What is Slack Connect?

First launched in June 2020, Slack Connect is now available for users everywhere. It allows enterprises to invite Slack subscribers from other firms to directly connect within the software via personal message (i.e., direct message) or a shared channel. The feature is now available to all Slack users who have paid for a subscription.

Slack Connect is a secure communications environment that allows moving all the conversations with external partners, clients, vendors, and others into Slack, replacing email and taking business collaboration to the next level.

How Does Slack Connect Work?

As opposed to the usual Slack environment that many users are already familiar with, in Slack Connect, your team will be communicating with stakeholders from different companies. Everyone can discuss work, share files and drive business results in a shared space. Up to 20 organizations can collaborate in a single Slack channel, enabling customers to bring even more of their external ecosystems into Slack.

Slack Connect allows your team to work with people outside your company in channels and direct messages. Organizations can work securely and collaboratively with others by moving conversations out of emails and staying connected in real-time.

Key Features of Slack Connect

Slack has several tools that make daily teamwork more effective and allow stakeholders from different organizations, regions, and time zones to stay on the same page and concentrate on their shared goals.

The practice of pinning messages and links to specific channels

Channel pinning is a helpful tool for ensuring that everyone is aware of the most critical and urgent information. One can pin a message or two about the channel’s purpose so that members can quickly figure out the information they can expect – useful for stakeholders new to an organization and unfamiliar with its work habits. A member or system administrator can pin up to 100 items in each channel or message, but approaching that limit defeats the purpose because you want to pin the most useful and valuable items.

Tracking and organizing files

Slack Connect has partnered with several popular applications and services to make getting your job done in one place more accessible. Google Drive and Dropbox are two of the most commonly used file management systems globally, and syncing with them may save a lot of time for busy teams.

In-depth search options

Slack’s search function works similarly to Google’s, making it easy to find whatever the user needs. Stakeholders can search for exact matches by putting a term in quotation marks or using an asterisk after an incomplete word to find any occurrences of that piece. Slack also indexes all of the content of linked files so that you may quickly access them.

Using channels that are accessible to all employees

Slack unites everyone in the same company (as well as external members) with freelancers, consultants, and remote workers to ensure everyone is on the same page. You can communicate directly with clients and vendors through shared channels. The central value proposition of Slack Connect is that it also helps you interact with people outside of your company. However, keep in mind that this feature is only offered as part of subscription programs.

Enterprise-grade security

Slack is known for its robust security system, which also applies to the Connect offering. It is compliant with rules like GDPR and CCPA, and Slack publishes a transparent report detailing the requests it receives from third parties and law enforcement for user data. As a result, organizations can access a safe space for cloud-based collaboration with many external entities.

Benefits for Customers

Thanks to Slack Connect, customers can:

• Connect to external organizations securely – When operating with foreign partners, it is critical to keep your company’s data safe. Administrators and security experts can be comfortable that Slack Connect includes all of Slack’s corporation security systems and guidelines and procedures, including regular backups, retention, and e-discovery.
• Reinforce admin control – Admin staff can control their organization’s data and supervise external exchanges with Slack Connect. Moreover, contrary to email, which exposes users to the possibility of spamming, teams get messages and documents only from confirmed members when they interact in channels.
• Improve business relationships – Slack Connect enables team members worldwide to stay in touch with their partners regardless of where they are, creating trust.
• Conveniently chat on a Slack channel – Members from several organizations can collaborate within a Slack channel. As projects and partnerships develop, all parties may add new coworkers that can access previous conversations, files, and history to ensure that everyone is updated and nobody is confused.

Getting Started

Working with vendors, clients, and others is as simple as clicking a few buttons and navigating through these four steps:

1. Create a channel – Add channels to your sidebar by clicking the Plus icon next to Channels. You can name it and click Create to get started.
2. Send out the invitation – Slack allows you to invite your coworker directly from the app. You can share the link provided if you have a subscription to the Business or Enterprise Grid service tier.
3. Await your partner – They will be redirected to Slack after clicking the link to agree and open up the channel at the other end.
4. Obtain administrator permission – The invitation could be forwarded to an administrator in each department for approval, depending on your preferences.