Every business has different needs that off-the-shelf software may not completely cater to. Not only do these products not fit the mold of a specific company, but they can burn a big hole in their budget. This is changing as the world shifts to low-code software development that empowers small business owners to take custom development into their own hands.

Zoho has made a name for itself in this low-code space, but now Microsoft has joined in on the movement with Power Apps, a no-code/low-code solution that allows businesses to develop their own custom apps, from simple forms to complex inventory management systems. Affordable, accessible, and data-rich, Power Apps is changing the game. And with its integration with Microsoft Teams, collaboration and data-sharing are easier and more impactful than ever before.

Microsoft Teams is a wonderful way for you, your employees, and your clients to stay in touch remotely. It offers not only video call features, but opportunities for collaboration on projects as well as chat and file sharing. But its capabilities are even richer. Microsoft has integrated Teams with the Power Apps Platform to help businesses enhance productivity and efficiency. Any application your team developers with Power Apps, from recruiting dashboards to invoice processing tools, can be shared within Teams.

There are three ways custom Power Apps can be used in Teams:

1. By embedding a canvas app as a tab app or personal app
2. By embedding a model-driven app as a tab or personal app
3. By creating apps in Teams backed using Microsoft Dataverse for Teams

This means all your data is accessible without ever leaving the Teams interface. Review data dashboards. Get notifications that invoices have been paid or that contracts have been signed. Create workflows that assign tasks to various employees. The possibilities are endless…and easier than ever before to bring to life.

For a more in-depth look into the integration of Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Power apps, check out this blog from Microsoft.

Power Apps reduces costs and bottlenecks. But what else can it do when it’s paired with the power of Teams?

Real-time Decision Making: Microsoft Power Apps gives users an opportunity to view reports in Teams so that their data can be discussed in real-time via chat or video calls. This feature saves time for all parties and can lead to well-thought-out decisions with key stakeholder input. There’s no sense in switching from tab to tab just to report the wrong information to a team member.

Mass Messages: Your email inbox can get cluttered with hundreds of emails daily. Teams creates a unidirectional communication system. Rather than sending an email and CC’ing everyone, you can drop that mass email into a contextual Teams chat. That way everyone sees it right away. No more digging through the spam or trash folder!

Zoho Integrations: Why choose between the low-code capabilities of Zoho and Microsoft when you can have both? Teams integrates with Zoho Projects, Zoho CRM, Zoho Analytics, and more. You can:

• Access Zoho CRM leads and lead assignments
• Quickly pull up Deals records from within Teams
• Push CRM Blueprints and workflows into Teams
• Create new tasks with the Zoho Projects bot, right from Teams
• Present Zoho Analytics dashboards
• Access tasks and task lists within Zoho Projects
• Set Zoho Analytics alerts to send messages through a Teams Channel

No more task switching. No more hunting for tabs. No more miscommunication. All of your data and your people will be on the same page. Literally!

KDG is Power Platform certified. Our award-winning software development team is more than ready to help your business grow with customized applications, tailored specifically to your needs. Our Microsoft Power Apps consultants will help you make the most of all that Microsoft Power Apps and Teams have to offer, supporting you with development, consulting, implementation, and training. Plus, our Premium Zoho Partner team can help you build out even more low-code integrations with Teams.

For over two decades, KDG has been a leading business services expert, providing custom software development, IT support, and user experience design for small, large, and enterprise organizations across the United States. To schedule a meeting with one of our custom software specialists, contact us.