes. For instance, when a franchisee registers and goes through the onboarding process, data verification occurs automatically. If everything is correct and parameters are met, the system automatically triggers, for example, an old payroll program, opens a form, and enters data that was previously manually entered by the user. It then marks the completion of the external system process in PowerPRM and concludes the onboarding process. This action triggers further steps, such as assigning the new franchisee to a designated group and suggesting the next steps to quickly integrate them into the network.
To sum up, it is better to free up people’s time for important activities that drive business growth and automate processes using the PowerPRM platform.
Thank you for the interview.
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