For some time now, Slack has been a powerful contender in the world of collaboration and communication. One of the first companies to introduce us to the benefits of things like chat and instant messaging for keeping teams connected, Slack has helped to transform the workforce on a massive scale. Now, with Slack Connect, teams can do more than ever before.
Slack Connect furthers the concept of “Slack Shared Channels”. The Shared Channels solution allows companies to collaborate at speed with both internal and external contacts. You can bring up to 20 organisations together to work seamlessly in the same space. However, Slack Connect accomplishes even more. The Slack Connect offering means you can access everything from partner connections to customer support services in the same Slack landscape.
Slack Connect promises a better way for everyone to work with people outside their central company borders. Here’s everything you need to know about the service.
Slack Connect Review: Features
Slack Connect is an all-in-one environment where you can collaborate with partners and vendors outside of your team. You can also use this service to connect with customers and offer a more streamlined, chat-based approach to service. The solution promises to eliminate the many problems associated with email, giving you faster deal cycles and stronger employee collaboration.
With Slack Connect, you can bring communication out of the email inbox, and into a dynamic channel where everyone can work quickly and effectively together. If you’re looking for a solution for building better client relationships and reducing response times, Slack Connect is a great choice. Features of this service include:
- Multiple channels and direct messaging threads
- File and screen sharing functionality
- Enterprise-grade security features and compliance
- Phishing and scam protection
- Integrations with hundreds of leading tools
- Audio and video conferencing
- Unlimited messaging archive
- 99.99% uptime SLA
- User provisioning and de-provisioning
- Data exports for all messages
- Group screen sharing
- Unlimited workspaces
- Data loss prevention
- HIPAA compliance and other compliance options
- Single Sign-On
The exact selection of features available from Slack Connect will depend on the package you get for your Slack paid subscription plan. Connect comes as an add-on for your premium subscription package. So, if you’ll need at least a Pro plan to get started. Within your package, you’ll find all the normal features associated with Slack, like file sharing, messaging, and audio conferencing, as well as the opportunity to collaborate conveniently with external parties.
Slack Connect Review: Benefits
Slack Connect is an extension to the powerful Slack collaboration platform. If you already use Slack for connecting with internal teams, it makes sense to use it for external connections too. Alternatively, if you’re the kind of company that currently relies on disconnected emails and calls to communicate with clients and vendors, you may find that switching to Slack Connect helps you to align your conversations more effectively.
Slack Connect enhances the features of Slack for collaboration to bring conversations to all the people in your community, from your customers to your contractors and partners. You can even have multiple companies working together at the same time. Benefits include:
- Easy collaboration with outside organisations: Keep your work secure with Slack’s enterprise-grade security features, while simultaneously reaching out to the people beyond your business. You’ll have secure access to vendors, contractors, and partners, with everyone getting their own unique channel where they can share files, arrange meetings, and converse in real-time. All that, and you get to avoid the headaches that come with email
- Connect tools: Aside from getting the built-in features of Slack like video conferencing and chat, you can also enhance your Slack Connect channels with extra tools, integrations and automations. You can use these connections to help with sharing documents, simplifying tasks, and booking meetings. There’s access to things like Google Drive, Outlook, and even Zoom for your enhanced video meetings
- Ease of use: Slack has always stood out for being incredibly easy to use, the Slack Connect solution is no different. You can create a channel at the tap of a button and send an invite instantly to your contacts through email. There’s plenty of administration settings and controls built-in to ensure you have a say on what your connections can do within your Slack channels. It’s even possible to setup two-factor authentication
- Security and Privacy: With custom user groups for different teams, departments, and connections, you have full control over your channels in Slack. It’s easy to implement extra security features, like Single-Sign-On mand multi-factor authentication. Plus, you can simply remove another user’s access remotely if you ever need to reduce your channels or disconnect with an external party. 99.99% uptime SLAs provide extra peace of mind
- Storage and recordings: Slack’s packages come with access to all kinds of storage options, including up to 1TB of storage per member if you’re using the Enterprise Grid package. You’ll have access to unlimited message history, and users can also unlock features like data exports for messaging, audit log APIS and discovery tools. For those on higher-priced plans, features like data residency choice are also available
Who Needs Slack Connect?
Slack Connect is a solution designed to break down unwanted data silos and walls in today’s collaborative world. As companies continue to collaborate and communicate in a hybrid environment, it’s not just the internal employees in your team that you need to connect with. Slack promises a better way to work with people outside of your company, while giving you the high levels of security and control you need to keep your business protected.
Through Slack Connect, organizations can build fantastic environments for cross-company collaboration, keep track of their partners, and offer their customers a faster, more effective level of service. All the while, Slack’s state-of-the-art integrations with hundreds of other tools means you can build a comprehensive workplace for your internal teams too.
Whether you’re looking for an alternative to email, or you already use Slack for some aspects of collaboration, Connect could be an excellent investment for you.
