Get Started with Slackbot
Learning Objectives
After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:
- Explain how Slackbot uses context from your work to assist you.
- Describe the key Slackbot features and capabilities.
- Write effective prompts to communicate with Slackbot.
Meet Your AI Agent for Work
You already use Slack to collaborate with team members and to organize your work. But as conversations and projects grow, finding what you need to get your job done can take time. This can be anything from searching for a specific file to looking for context in threads as you prepare for a meeting.
Slackbot is your personal AI agent for work here to help you with that and more. It’s built natively into Slack. It’s context-aware and securely searches the permissioned messages and files you already use. And it allows you to stay in context without switching between tools or breaking your focus.
Be More Productive
Think of Slackbot as a knowledgeable colleague working right next to you. With Slackbot, you can accomplish time-consuming tasks quicker to be more productive. Check out some of what it can do to get you up to speed right away, and the prompts to get you there.
Task |
Ask Slackbot |
|---|---|
Catch up on what you missed: Returning from the weekend or from vacation? Slackbot can show you which threads and messages need your attention today. |
What did I miss while I was OOO last week? |
Find exactly what you need: Slackbot scans your conversations and files to pull together exactly what you need in seconds. |
I know someone sent me a message asking for an account overview, but I can’t find the message. Help! |
Draft updates and plans: Ask Slackbot to turn a messy channel discussion into a neatly organized Canvas. It drafts project briefs based on existing conversations. Or update your tasks based on new information. |
Can you review the #example-channel and give me a summary with next steps in a new canvas? |
Prepare for meetings: Before you jump into a call, ask Slackbot to summarize related conversation histories and open questions to help you prep. It can even pull data like accounts, opportunities, and cases from connected apps like Salesforce. |
I'm about to hop on a call with a new customer Acme Inc. Can you give me an overview of them and what they've purchased in the past? |
Slackbot does even more. When you put it into the context of your specific role, Slackbot becomes a powerful tool that helps you get work done. Let’s see it in action.
Dive Deeper Into Work
Below are some common scenarios and how Slackbot enhances work in each case.
Follow-Up on Leads
It’s late at night and you get a phone call about a new lead. You jot some notes down and you want to track down any existing information you have in Salesforce when you get back into the office. Just share your note with Slackbot.
Slackbot processes unstructured data and anticipates a rep’s needs to handle multiple tasks at once.
Prepare for an Important Meeting
You’re about to meet with a customer to help close a renewal. You ask Slackbot if there are any important things you should know and be ready for.
Slackbot takes in all the context from various threads, channels, and Salesforce records to help you. It uncovers an urgent case that needs to be resolved as soon as possible. Instead of going into the meeting expecting a lite conversation, you’re ready to help them get their issues resolved before it becomes a blocker to continued business.
Make Smarter Decisions with Aggregate Analysis
You have a new idea. You’re excited. But starting from scratch can be a challenge. Has the company done something like this before? Slackbot can help find you the answer and uncover insights to help you succeed.
You don’t stop at finding the information you need, you use Slackbot to help you iterate and improve on your idea. With a simple follow-up question, you can dive deeper into the results and have Slackbot call out challenges and ways you can improve on what’s already been done.
Operate with Trust and Security
Slackbot operates under Slack’s strict security standards. It only surfaces information you’re authorized to see based on your channel membership and file permissions.
It also operates under the security settings in place with integrated systems like Salesforce. For example, when pulling information from Salesforce, Slack communicates with your org, checks your level of security, and Salesforce only returns the information you have access to.
And your company’s private data is isolated. It’s never used to train large language models.
Prompt Smarter
You don’t need to learn complex commands to interact with Slackbot. You talk to it using simple, natural language. Treat it just like messaging a colleague.
Being specific helps you get the best results. Try prompts like those listed above. Here are a few more you can take and modify to make Slackbot work for you.
Where is the marketing budget discussion from last quarter?What direct messages do I need to follow up on today?Help me prep for my 1:1 with my manager.
Open Slackbot by selecting the Slackbot icon to the right of the search bar from the top of Slack. Slackbot learns your context over time. As you chat, it better understands what matters to you.
Start with Slackbot
This badge gives you a brief overview of how Slackbot can help you become more productive and starter prompts you can try today. While there’s a lot that Slackbot can do, it’s most helpful when you bring it into the flow of your own work, as demonstrated in the use cases above. Check out the Resources for more insights and tips on how you can use Slackbot to be more successful in your daily work routine.