Build a No-Code Case Router with Power Automate and Google Workspace Studio

If you’re paying for a Microsoft subscription and not using Power Automate to AI Agents and automations, you are leaving precious dollars on the table. Similarly, us Google Workspace users are missing out on space age technology by not using Workspace Studio.

Build The Form

Don’t overcomplicate this one. People already despise filling out forms, so you’ll want to keep it short and sweet to minimize the frustration and increase its adoption. Where possible, auto fill values on the backend to prevent users from having to type too much. This is especially true if you’re building a form to capture user complaints or bug reports. The person filling out the form is likely annoyed and having to click through tons of fields will only make matters worse.

Here are the fields I use to capture bug reports for my online RPG, Fantasy Brawls.

• Username (freeform text)
• Feedback or Bug (Dropdown)
• Feature (dropdown list)
• Comments (freeform text)

Filling out this form takes a couple minutes, max, and provides me with all the info I need to kick off the appropriate automation.

Build the Logic

With the form built, it's time to get your triggers set up. The verbiage will vary depending on your chosen automation platform, but you’ll want to set the trigger as When a form is submitted.

Once the form has been submitted it's time to extract the information. Each input on the form will need to be mapped and stored as input values. These extracted values will be used to drive other logic in your flow.

Using the values extracted from your form (e.g. FeedbackOrBug, Feature, etc), you can start populating the information repo of your choosing (Google Sheets, SharePoint List, etc.).

Build your notices

Form notices are built into both Microsoft Forms and Google Forms. And, if you need just a simple notice they work fine. However, both are a bit limited in who can receive these notices. In Microsoft Forms, only the form owner can receive notice once a form has been completed. This is also true with respect to Google Forms.

To build more robust, customizable notifications, use the extracted values from the previous steps to populate an email along with the email address of your choosing.

Pro tip: If you’re a Microsoft user, consider creating a distribution group if your notifications need to go to multiple people. It’s more convenient and flexible than hard coding each email and won’t cost you anything extra.

Note: Microsoft forms are a little restrictive when it comes to where you can point from responses to. If you use the integrated write to excel function you will be limited to an excel doc excel creates for you. If you need something custom or want to store the file in a specific location, you’ll need to employ Power Automate.

Log Your Work

As stated in the first step, if you choose to log your responses (highly recommended), you’ll need to build out a database to house them. This database can be a CRM system, Google Sheets, or Microsoft SharePoint Online. To help you get started, here’s how I structure my Google Sheets that receives the inputs from my Fantasy Brawls Bug/Feature Form.

Username | Date Submitted | Request Type | Feature | Comments

In the next section, I’ll take you through how to build this in both Microsoft and Google Ecosystems.

Google Ecosystem

Tech: Workspace Studio, Google Forms, Google Sheets, App Scripts (optional - coding required)

Step One: Set up Google Forms

Step Two: Build Your Google Sheet

Step Three: Build your flow in Workspace Studio

Step Four: Define Triggers

Step Five: Extract and Map Data

Step Six: Set up notices using extracted data

Step Seven: Populate the data within your Google Sheet

Microsoft Ecosystem

Tech: Power Automate, Microsoft Forms, SharePoint, Microsoft Excel Online

Step One: Set up Microsoft Forms

Step Two: Pick a spot in Sharepoint

Step Three: Create and build your Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet

Step Four: Create your cloud flow in Power Automate

Step Five: Define your triggers

Step Six: Extract data from the form

Step Seven: Populate the data within your Excel spreadsheet

Step Eight: Send notices using the extracted form data

Kill a Manual Process Today

You don’t need to be a world class software engineer to automate tedious processes in your business. Chances are, you’re already paying for all the tech you need to bring your company into the age of AI and automation. Whether you’re a hardcore Googler or deep in the trenches of Microsoft land, there is an automation solution for you. And, if you ever get stuck on automation, or want to work together on a project, I’m just a message away on the socials listed below. Alternatively, you can drop us an email at contact@mattflows.com