Sending a welcome message over email

Use IBM watsonx Orchestrate to send a welcome message over email. In the tutorial, learn how to connect to the Microsoft Outlook app, add the Send an email using Outlook skill to your personal skill set, and use this skill to send a welcome message over email to a new employee.

Before you begin

Use a Microsoft Outlook account that is a work or school account. For more information, see Microsoft Outlook.

Connect to the Microsoft Outlook app

The first step is to connect watsonx Orchestrate to the Microsoft Outlook:

  1. On the watsonx Orchestrate home page, click Add skills from the catalog.
  2. Search for the Microsoft Outlook app.
    1. Click the Search apps field.
    2. Enter Microsoft Outlook and press Enter.
  3. Select the Microsoft Outlook tile.
  4. Click the Connect app button.
  5. Select the email enter according to your account permissions:
    1. If you don't have admin permission in your email account, select the Non-admin user option.
    2. If you have admin permission in your email account, select the Admin user option.
  6. Click the Connect app button.
  7. You are redirected to the Microsoft Outlook webpage to log in and give watsonx Orchestrate permission to connect to your Microsoft Outlook account.
    1. Enter your email address.
    2. Click Next.
    3. Enter the password of your account.
    4. Click Sign in.

The process to connect to the Microsoft Outlook app, which includes opening the skill catalog, searching for the app, and connecting to it.
Figure 1. The process to connect to the Microsoft Outlook app, which includes opening the skill catalog, searching for the app, and connecting to it.

Quick checkpoint! The icon A green check icon appears to show that the app is connected. indicates that the connection was successfully established. Now, you can add the Send an email using Outlook skill to the personal skill set.

Add the Send an email using Outlook skill to the personal skill set

The second step is to add the Send an email using Outlook skill to the personal skill set:

  1. On the watsonx Orchestrate home page, click Add skills from the catalog.
  2. Search for the Microsoft Outlook app.
    1. Click the Search apps field.
    2. Enter Microsoft Outlook and press Enter.
  3. Select the Microsoft Outlook tile.
  4. In the Send an email using Outlook skill tile, click Add skill +.

The addition of the Send an email using Outlook skill from the skill catalog to the personal skill set.
Figure 2. The addition of the Send an email using Outlook skill from the skill catalog to the personal skill set.

Quick checkpoint! Now, you have the Send an email using Outlook skill in your personal skill set, and are able to use it.

Use the Send an email using Outlook skill

The last step is to use the skill:

  1. On the watsonx Orchestrate home page, click the chat.
  2. enter Send email and press Enter.
  3. In the To field, enter the address to send the email; for example, "barry@email.com".
  4. In the Subject field, enter Welcome.
  5. In the Content field, enter Welcome to your new job!.
  6. Click the Apply button.

The input form of the Send an email using Outlook skill in the chat.
Figure 3. The input form of the Send an email using Outlook skill in the chat.

Results

The skill runs and sends a welcome message to the new employee over email. From watsonx Orchestrate, you can see the message The email was sent.

The output that you can get after you submit the input form from the chat.
Figure 4. The output that you can get after you submit the input form from the chat.

What to do next

Now that you learned how to connect to the Microsoft Outlook app, add the Send an email using Outlook skill to your personal skill set, and trigger this skill, you can use this knowledge to work with the other prebuilt apps available to boost your daily tasks with watsonx Orchestrate. For more information about prebuilt apps, see Prebuilt apps.

Tip: You can also run skills in the AI chat through AI assistants. For more information, see Using the AI chat.