Slack is a well-recognized communication tool, and the addition of several new functionalities in recent years cemented its place as a collaboration hub for companies of all industries and sizes. Salesforce acquired Slack back in 2021, and since then, the integration between platforms has seen vast improvements, with Salesforce Channels being the latest addition for all Slack plans.
As the flagship Slack feature all users know and leverage every day, juggling various channels is a part of every user’s journey with Slack. Let’s dive into a few ways you and your users can efficiently manage Slack channels.
Slack Channels
Firstly, what exactly are Slack channels? Simply put, they are a way to bring multiple users together to collaborate, share information, and have a dedicated space for real-time communication. There are two main types of channels you can create:
- Public channels: Where members of your workspace can find, read through, and join.
- Private channels: An invite-only channel. It can’t be found by other users when searching for it.
With all the topics and projects that employees might need to discuss, it should come as no surprise that the number of Slack channels can increase quickly.
6 Ways to Manage Slack Channels
Ideally, each Slack customer should continually suggest collaborative guidelines, as well as how channels should be managed over time, that are best suited to your company.
But for now, if you’re looking for ways to optimize Slack, here are six things that you can add to your list today!
1. Leave Your Inactive Channels
An unsung hero, Slack has to be the option to quickly leave the channels you no longer need.
Found under the “Manage” option for channels, this feature allows Slack users to review inactive channels they have and leave them all at once – or deselect the ones they still want to remain in. With a couple of clicks, everyone can declutter and get back time better spent elsewhere.
2. Organize Channels Into Sections
Available on all paid subscriptions, Slack offers the flexible option of creating sections to tailor your Slack experience.
Any user can group their channels according to departments, topics, or whichever other necessary denomination. This option allows your team to bring focus on the channels they need ready first, then peruse all others only when needed.
These sections can include both channels and direct messages, and once a section is created, you can simply drag and drop the channel or direct conversation within it.
On top of organizing the sidebar in sections, your team can facilitate knowledge sharing by using Slack Canvas.
Each channel can have multiple canvases that will be displayed as tabs, acting as a resource your team can update as they go. A few different templates are available to explore,and the document can include embedded images, threads, and version history is available to track changes.
This mitigates the need to upload a project update directly to your channel, as any new note will be automatically posted on the channel when updated, with every allocated user being informed.
3. Fix Your Notification Settings
Channels can oftentimes get busy, leaving you inundated with notifications. Many of these messages may not be relevant to you, but leaving said channel is not an option you have.
This is where tailored notifications come into play!
For each channel you’re a member of, you can edit the notifications behavior and choose from a few options, such as:
- All new posts: Receive notifications for all new messages within the channel and threads you are following. This setting will come in handy for channels you are actively monitoring and need real-time updates from.
- Just mentions: You will only be notified about messages relevant to the entire channel, or messages where you are directly tagged in. This option is useful for channels you may need to be sporadically informed on.
- Nothing: Allows you to turn off all push notifications for a given channel. This should be used only for those channels you proactively visit when needed.
- Mute channel: Looking for an in-between of just mentions and no notifications? If you are part of numerous channels that you may still need from time to time, muting a channel will pop a notification when you are directly tagged and also display a badge next to the channel.
There are a few additional notification settings to explore on top of these main ones, so be sure to take a look and tailor them appropriately, for both channels as well as direct messages and the mobile experience.
4. Enable Featured Workflows
If you have been administering Slack for a while, chances are that you are familiar with workflows, and your users may be as well. Slack workflows are a no-code automation feature that is readily available on Slack paid plans. These workflows help you and your team automate a wide variety of things, from simple tasks to more complex integrations.
Workflows can be started in a few ways, but when it comes to channels, there is one option that can bring the workflow front and center. Although it may seem disruptive, that is exactly the purpose of choosing to feature a Workflow – to deter users from writing on a channel and instead use a chosen workflow featured on a channel
This can be achieved from the Workflows tab on a channel. You can choose up to fifteen published workflows to be featured as buttons when users want to start writing.
So, if you need a formalized way to capture requests or bugs – from channels into the dedicated platforms, for example – it may be worth giving this a try.
5. Get Up to Speed with Slack AI
Artificial intelligence is evolving at record speed, and there’s no denying that it can be a significant productivity boost when used purposefully. Slack AI aims to transform the way teams collaborate and work through various features, including AI agents. But there’s one feature which cannot go unmentioned when it comes to Slack channels – the built-in AI recap.
Included starting with the Business+ plan, the AI daily recaps can change the way your team keeps track of what happened across multiple channels in no time.
There’s no need to open and scroll through all of them, as this feature only requires selecting the channels you need a recap on. Then you can sit back and watch the information unfold. If you already have a Business+ or Enterprise+ subscription with Slack, take the AI recap for a spin.
6. Salesforce Channels
Last but not least is the new Salesforce Channels. Available for all Salesforce customers, even when using the free plan of Slack, these channels can transform the way your team collaborates when it comes to specific Salesforce records, such as customer Accounts or Opportunities.
These types of channels can easily be created directly from Record Pages in Salesforce, as long as the object was enabled and the Slack component was added to the Record Page. With the Winter ‘26 Salesforce release, writing a message in the chat window on the record will automatically create the Salesforce Channel, but the option to link an existing one remains.
On the Slack side, your team can review record details and make changes as needed – from using quick actions and updating record fields, to even creating related records without having to navigate to Salesforce.
Also, keep in mind that the channel’s access can always be set to limited, ensuring that users who only have record access in Salesforce can view and join the channel moving forward.
Final Thoughts
Regardless of how many Slack channels you and your users are part of, there is at least one way to make the experience better and collaboration smoother. From tweaking the notification settings and leaving channels you haven’t visited in a while, to adding relevant resources in a Canvas, there are plenty of options to pick from.
How are you making use of channels in Slack? Let us know in the comment section below!
