Is Power Apps right for a Small Business?

[Tango]

What size business do you have to be before Power Apps & Model Driven Power Apps becomes cost effective?

This is the question I am struggling to determine.

Use Case 6 Users with Microsoft 365 Business Standard in a small business with a small turnover. Replacing a unreliable Access Database on a local shared drive.

System would be somewhat of a CRM with Accounts, Contacts, History, Notes, Quotes & Jobs entities, File Storage as well as a reminder system

Ive been looking at Dynamics CRM, a Power App utilising Dataverse but these solution are way out of price range or have limited capacity (3gb) before charges go through the roof

Any thoughts or comments greatly appreciated.

Thank you

[WarrenBelz]

Hi @Tango ,

I look after a substantial Power Apps / SharePoint facility for a large company using Canvas and SharePoint Integrated Apps. We have a couple of Premium licences for some Flows, but other than that everything has been possible on a standard licence - we have several lists and libraries with over 50k items.

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[Tango]

Thank you @WarrenBelz, Are you saying a combination of Sharepoint & Power Apps?

[WarrenBelz]

Hi @Tango ,

Yes that (and Power Automate with mainly standard connectors - see original note) is what is used for everything.

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[WarrenBelz]

Hi @Tango ,

Just checking if you got the result you were looking for on this thread. Happy to help further if not.

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[annie23]

Small businesses often need help with the financial resources needed to keep up with the technology curve. But, with the right tools and an understanding of the business climate, they can make strides in keeping up. One option for small businesses is to look into power apps.

These applications allow businesses to connect quickly and easily with customers and employees through a central platform.  With these platforms, small businesses can easily create an online presence while benefiting from features like customer service and profit sharing. If you’re considering using a power app for your business, it’s important to research and understands the costs associated with each option. Additionally, be sure to compare different apps before making a decision.

[Tony_Bowes_BP]

From my perspective, Power Apps are a direct replacement for lightweight Access DBs. This assumes that the designer / modifier of the AccessDB is still available and you are still extracting value from this type of solution.  

Please note that the value of these bespoke applications is by providing direct customisation to meet the specific requirements of the company that you cannot get anywhere else (or you want to keep in-house for market advantage). If you're in a mature industry (such as accounting), there should be many off-the-shelf options that are far cheaper than paying for the effort of customised solutions. Remember it's not really the licensing that is the main cost, but the custom development time. 

With this in mind, the decision of when Power Apps are cost effective is more to do with the industry you're in and the value you place on customization to gain an advantage.

CRM is a pretty large beast and the flexibility on offer allows combining a lot of information regarding a customer into a cohesive space that then allows greater control of conducting business with them. If you feel that you already have a good working relationship with your customers and don't see the value in a pulling together customer related data, then you're too small for CRM. Once again some industries (such as marketing) are so customer focused that even one employee would still find value in a CRM licence, but on average I'd say companies would start looking when their sales team hits about 5 staff when file systems, emails and lightweight solutions start to crack.  

Hope this helps.