Slack is a popular business communication and workplace tool for many teams, providing a feature-rich platform for great communication.
However, to truly unlock Slack’s potential and take team productivity to the next level, it’s essential to understand its features.
- Get more: The best Slack tips for customer support teams
- Get more: The best Slack apps to use for your team
What are the best Slack tips?
Slack Tip 1: Pause notifications for focused work time
Slack’s “Do Not Disturb” mode is a lifesaver when you must concentrate on tasks without interruptions.
One Slack notification can throw you off track. Pause notifications for a specified duration and you can focus on your work without being distracted by incoming messages. To enable this feature, click on your profile picture in the top right corner, and select “Pause notifications” from the drop-down menu. You can choose a pre-defined duration or customize the duration to fit your needs.
Slack Tip 2: Adjust your sidebar to show unread channels only
Keeping track of unread messages can become challenging as the number of channels in your Slack workspace grows. By customizing your sidebar to display only channels with unread messages, you can reduce clutter and ensure that you never miss important updates. To do this, click on your profile picture, navigate to “Preferences,” select “Sidebar,” and then choose “Unread channels only” under “Appearance.” This will hide channels with no new messages, making it easier to focus on what needs your attention.
Slack Tip 3: Connect your favorite productivity tools to Slack
Integrating your favorite apps, such as Tettra, Google Drive, Trello, or Asana, with Slack can streamline your workflow and keep everything in one place. Connecting your tools to Slack allows you to create tasks, receive notifications, and collaborate more effectively without leaving the platform.
To add an app to your Slack workspace, click “Apps” in the sidebar and search for the app you want to add. You can also browse the Slack App Directory to discover new tools to enhance your team’s productivity.
Slack Tip 4: End repetitive team questions & capture answers with Tettra
One of the biggest challenges for teams is managing and sharing information effectively. Repetitive questions waste time and indicate a need for centralized knowledge management.
Tettra is a AI-powered knowledge management platform, that integrates efficiently with Slack, allowing teams to capture, organize, and share information more effectively.
With Tettra, you can create a Slack wiki that provides a single source of truth for your team, making it easy to access crucial information and reducing repetitive questions. This integration saves time and promotes a culture of collaboration, knowledge sharing, and continuous learning.
Tettra can help by providing a Slack wiki that serves as a single source of truth for your team’s collective knowledge. With Tettra, you can capture answers to common questions, document processes, and share resources, making it easy for team members to find the information they need.
To add Tettra to your Slack workspace, sign up here and follow the on-screen instructions.
Once connected, you can create and search for Tettra pages directly within Slack, ask questions and get answers from your company knowledge, powered by AI. This makes knowledge sharing more efficient and seamless.
By capturing answers and centralizing information with Tettra, your team can spend less time searching for answers and more time focusing on high-value tasks.
See all the ways you can use Slack with Tettra.
Slack Tip 5: Use the /remind command to create a to-do list
Managing tasks and remembering deadlines can be challenging, especially in a busy work environment. Slack’s built-in “/remind” command can help you stay on top of your to-do list by creating personalized reminders.
To set a reminder, type “/remind” followed by your task and desired reminder time, e.g., “/remind me to submit the report at 3 PM.”
Slackbot will send you a reminder at the specified time, ensuring you never miss a deadline.
Slack Tip 6: Capture tasks/share info in a private Slack channel
Instead of using multiple apps to store notes, tasks, or ideas, you can create a private Slack channel in Slack for yourself or a group of teammates. By consolidating information in one place, you can quickly search for and reference important data.
To create a private channel, click the “+” icon next to “Channels” in the sidebar and select “Create a private channel.” You can then invite team members to capture notes or tasks for easy access.
Slack Tip 7: Set and highlight keywords with keyword notifications
With the constant influx of messages in Slack, it can be easy to miss important updates. To ensure you never overlook crucial information, set keywords that trigger notifications when mentioned in a message.
Go to “Preferences” by clicking on your profile picture, then click “Notifications.”
Under “My keywords,” type the desired keywords, separated by commas. Slack will notify you when these keywords appear in a message, keeping you informed and engaged.
Slack Tip 8: Star important messages
Starring essential messages effectively keeps track of critical information without losing it in the sea of conversations.
To start a message, hover over it, click the three-dot menu, and select “Add star.” You can access your starred messages by clicking the “Starred items” option in the sidebar.
This feature is particularly useful for marking important announcements, deadlines, or reference materials.
Slack Tip 9: Select emojis quickly
Emojis can add a personal touch to your messages and make communication more engaging. Use the +:[character] shortcut to find and insert emojis quickly.
Start typing after the colon, and Slack will autocomplete the rest, displaying a list of matching emojis. For example, typing +:smi will show you all emojis related to smiling.
Simply click on the desired emoji to insert it into your message.
Slack Tip 10: Send a DM from any text box
Slack lets you send a direct message (DM) to a teammate without leaving your current channel or conversation.
To do this, type “@username” followed by your message in any text box. Press “Enter” to send the message directly to the recipient’s DMs.
This feature is especially useful when you need to quickly communicate with a teammate without navigating away from your current context.
Slack Tip 11: Notify Everyone in A Slack Channel
Need to reach everyone at once? Or reach everyone that is there at the moment?
If you want the whole channel to know something, write your message as “@channel.” This will send a notification to everyone, no matter if they’re online or not.
What if you need to reach only the people working and available then? If you want only the users that are currently online at that moment, send your message as “@here.” This will notify only the people currently available.
Slack Tip 12: Search Messages from specific dates or ranges
Slack’s search functionality allows you to find messages within a specific date range, making locating information from past conversations easier.
Use the “from:” and “to:” qualifiers in the search bar to search for messages from a specific date or within a date range. For example, type “from:2023-05-01 to:2023-05-03” to search for messages between May 1st and May 3rd, 2023.
This advanced search feature is particularly useful when finding important information from previous discussions or project updates.
Slack Tip 13: Use advanced search modifiers
Refine your search results in Slack by using search modifiers, such as “in:” (for specific channels), “from:” (from specific users), or “has:” (to find messages with attachments).
For example, type “in:marketing from:@john report” to find messages containing the word “report” in the marketing channel from user @john. By using these advanced search modifiers, you can quickly locate relevant information and improve the efficiency of your communication.
Slack Tip 14: Pin important items in channels
Pinning essential messages, files, or links within a channel can help keep critical information easily accessible for all team members.
To pin an item, hover over it, click the three-dot menu, and select “Pin to this channel.” Pinned items will appear in the channel’s “Pinned items” section, which can be accessed by clicking the pin icon in the top right corner of the channel.
This feature is especially useful for maintaining the visibility of important resources, announcements, or deadlines.
Slack Tip 15: Create message threads
Message threads help keep conversations organized and on-topic by allowing users to reply to specific messages within a separate thread.
To create a message thread, hover over the message you want to reply to, click “Reply…,” and type your response in the “Reply…” field. This will start a thread, making it easier for team members to follow the conversation and reducing clutter in the main channel.
Slack Tip 16: Use keyboard shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts can significantly speed up your Slack experience and improve your overall efficiency. Press “Ctrl/Cmd” + “/” to display a list of available shortcuts within Slack. Some popular shortcuts include “Ctrl/Cmd” + “K” to quickly switch between channels or direct messages and “Ctrl/Cmd” + “F” to search within the current channel.
- See all the Slack shortcuts you can use with Tettra.
Mastering these keyboard shortcuts allows you to navigate and interact with Slack more effectively. See the full list of available Slack keyboard shortcuts.
Slack Tip 17: Use slash commands
Quick slash commands are a powerful feature that allows you to perform various actions directly from the message input field.
To access these commands, type “/” in the message field, and a list of available commands will appear. Some useful commands include “/mute” to mute the current channel, “/join” to join a new channel, and “/invite” to invite someone to the current channel.
For instance, here are the slash commands for Tettra:
/tettra find [search]Finds pages in Tettra and pulls them right into Slack/tettra new [title]Creates a new Tettra draft right in Slack/tettra request [@person] [title]Requests a new Tettra page from a teammate
Utilizing these quick commands can streamline your Slack experience and help you perform common tasks more efficiently.
Slack Tip 18: Set a custom status
A custom status can help communicate your availability or current focus to your teammates, providing context for your work and minimizing unnecessary interruptions. To set a custom status, click on your profile picture, select “Update your status,” and choose a pre-defined status or create your own. Custom statuses can include information about your current task, upcoming meetings, or even your lunch break.
Slack Tip 19: Mute noisy channels
In a busy Slack workspace, some channels can generate many messages that may not be relevant to your work. You can mute noisy channels to reduce distractions, ensuring you only receive notifications for mentions or direct messages. To mute a channel, right-click on the channel name in the sidebar, and select “Mute channel” from the drop-down menu.
Slack Tip 20: Organize channels with sections
Organizing channels can become increasingly important for maintaining an efficient workflow as your workspace grows. Channel sections enable you to group channels by topic, project, or team, making it easier to navigate your Slack workspace.
To create a section, hover over “Channels” in the sidebar, click on the three-dot menu, and select “Create new section.” You can then drag and drop channels into the newly created section.
Slack Tip 21: Add Slack Connect to communicate with outside vendors
Working on a project with several agencies or vendors or stakeholders? Set up Slack Connect to have multiple organizations talk with each other in the same Slack channel. You can even DM others without being part of the same Slack organization. All parties must have a paid Slack plan.
Slack Tip 22: Use the /collapse and /expand commands
Large images, videos, or GIFs in a channel can sometimes cause clutter and make it difficult to find relevant information.
Use the “/collapse” command to hide all media previews in the current channel, making it easier to read through messages. If you want to view the media again, simply type “/expand” to show all media previews.
Slack Tip 23: Replace video calls with audio Slack Huddles
Remember the phone? The old phone that you talked into? Get this, offices used to have these too, and people would call each other from across the office or across town.
They didn’t have to worry about how their hair looked or if the video was properly set up. Some would even put their feet up.
Slack has built audio into their workplace chat tool to help with more informal calls and to collaborate faster. By the way, you can also turn on video during Slack huddles.
Slack Tip 24: Record and send audio or video clips
Introducing a new, efficient way to communicate within your team: easily record and share audio or video clips directly in Slack.
This feature allows for quick updates, announcements, and detailed explanations without the need for scheduled meetings. Simply hit the record button and you can post vibrant audio, video, or screen recordings, adding more depth and context to your messages right where your team collaborates.
Clips offer the flexibility to sync up according to individual schedules. Team members have the freedom to watch or create clips at their convenience, ensuring everyone stays informed without the hassle of aligning calendars.
This method has been proven effective, with a significant 32% reduction in scheduled meetings noted among teams utilizing this feature.
Moreover, the playback of these clips is entirely in your control. Whether at your desk or on the go, you can watch or listen to them at your preferred pace. Speed up, slow down, or use captions and transcripts to quickly grasp the content, making information consumption more adaptable to your needs and style. This versatile approach to communication streamlines team interactions and enhances productivity.
Slack Tip 25: Stay organized and informed with Slack Canvas
Slack introduces Canvas, a novel feature to enhance information sharing and collaboration within your workspace. Canvas acts as a dynamic, integrated space in Slack, allowing teams to efficiently manage and share knowledge.
This innovative tool enables you to curate content effortlessly, capturing essential details of your projects. You can enrich your canvas with various media types like files, images, videos, and more, and co-edit with teammates through comments and threads, all within Slack.
Whether it’s for meeting notes, project plans, or checklists, Canvas can be used in conversations or as a standalone feature, making it versatile for all kinds of teamwork.
Canvas is designed for both individual and group use, offering two distinct ways to engage: within a conversation, where each channel and DM has its own canvas for relevant content, and as a standalone tool for private or shared projects. Its features include autocomplete for channel and member mentions, custom emojis, in-line objects with drag-and-drop functionality, and mobile access for on-the-go editing and viewing.
Embrace Canvas for a range of purposes – from personal to-do lists to complex project briefs. It’s set to transform existing Slack posts into more interactive canvases, ensuring your content is preserved and more engaging. Canvas brings a new level of clarity and organization to your Slack workspace, aiding in better information management and team collaboration.
Integrate Tettra with Slack for Amazing Knowledge Management
With these tips and tricks, you can supercharge your Slack experience, enabling more effective communication and collaboration within your team.
Integrating Tettra can further enhance your team’s productivity and create a centralized knowledge base that streamlines access to crucial information.
Implement these tips and watch your team’s efficiency skyrocket as they master the art of working smarter in Slack.