The recently updated Slack Workflow builder promises companies an effective way to improve employee productivity and efficiency without the need for complex coding.
Designed to help organizations automate routine tasks and processes, this convenient toolkit has become extremely popular in recent years. According to Slack, nearly 1 million people have used the solution to build workflows without code. Companies are designing simple workflows for everything from HR onboarding to creating status reports.
But how exactly does the Slack Workflow Builder work, what can it do, and how can you leverage it to empower your teams? Here’s everything you need to know to get started.
What is Slack Workflow Builder? An Introduction
Slack Workflow Builder is a comprehensive toolkit within Slack that allows users to build automated processes using drag-and-drop tools. There’s no need for coding, ensuring every organization can unlock the power of automation with minimal effort.
Slack recently updated its Workflow Builder to feature more advanced tools, such as the option to implement generative AI prompts into processes. The solution also comes equipped with a variety of plug-and-play connectors. This means companies can easily link their Slack workflows with Asana, Google Sheets, and countless other tools.
It’s even possible to bring automation into your workflows in various ways. For instance, you can implement automation into a “Canvas” on Slack, add automation to a channel’s bookmarks, and more. Plus, if you have developers in-house, you can use the next-gen developer platform to build custom apps and solutions with unique functions.
What Can Users Do with the Slack Workflow Builder?
With Slack Workflow Builder, users can develop multi-part automation flows driven by specific actions and triggers. For instance, when a new member joins a Slack channel, you can use the builder to automatically send them a message describing what the channel is used for.
Part of what makes Slack’s Workflow Builder so impressive is that it comes with pre-built templates for common use cases. There are templates for everything from creating Salesforce leads in Slack Connect to managing time-off requests and sending information to Google Sheets.
Slack notes one of the most popular ways to use the solution is to keep conversations and tools in sync. With the latest built-in Slack steps and connectors from tools like Salesforce and Google Workspace, you can automate everything from creating a new project channel to inviting the right people to that channel and using Asana to track milestones.
Slack Workflow Builder Examples
If you need a little inspiration to help you get started with your automation strategies, here are just some of the ways companies are already using Slack Workflow Builder:
Welcoming Teammates to Channels
Getting new employees, freelancers, and team members up-to-date with your Slack channels quickly is crucial to unlocking higher productivity levels. In the past, ensuring users had all the insights and guidance required a manual onboarding process. However, with Slack workflow builder, you can automate this process.
When a person joins a channel, you can automatically send them the resources they need, step-by-step guidance on how to use the system, and more. You can even prompt them to complete specific tasks, like filling out a form with bio information or signing up for tools connected to Slack. There’s a built-in template for onboarding available in the Slack Workflow Builder already.
Answer Employee Questions Seamlessly
Keeping employees updated with the correct information and insights can be time-consuming in today's digital world. While companies can host all-hands meetings and Q&A sessions, ensuring everyone can access the right information can be difficult.
Companies can use the Slack Workflow Builder to collect questions from employees automatically, with a “shortcut” trigger. Once clicked, this will give the user the option to enter a question and submit it to another employee. You can also automatically publish answered questions to a public channel, allowing users to review them whenever necessary.
Streamline Legal Reviews
In most industries, work needs to be “signed off” or approved by various staff members before a project is completed. For instance, Slack likes having its legal team review content to identify issues before a blog post goes live proactively.
With the Slack Workflow Builder, legal teams can create a straightforward review process that collects and standardizes requests. The same tools can also send reminders to critical team members to speed up the approval process. Requesters can receive notifications about the progress of their project, as well as step-by-step guidance on what they need to do next, such as adding a disclaimer to a post.
Route Queries to Subject Matter Experts
Customer-facing teams may need to use Slack to seek guidance and insights from subject matter experts before devising a solution to a consumer problem. Accessing insights from experts quickly is crucial to delivering a phenomenal customer experience. With Slack Workflow Builder, you can create workflows that re-route requests to specific employees.
For instance, if a customer support agent is addressing an issue that requires technical guidance, they can access a workflow that allows them to send information directly to a specific specialist team. When a team member “claims” the issue, the customer support agent receives a message telling them who is looking into it.
Collecting Insights and Information
Collecting employee feedback and insights isn’t just a great way to keep team members engaged. It’s also essential to ensure businesses can benefit from the voice of the employee. Rather than hosting meetings where employees are encouraged to share customer stories, product insights, and other information, you can automate the data collection process with Slack.
The Slack Workflow Builder allows users to create a channel or environment where employees can submit customer stories, product requests, and other information whenever they choose. This information can then be automatically delivered to the appropriate member of staff. Users can even access connected tools to assign tasks to team members based on those insights.
