Effectively using Slack for Remote Work

Slack is one of the most popular digital communication tools used in today’s workplace. With over 2 million daily active users, it is no wonder why. But just like anything else, Slack isn’t perfect. In fact, there are many things about Slack that could be improved upon.

We’ll discuss some of the best practices for using Slack effectively. We’ll look at how to set up your channels, how to manage your team memberships, and how to use Slack effectively. Let’s dive into it.

Channels

A channel is where your organization communicates. You can think of each channel as being similar to a department within your office. Slack channels are an amazing replacement for physical offices. For example, you might have a “Sales” channel, a “Marketing” channel, or an “Executive team” channel, etc. Each channel contains specific information related to that topic. This way, you can keep track of everything happening across your entire organization and maintain effective communication without having to check multiple places.

When setting up your channels, make sure you include everyone who needs access to those channels. If someone leaves your organization, they shouldn’t be able to see conversations that happened while they worked there anymore.

You can add people to a channel via the “+” button next to the name of the channel. Once added, they will be able to view all messages sent to that channel. However, they won’t be able to send messages unless they’re given permission. Adding your team to channels and allowing them to message each other removes hurdles for workers as communication and sharing of Google docs, resources and other info can be a lot more fluid.

If you want to give someone permission to send messages to a certain channel, simply go to the person’s profile and select the desired channel. Then, you can grant them the ability to send messages to that channel.

Reduce Slack Interruptions

Slack is great for communication, especially when used properly it can be one of the most efficient tech tools you use for your team. It can eventually be your digital headquarters! But if you’re working remotely or are part of a digital-first workplace, it can be difficult to keep up with what everyone else is doing. If someone sends you a message during a meeting, you might miss out on important information. Or maybe you just want to focus on one task at a time without being interrupted.

To help you manage Slack better, here are some tips for reducing Slack interruptions.

1. Set Expectations About How Much Slack Usage Is Acceptable

Set clear expectations around how much Slack usage is acceptable. For example, if you don’t use Slack during the day, make sure that your teammates know that. This way, no one feels surprised when they see you online later in the day. Try to avoid constant pings as this can be distracting and rather save some more important and lengthy info for your real time meetings.

2. Use Slack’s Notifications Feature

Notifications let you receive messages whenever something happens in Slack. You can choose whether notifications come via email or SMS, and you can customize them based on things such as keywords, channels, and dates. Slack is a great way to streamline your corporate communication.

3. Create Custom Channels

These are super useful for both part-time and full-time office work. Slack channels can help you organize your departments and streamline project management. Instant messages are particularly useful in these direct custom channels so each team can communicate and share effectively without bothering everyone on the public Slack communities. The chief executive can have a custom channel just for executives, while the content writers and creative teams, and project managers can have their own custom channels as well. You can even have a social channel for everyone to have fun on a general growth business channel for all the business development representatives.

You can also name your custom channels or Slack communities basic names like Slack 1, Slack 2, Slack 3, etc. But we recommend you get a bit creative with the names and base it on different departments like “Slack Middle Manager”, “Slack Customer Experience”, “Engagement – Slack” and so on.

You can even use Slack to monitor the time people log in, and out, and go on breaks during their shifts.

Make Use of Slack’s Integration Possibilities

Slack is one of the most popular chat apps out there, especially among businesses. Its integrations allow you to connect it with other tools like Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Trello, Salesforce, GitHub, Zendesk, Dropbox, Zapier, and many others. We’ll show you how to use some of those integrations to make Slack work even better for you.

Integration #1: Send Emails via Email Service API

You probably already know about the email integration feature in Slack, but did you know you could actually send emails directly from within Slack? This way you don’t have to open up another app just to send an email. You can do it directly from Slack. Let’s say you want to send an email to someone who doesn’t have a Slack account. Now whenever you type @someone@example.com into a channel, you’ll see a prompt asking whether you’d like to send an email. Click Yes and you’re done.

Integration #2: Get Your Team’s Calendar Events

If you want to keep track of what everyone else is doing, you might want to check out the calendar integration. Then search for “Calendar API.” After you’ve enabled it, every time you add a meeting to your calendar, you’ll receive a notification in Slack. If you want to invite people to meetings outside of Slack, you can also set up reminders here. This will help you keep track of the days people are on leave or out of the office.

Integration #3: Set Up Custom Emoji Reactions

Have you ever wanted to give someone a thumbs down, smiley face or heart icon? Well now you can! Then select Emoji Reaction and enable it. Next, you’ll be able to choose from different emojis and assign them to channels. For example, if you want to let someone know something isn’t working, you can simply write “@name:notworking” and hit Enter. Or maybe you want to tell someone to stop being annoying, you can write “@name:stop”. Emojis will be a hit with your younger employees and creative teams.

Pros of using the Slack app:

Slack is designed to support remote workforces, making it much easier for teams to communicate. Communication is one of the biggest hurdles remote teams face. This feature alone could make Slack worth considering over other messaging apps.

The team chat application is constantly improving its features to help you better collaborate with your colleagues. For example, Slack recently added the ability to add attachments to messages, allowing you to attach files like Word documents, PDFs, images, videos, etc. There are lots of expectations from people working remotely to make their lives more seamless and Slack helps to do just this.

Slack integrates seamlessly with other apps, including Box and Microsoft Office 365. You can easily send files directly into Slack from those apps, and use these integrations for maximum effectiveness.

You can even use Slack to manage your calendar, giving you one place where you can view all your events. Slack is also a major boon for inclusivity as your entire team can join in!