Summary
- Slack is a top messaging platform used by businesses for effective virtual communication.
- Customize Slack by changing color schemes, creating lists, and automating workflows.
- Organize and easily find files, use Canvases for collaborative editing, and get access to some quick presentation preparation.
Now that working remotely is more prevalent and not everybody goes into an office all the time, software that helps a team connect is crucial. Relying on timely emails isn’t always the best way to ensure that a message is getting across. Depending on how your company is set up in terms of email provider and software ecosystem, the company might prefer one program to another. They can include Microsoft Teams, Google Chat, and Slack, among others.
Slack is one of the most popular platforms, as it offers a way for teams to communicate with one another through both messages and video calls. It’s available on mobile, desktop, or browser, making its users even more reachable no matter where they are — which could be an boon or bane depending on your team. The intuitive and user-friendly interface makes it simple to fold in new employees.
However, it doesn’t have to be the exact same experience for everyone. There is so much that you can do on Slack, plus plenty of ways to make it your own. Here are five of my favorite ways to customize it.
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Slack is a messaging app that almost every workplace group seems to be using, but you’re likely reading this now because you don’t know how to use it.
Slack
Slack is a communications platform for businesses that offers messaging, video calls, and more. It is available on mobile, browser, and desktop and gives companies the chance to meet and connect virtually.
1 Change the color scheme
The most obvious customization
You may not realize that you don’t have to stick with the classic Aubergine color layout. It is Slack’s standard and many people just leave that in place, but there are a lot of other color themes you can choose from. It only takes a few clicks to find the new options:
- In Slack, in the bottom right corner, there is a circle with your profile. Click on it.
- Click on Preferences.
- Click on Appearance.
- Scroll through the colors and click on them to see what they look like.
- When one is picked, click the X at the top of the screen. A message will appear asking if the changes should be saved. Click Save Changes.
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Slack has an audio-only feature designed to recreate the experience of someone or a group of people at work stopping by your desk to talk.
However, you can create your own theme, too. There’s a tab for Custom theme that lets you upload a file to set as the theme, allows AI to create a theme for you, and more. Many of the settings are to adjust whether someone likes a light or dark color scheme, but there’s a ton of color choices to pick from.
2 Create lists to stay organized
Slack can keep track of daily tasks
Right above the circle with your profile, there is a + button — clicking on that brings up a menu of additions you can make to Slack. These include starting a new message with a coworker, a new channel for the team to communicate in, starting a Huddle video call, and more.
One of the creations is a list, which allows you to stay organized as you work. The lists can be used for pretty much anything you want and are a simple way to keep on task.
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There are multiple templates you can choose from, ranging from a project tracker to a quarterly plan. Slack lets you upload a CSV file as well, which can bring in your external organization tools right onto the platform itself. Lists can be assigned to people on the team and have a due date scheduled for them.
Tagging another user in a list will have it show up on their lists as well.
3 Automate your workflow
Set up automations so things happen automatically
Automations let you focus on other tasks while remaining assured that your materials are getting to their intended recipients. If you expect to send a list of events to your boss at the start of each day, you can set a schedule to have it sent automatically every morning.
This is done through workflow, which offers basic if/then automations. For example, if your boss logs on, then the list is sent.
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Workflow also allows for integrations with other apps, such as Asana, Basecamp, GitHub, GMail, and more. It can essentially condense and organize your working life and set tasks on autopilot, minimizing the amount of work that someone needs to do each day. Workflow can be used for messages or channels as well if you need to schedule team-wide messaging or file delivery.
4 Know where all the files are
Keep them neatly organized and ready to be used
For anyone who uses Slack every day, it’s highly likely that you’ve sent files via message. But what if a file needs to be found again on short notice? That’s where organizing files makes sense. Clicking on the three dots on the left side menu and clicking Files will open up all the files that have been shared in any message between you and someone else — which means it can show files sent from someone else to you, too.
Not only does this show files, but it also shows any lists or canvases you create. It’s an easy way to locate files without digging through hundreds — or even thousands — of messages. Files are conveniently filtered by recently viewed, shared, or all files.
Slack keeps all shared files for a year.
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5 Canvases will make your next presentation go much smoother
The templates are made for a lot of occasions
Instead of sharing a document with a team member and having them make changes and send it back with changes, use a canvas. This creates a shareable document that multiple people can edit at a time.
It’s a great way to collect meeting notes or briefs and share them with a wider group. They can incorporate many different pieces of information to be widely shared through a team. Canvases are easy to share and will show up in the shared files, making them quick to grab for anyone presenting in a huddle. Slack makes features work across other features, incorporating its design into the entire operating system.
Clicking the star button on a canvas allows you to find it more easily, as it will appear in the starred list on the left side of the canvas menu whenever you access it.
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