Real impact and success stories from Power Apps users

You hear all the time that Microsoft Power Apps can help people and their companies be more efficient and get ahead. But when the rubber meets the road, what does that actually look like? We went on a hunt with the #MadeItWithPowerApps challenge. We asked Power Apps users to tell us about the most impactful apps they’ve built and the proudest successes they’ve had. Here are just a few of the inspiring stories we received:

Solving real business problems

When people first think of Power Apps, one of the most common use-cases that often comes to mind is paperless automation. The amount of time organizations waste asking employees to fill out forms and paperwork manually can be staggering. For Rebecca Sackett, this was no exception. A year and a half ago, Rebecca began working at Custom Air Products in Pearland, Texas as an Assistant Data Analyst. When annual review time came around, the process went as follows: print review, fill out review, tally review score, turn in review, scan review, store data from review, enter review information into a database, and run additional calculations (we’re exhausted just typing it). Rebecca created an app to automate the entire process. Her app captured all the information while saving her HR department—and every single employee in her company—tons of time. Now all of the information is displayed in one place, scores and rates can be calculated instantly, and people can filter and sort quickly. It’s been a total game-changer and her co-workers love it.

For anyone in customer service, it’s no secret that getting in front of problems before they happen, not just reacting to them, is the true hallmark of great service. Take it from Corey Fiacco, a Data Analyst at Davis-Ulmer Sprinkler Co. His company had a 10-step process for approving employee conference attendance requests. The process inevitably led to a ton of status questions because approvals would get overlooked or delayed in a supervisor’s inbox. So Corey built an app that would allow him to enter any employee’s name, and immediately, the exact stage of the employee’s request would be highlighted. It listed all of the conference request details and current approval statuses so reviewers could get the information they needed quickly and Corey could head off any choke points before they happened. With one app, now Corey can be proactive and provide a truly seamless service experience for their company and his coworkers get the answers they need quickly and easily.

Creating paths for professional development

Operational efficiency is one thing, but there’s another impact that also often comes from learning how to build Power Apps—career advancement. Remember Rebecca? While she may have been hired as an Assistant Data Analyst a year and a half ago, that’s not her role anymore. When she started at Custom Air Products, her company had recently started using Office 365 and she began poking around to see if Power Apps could be helpful. She built a few simple apps at first then quickly took on larger initiatives. Fast forward to today and Rebecca’s primary role has fundamentally changed within her company. Now she is in charge of creating apps and the flows that go with them. She’s built over 40 apps that are actively being used in her company with a long list of apps just waiting to be created.

During the day, Lori Valone is a Technology and Tools Architect at Teradata. She credits her knowledge and experience with Power Apps as being key to her professional growth. Not only does she love what she does, she directly credits her compensation level and bonuses to all the apps she’s built and the value those apps have brought to her organization. She’s even been able to start her own company, Doggone Good Consulting, to share her Power Apps knowledge with others.

Building stronger communities

Interestingly enough, the monetary bonuses that Lori received thanks to the apps she’s built haven’t been the most rewarding part of her Power Apps journey—it’s been her ability to give back to the Power Apps community. For Lori, sharing what she’s learned, helping other people grow their app-building skills, and watching the solution counts climb because she was able to help someone out with what she knows has been most fulfilling.

For Lisa Crosbie from Barhead Solutions, getting involved with the Power Apps community has also offered a great sense of reward. After raising her hand to be a trainer for our App in a Day initiative, this sales consultant turned software evangelist has since trained hundreds of people and helped countless others get started building their first apps. Recently, thanks to her work within the Power Apps community, Lisa’s been awarded a Microsoft Business Applications MVP designation as well.

For more inspiring stories of Power Apps successes from Power Apps users, check out these videos.