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Working with email automation in Power Automate

Email takes up way too much time. Here’s the thing - Power Automate can handle your email tasks automatically and connect them directly to your Tallyfy processes. You’ll get timely actions, data capture, and notifications for your Tallyfy tasks without the manual hassle.

Email connectors in Power Automate for Tallyfy workflows

Power Automate provides several connectors for email services. Outlook 365 is the most popular one. You’ve also got Gmail, Outlook.com, and SMTP options.

We’ll use Outlook 365 examples here (it’s what most businesses run), but these automation principles work the same way across all email connectors when you’re connecting to Tallyfy.

Common email automation scenarios for Tallyfy

Want to cut your email processing time by 80%? These are the automation scenarios that actually move the needle:

  • Reading email content to trigger Tallyfy actions: Set up flows that watch for specific emails. When they arrive, Power Automate extracts data from the subject or body - then automatically launches a Tallyfy process, creates a task, or updates existing work.

    • Example: Supplier sends an invoice email. Power Automate grabs the invoice details and instantly creates a “Process Invoice” task in your Tallyfy finance process. The invoice data drops right into your Tallyfy form fields. Zero manual entry.
  • Handling email attachments for Tallyfy: Flows save attachments to SharePoint or OneDrive automatically. Then they link these files directly to the right Tallyfy tasks.

    • Example: Client emails you a project brief. Power Automate saves it to SharePoint and kicks off your Tallyfy “New Project Onboarding” procedure template. The brief attaches itself to the first task. Your team sees it immediately.
  • Sending automated emails based on Tallyfy events: Trigger custom emails when things happen in Tallyfy - like task completions or process milestones. Use the Tallyfy connector or webhooks to set this up. Pull data from Tallyfy form fields to personalize each message.

    • Example: Someone completes the “Send Welcome Pack” step in your “Customer Onboarding” process. Power Automate fires off a personalized welcome email using the customer’s name, company, and preferences straight from your Tallyfy form fields.

Building an example email automation flow for Tallyfy

Let’s build something real. We’ll create a flow that watches your shared mailbox (orders@yourcompany.com) for emails with “New Order Request” in the subject line. When one arrives, it launches your Tallyfy “New Order Processing” procedure template with all the order details filled in. Takes about 10 minutes to set up.

  1. Create a new automated cloud flow. In Power Automate, select + Create > Automated cloud flow (see understanding Power Automate basics). Name it Process New Email Orders into Tallyfy. Select trigger When a new email arrives in a shared mailbox (V2) (Outlook 365). Click Create.

  2. Configure the shared mailbox trigger.

    • Mailbox Address: Enter the email address of the shared mailbox (e.g., orders@yourcompany.com).
    • Folder: Usually Inbox.
    • Click Show advanced options.
    • Subject Filter: New Order Request.
    • Include Attachments: Set to Yes if order details might be in attachments.
    • To: You can specify the shared mailbox address here too, to be very precise.
  3. (Optional) Get email attachments. If order details come as attachments, add Get attachment (V2) (Outlook 365). You might see an “Apply to each” loop appear if there are multiple attachments. We’re keeping it simple here - assuming the data’s in the email body. Check out managing files with Power Automate for the full attachment story.

  4. Add Tallyfy “Launch process” action. Click + New step, search Tallyfy, select Launch process from the Tallyfy connector.

    • Blueprint ID: Select your Tallyfy “New Order Processing” procedure template.
    • Run Name (Process Name): Use dynamic content, e.g., New Order - [Subject from Email]. Use utcNow() expression for date/time.
    • Launch Form Fields: If your Tallyfy template has a launch form, its form fields will show up here. Map the email data (like From, Subject, Body Preview) to these fields.
      • Tallyfy Tip: Name your procedure template’s launch form fields clearly - makes the Power Automate mapping a breeze.
  5. (Optional) Send a confirmation email. Add a Send an email (V2) action (Outlook 365).

    • To: Use dynamic content From (the original sender of the order request).
    • Subject: Your Order Request ([Subject from Email]) has been received.
    • Body: Thank you for your order. We are processing it in Tallyfy. Your reference is [Process Name from Tallyfy Launch process action output].
  6. Save and test your flow. Send a test email to your shared mailbox. Did Tallyfy launch the process? Perfect. (Need help testing? See managing and monitoring flows).

Best practices for email automation with Tallyfy

  • Be specific with triggers: Use exact subject lines or sender addresses. You don’t want flows firing for every email - that’ll burn through your API limits fast.
  • Plan data extraction for Tallyfy: Map out which email parts go where. Subject line to process name? Body text to description field? Decide before you build.
  • Design Tallyfy templates for automation: Create procedure templates with automation in mind. Use consistent field names like “CustomerEmail” not “email” or “Email” or “customer_email”. Trust me on this one.
  • Robust error handling: What happens when that attachment’s missing? Or the email format’s weird? Build in fallbacks to keep your Tallyfy processes running smoothly.
  • Test thoroughly: Send test emails from different accounts, with various formats. Break it before your users do.

Power Automate > Creating your first flow in Power Automate

Building your initial automated workflow in Power Automate for Tallyfy integration provides straightforward entry into workflow automation by demonstrating how to create practical flows that connect external events like emails to Tallyfy actions for enhanced workflow efficiency.

Middleware > Power Automate

Microsoft Power Automate serves as an integration bridge that connects Tallyfy’s human-centric process management platform with Microsoft ecosystem applications and other business systems to automate data flows and system-to-system tasks while Tallyfy handles workflow management and process tracking.

Power Automate > Understanding Power Automate basics

Microsoft Power Automate enables workflow automation by connecting Tallyfy with various business applications through triggers and actions while Tallyfy manages human-centric processes and Power Automate handles system integrations and repetitive micro-tasks.