Ep 135: Make a Workflow talk to Teams with AI help (June 2025)

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Generated by AI. Be sure to check for accuracy.

Meeting notes:

• Integrating Workflows with Teams: Ricardo and Staci discussed integrating workflows with Microsoft Teams using Power Automate. Ricardo demonstrated creating a workflow that posts a message to a Teams channel when a form is submitted, highlighting the ease of using AI to assist in the process.

  • Introduction to Workflows: Ricardo introduced the topic of integrating workflows with Microsoft Teams using Power Automate. He mentioned that it had been a while since they discussed this topic and highlighted the advancements in AI that make the process easier.

  • Creating a Workflow: Ricardo demonstrated creating a workflow that posts a message to a Teams channel when a form is submitted. He explained the steps involved, including selecting the form, specifying the Teams channel, and customizing the message content.

  • AI Assistance: Ricardo emphasized the role of AI in simplifying the workflow creation process. He compared the current ease of use with the more complex steps required in the past, highlighting how AI can now assist in generating the necessary components for the workflow.

  • Practical Example: Ricardo provided a practical example by creating a workflow that posts a message to a Teams channel when a form is submitted. He used a form related to a chocolate cake helpdesk survey to illustrate the process.

• Creating a Workflow in Power Automate: Ricardo walked through the steps of creating a workflow in Power Automate, including selecting a form, specifying the Teams channel, and customizing the message content. He emphasized the simplicity of the process with AI assistance.

  • Form Selection: Ricardo explained the process of selecting a form in Power Automate. He demonstrated how to choose a form from the available options and highlighted the importance of selecting the correct form for the workflow.

  • Teams Channel Specification: Ricardo detailed the steps for specifying the Teams channel where the message will be posted. He showed how to select the appropriate team and channel, ensuring that the workflow posts the message to the correct location.

  • Customizing Message Content: Ricardo demonstrated how to customize the message content that will be posted to the Teams channel. He showed how to include dynamic content from the form responses and add labels to make the message more informative.

  • AI Simplification: Ricardo emphasized the role of AI in simplifying the workflow creation process. He highlighted how AI can assist in generating the necessary components for the workflow, making the process more efficient and user-friendly.

• Using Adaptive Cards: Ricardo demonstrated how to use adaptive cards in a workflow, showing how to add a card to a Teams channel with dynamic content and buttons for additional functionality. He highlighted the benefits of using adaptive cards for enhanced user interaction.

  • Introduction to Adaptive Cards: Ricardo introduced adaptive cards and explained their purpose in enhancing user interaction within Teams. He highlighted the benefits of using adaptive cards, such as the ability to include dynamic content and interactive buttons.

  • Adding Adaptive Cards: Ricardo demonstrated the process of adding an adaptive card to a Teams channel within a workflow. He showed how to use AI to generate the necessary JSON code for the card and how to customize the card's content.

  • Dynamic Content: Ricardo explained how to include dynamic content in adaptive cards. He demonstrated how to add form response details to the card, making the information more relevant and useful for the team.

  • Interactive Buttons: Ricardo highlighted the functionality of interactive buttons in adaptive cards. He showed how to add buttons that can link to external URLs or trigger additional actions, enhancing the card's interactivity and usefulness.

• Benefits of Power Automate: Ricardo and Staci discussed the benefits of using Power Automate for creating workflows, including the ability to integrate multiple actions, such as sending emails and storing data in SharePoint. They emphasized the time-saving and productivity-enhancing aspects of using AI in Power Automate.

  • Integration of Multiple Actions: Ricardo and Staci discussed how Power Automate allows the integration of multiple actions within a single workflow. They mentioned examples such as sending emails, storing data in SharePoint, and posting messages to Teams channels.

  • Time-Saving Aspects: Ricardo and Staci emphasized the time-saving benefits of using Power Automate. They highlighted how AI assistance can streamline the workflow creation process, reducing the time and effort required to set up complex workflows.

  • Productivity Enhancement: Ricardo and Staci discussed how Power Automate enhances productivity by automating repetitive tasks. They explained that by using workflows, teams can focus on more important tasks, leading to increased efficiency and productivity.

  • AI Assistance: Ricardo and Staci highlighted the role of AI in Power Automate. They explained how AI can assist in generating workflow components, troubleshooting errors, and providing suggestions, making the workflow creation process more user-friendly and efficient.

• New Features in Teams: Ricardo mentioned the new "follow threads" feature in Teams, which allows users to follow specific conversations and receive updates in a dedicated section. He highlighted the convenience of having a single place for all followed threads.

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• Bookings vs. Meeting Scheduling: Ricardo and Staci discussed the differences between using Microsoft Bookings and scheduling meetings via the calendar. They explained that Bookings is more suitable for scenarios where external users need to schedule time with a team, while calendar scheduling is more appropriate for internal meetings.

  • Bookings for External Users: Ricardo and Staci explained that Microsoft Bookings is more suitable for scenarios where external users need to schedule time with a team. They highlighted the convenience of allowing external users to see availability and book meetings without needing access to internal calendars.

  • Calendar Scheduling for Internal Meetings: Ricardo and Staci discussed that scheduling meetings via the calendar is more appropriate for internal meetings. They explained that this method allows internal users to see each other's availability and schedule meetings accordingly.

• Upcoming Sessions: Ricardo announced that the next meeting will be held in mid-July and provided a link for participants to check the schedule. He thanked everyone for attending and encouraged them to join the next session.

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Follow-up tasks:

• Workflow Integration: Share any cool Power Automate workflows that integrate with Teams. (The team)

• Adaptive Card: Add an image to the adaptive card for better visual representation. (Ricardo)

• Follow Threads Feature: Test the new 'Follow Threads' feature in Teams and provide feedback. (Ricardo)

• Bookings vs Calendar: Evaluate the use cases for Microsoft Bookings versus meeting scheduling via calendar and share insights. (Ricardo, Staci)

• Next Meeting: Update the date for the next meeting in mid-July on the AK.ms/Q for Teams page. (Ricardo)