Stop Doing It Manually
Microsoft Copilot and Power Automate are already part of most Microsoft 365 business subscriptions. Most Perth businesses are not using either.
The Real Cost of Doing Things Manually
Every business has tasks that happen on repeat — sending follow-up emails, copying data from one place to another, chasing approvals, compiling reports. These tasks are not difficult. They are just time-consuming. And the cost is higher than most business owners realise.
Staff time spent on low-value repetition
An office manager spending 45 minutes every Monday copying data from one spreadsheet to another is not doing anything wrong — they are doing what they have always done. But that is 45 minutes every week, every year, that could be spent on work that needs their actual skills.
Mistakes from asking humans to do repetitive tasks
Manual data entry, manual filing, and manual follow-up all introduce the possibility of human error. A document filed in the wrong folder, a follow-up that gets forgotten, a figure entered incorrectly — these are not carelessness, they are the natural result of repetition under time pressure.
Processes that stop when one person is away
When the person who runs a manual process is on leave, sick, or has left the business, the process stops. Automated processes run whether or not the person who set them up is in the office — consistently, on schedule, every time.
Two Tools That Work Differently — and Together
Microsoft Copilot is an AI assistant that drafts, summarises, and analyses. Power Automate is an automation engine that handles routine tasks in the background automatically. Copilot works with you. Power Automate works while you’re doing something else. They solve different problems — and work best when used together.
Your AI assistant for drafting and summarising
Copilot is built into Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, and PowerPoint. Ask it to summarise a meeting, draft a reply, explain a spreadsheet, or build a presentation from a brief. It does the time-consuming parts — you review and send.
Your automation engine for repetitive tasks
Power Automate runs the same process automatically every time it is triggered — filing a document, routing an approval, sending a follow-up, notifying the right person. Set it up once. It runs forever without being asked.
Free Copilot vs Paid Copilot
Free Copilot knows what the internet knows. Paid Copilot knows what your business knows.
The free version is a capable general assistant available in your browser. The paid version — Microsoft 365 Copilot — connects to your actual emails, documents, calendars, and meetings.
Free — no extra cost
Available in your browser at copilot.microsoft.com. Great for drafting content, answering questions, and research. Cannot see your emails, files, or business data — you paste content in yourself.
Paid — Microsoft 365 Copilot
Works inside Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, and PowerPoint. Accesses your actual inbox, meeting recordings, and documents — with your permission. Keeps all data inside your Microsoft 365 security boundary.
If staff are using public AI tools
Staff using free tools may be pasting business data into services outside your control. Microsoft 365 Copilot brings that activity inside your security boundary — where it is permission-controlled and auditable.
What Power Automate Removes from Your Week Permanently
Every business has tasks that happen the same way every week. Someone does them manually, every time. Power Automate removes those tasks from your team’s list permanently — and most of it is already included in what you’re paying for.
Quote follow-ups
A quote goes out. If no reply arrives in three days, a polite follow-up sends automatically from your address. Nobody has to remember.
Document filing
Every invoice that arrives by email is saved to the correct SharePoint folder, named correctly, instantly. No manual saving required.
Approval routing
Leave requests, expense claims, and purchase orders are sent to the right approver automatically — with a one-click approve or reject button in Teams or email.
Lead notifications
A contact form is submitted on your website. The right staff member is notified in Teams within seconds, with all the lead’s details pre-filled.
Weekly reminders
Timesheets, reports, and regular check-ins go out automatically at the right time every week. No one has to manually trigger them.
Satisfaction surveys
A job is marked complete in your system. A personalised survey goes to the client automatically. Low scores trigger an immediate alert to the manager.
What This Looks Like for a Real Perth Business
A single trigger starts an entire chain of actions automatically. These are the kinds of workflows DM1 builds for Perth SMBs — often running within a day.
An invoice arrives by email
Power Automate detects the attachment and saves it to the correct SharePoint folder, named by supplier and date. An approval request goes to the relevant manager in Teams with a one-click approve button. On approval, the supplier name, amount, and due date are logged to the accounts spreadsheet automatically. A remittance notification is sent to the supplier.
Nobody filed it. Nobody chased the approval. Nobody updated the spreadsheet.
A new enquiry is submitted on your website
The account manager receives an instant Teams notification with the prospect’s details. A new client folder is created in SharePoint. A personalised welcome email is sent to the prospect. Their details are logged in your leads tracker. If no response is recorded after three business days, a follow-up reminder is sent automatically.
Response time drops from hours to seconds. Nothing slips through.
Already Included in What You’re Paying For
Power Automate standard connectors are included in Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Business Premium. No extra software. No extra licence. Most Perth businesses have these tools sitting idle inside the subscription they already pay for every month.
What DM1 Finds During New Client Onboarding
These are real findings from DM1’s standard onboarding process — discovered when new clients came on board and we reviewed how their team was working.
Discovered during DM1 new client onboarding
Staff were copying patient information into a public AI chatbot
When a Perth healthcare business moved to DM1, our standard onboarding review included a check of how staff were using AI tools. We found that several staff members had been regularly pasting appointment notes and patient details into a free public AI service to help draft communications. Their previous IT provider had no policy in place and no visibility over the activity. DM1 deployed Microsoft 365 Copilot and established a usage policy, bringing all AI activity inside the business’s security boundary.
Discovered during DM1 new client onboarding
Fifteen quotes per month going out with no follow-up process — at all
When a Perth professional services firm moved to DM1, our onboarding review found that the business was sending an average of fifteen quotes per month with no systematic follow-up process. Staff occasionally remembered to follow up manually; most of the time they did not. Their previous IT provider had never flagged Power Automate as part of the existing Microsoft 365 plan. DM1 built a quote follow-up flow within the first week of onboarding — quotes without a response trigger a polite follow-up after three business days automatically.
Discovered during DM1 new client onboarding
No record of completed jobs — satisfaction was assumed, never measured
When a Perth trades business moved to DM1, our onboarding review found that no satisfaction surveys or completion follow-ups had ever been sent to clients. The business owner assumed clients were happy because complaints were rare. DM1 built a Power Automate flow that sends a personalised satisfaction survey when a job is marked complete. Low scores trigger an immediate Teams alert. The business owner now finds out about unhappy clients the same day — not weeks later.
Why Perth Businesses Choose DM1
DM1 is a Perth-based managed IT provider working exclusively with small and medium businesses. We are a Microsoft CSP partner, which means we manage Microsoft 365 licences and configurations directly — and we know what a well-configured business platform looks like.
We explain what we find in plain English
Every recommendation comes with a plain English explanation of what it means for your business and why it matters. You will always know what DM1 is doing and why — never a report full of technical terms with no explanation.
One point of contact for everything IT
DM1 manages your Microsoft 365 licences, your devices, your email, your security, your connectivity, and your backup — all from one place. One number. One provider. No pointing fingers between vendors when something goes wrong.
Start Automating Something This Week
Tell DM1 about one task your team does manually every week. We’ll tell you whether it can be automated and how long it takes to set up. Most businesses have something running within a day. (08) 6202 6012