Slack has announced new features that make it easier to build automated workflows, including integration with third-party systems.
Slack’s new feature allows users to create workflows that automatically activate when events occur in third-party apps.
For example, customers can now create a Slack workflow that automatically launches when an event occurs in a third-party app like PagerDuty, Asana, BitBucket, and others. Additionally, customers can now access a more intuitive user experience when creating workflows in Slack and access over 50 new plug-and-play templates that cover common productivity use cases. Developers also now have access to more programming languages and tools, allowing them to create custom workflows and share them with their teams.
The company says these new automation tools will help businesses and business leaders increase productivity, an increasingly important issue for many.
71% of business leaders are under pressure from management to increase their teams’ productivity. But 70% of IT leaders are also concerned that increasing business demands will hinder innovation. In addition, 77% of users say that automating routine tasks would significantly increase their productivity. Companies need automation solutions that increase productivity without burdening IT – and easy-to-use, no-code automation is an essential tool for achieving this goal.
Slack’s Workflow Builder, the no-code automation tool, now includes the following new features:
- Launch automations from actions in third-party apps. Previously, a Slack workflow could only be launched from an action that took place in Slack and Salesforce. Now, an action in a third-party app like PagerDuty, Asana, Bitbucket, and others can automatically launch a workflow directly in Slack. For example, if an organization experiences a critical outage, a logged ticket in PagerDuty can launch a workflow in Slack that creates an incident channel, adds team members, sets up a canvas, and shares all relevant information from PagerDuty. Team members get the context they need to efficiently resolve the issue in their workflow.
- Easily build workflows with a new plug-and-play design and access to over 50 new pre-built templates. A new user experience in Workflow Builder allows users to easily create a workflow by completing a prompt, similar to filling in the blanks in a sentence. And with 50 new out-of-the-box workflow templates, users can quickly create automations for common business tasks like starting a project, collecting survey data, and creating IT tickets.
- Make it easier to customize workflows with new developer tools. When users need to create a specialized workflow, they can use Slack’s open APIs and developer tools to create custom steps. New tools in Slack’s developer platform make it easier to create custom steps. Developers can now create and manage custom steps from the Slack app settings page in a new, intuitive experience. Additionally, developers can extend existing custom Slack apps with a custom step for use in Workflow Builder, allowing end users to connect Slack apps with time-saving workflows. Finally, Slack now supports more programming languages for developing these custom steps, including JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, and Java.
“At Slack, one of our product principles is ‘Don’t make me think,'” said Rob Seaman, Chief Product Officer. “We’re applying that to the historically technical and time-consuming space of automation, making it an intuitive and enjoyable productivity driver – for everyone. These new features make the Slack platform even more powerful for every customer, giving both developers and end users the tools they need to easily automate any business process in their work apps, right where they already work. As Slack becomes more of a destination for getting work done, we’ll continue to make it as seamless as possible for users to create automated workflows and take productivity into their own hands.”
