The Slack app directory is a powerful feature of the Slack platform and ecosystem. The ability to install an app in your Slack instance and connect to existing systems is a huge win for those businesses that are constantly looking to innovate and automate on behalf of their users. You can connect to apps and systems they are already using – in this case, Salesforce!
But with thousands of Slack apps available in the directory and dozens directly related to Salesforce, how do you know which Salesforce for Slack apps are the best for your business? And where do you even start?
To help, working from those available for Salesforce, I’ve curated a short list based on how effectively they extend the Salesforce platform as well as how much impact they can have for your business. Let’s take a dive into some of the best and most relevant Salesforce apps for Slack in 2023…
Salesforce for Slack Apps
These apps come straight from Salesforce itself, built with the purpose of seamlessly connecting the two platforms. While there are more than a dozen different Salesforce apps available, these three are the cream of the crop in terms of all available Salesforce and Slack integrations. They have proven to be the top contenders delivering a robust and efficient integration experience for mainly Sales and Service teams.
Salesforce for Slack
“The low-code foundation for the ecosystem of Salesforce for Slack integrations. The Salesforce for Slack app provides core services that enable base platform features like notifications, approvals and screen flows in Slack – no custom Slack Apps needed.”
– Salesforce for Slack
This Salesforce for Slack app, also referred to as “platform for Slack”, differs from the previous ‘original’ Salesforce app for Slack which required the installation of a managed package in Slack. The latest version enables seamless integration of Slack and Salesforce, facilitating workflow automation through Salesforce flows and no longer requiring a managed package.
If you are a customer of both Salesforce and Slack, it is highly recommended to explore this option, as it can be utilized by teams beyond Sales or Service departments. However, it is important to note that significant effort will be required to set up flows, as the capabilities on the Slack side are limited to non-existent.
Sales Cloud for Slack
“Collaborate faster and sell smarter when you build your digital HQ using the Sales Cloud for Slack app. Get notified about the right deals and easily update your Salesforce data. Bring in deal updates from Sales Cloud to move the team’s business forward and close deals quickly.”
– Sales Cloud for Slack
Unlike Salesforce for Slack, the Sales Cloud for Slack app is preconfigured for immediate use by a Sales team. It offers convenient features within Slack, such as the /sales-menu command, enabling users to swiftly execute actions directly from the platform.
Plus, upon Salesforce setup, the app provides a user-friendly wizard with templates, facilitating the rapid establishment of information-sharing capabilities with Slack.
And now there is even more to be excited about with the upcoming release of Slack Sales Elevate which boasts an incredible range of features. Sales teams will now have access to a dedicated space within Slack where they can effortlessly monitor customer data insights and keep track of deal progress reminders (below) – a game-changer for sales productivity and collaboration!
Service Cloud for Slack
“Resolve customer issues faster by collaborating alongside case and incident data, cross-functional partners, and powerful workflows like Swarming. Service teams can now work smarter and faster by extending the power of Service Cloud to Slack.”
– Service Cloud to Slack
Similar to the Sales Cloud for Slack app, the Service Cloud for Slack app is specifically designed for immediate use by a Service team. It comes preconfigured with convenient features integrated into Slack, such as the /service-help command, allowing users to quickly understand available actions within the app like creating, starting, and closing a swarm.
For teams using Service swarming, this app is a no-brainer as it offers efficient methods to facilitate it within Slack by automating various processes. Additionally, upon Salesforce setup, the app provides a user-friendly wizard equipped with templates, streamlining the establishment of information-sharing capabilities between Slack and Salesforce.
Third-Party Salesforce for Slack Apps
A lot are familiar with Troops.ai, which was acquired by Salesforce in 2022 and is now becoming a part of the Sales Cloud for Slack app via Sales Hub (coming soon in 2023) – but many are unfamiliar with other apps that are currently available outside of the ones created by Salesforce.
Let’s review some of my favorites.
Centro
“Centro provides the native, no-code tools and automations your team needs to be more effective. Discover, organize, create, learn and react in Salesforce and Slack. Let us surprise you with the possibilities.”
– Centro
Centro is a powerful Salesforce and Slack integrated app that offers a wide range of capabilities for Service (and Sales) teams.
It includes features such as:
- Embedding Slack in Salesforce (real-time)
- Case deflection
- Case creation from various sources in Slack
- Dynamic forms for standardized case creation
- Case management in Salesforce or Slack
- Case assistance through Swarm rooms or embedded Slack channels in Salesforce
- Automatic capture of Slack conversations for case resolutions
- Case reporting for process improvement
Centro enables seamless integration and enhances case management, productivity, and customer support. But wait, there’s more! We at 21b use it for our RevOps process from leads through to opportunities all the way to creation of projects – all automated. Their Slack workflow steps and Salesforce flow actions make bidirectional processes a breeze to set up and allow you to do all sorts of interesting things. For those looking for a more mature solution, this is well worth the additional cost.
Clouds: Platform, Service Cloud, Sales Cloud
Rattle
“Update Salesforce blazingly fast. Rattle is a smart layer built on top of Salesforce that helps you edit Salesforce data from Slack. You can share live updates and aggregated analytics with your sales leaders, and they can guide the team in real-time to close more sales.”
– Rattle
Similar to Centro, this app is designed to support Sales and Service teams, with a specific focus on RevOps and Sales. Rattle promptly alerts the team when an action needs to be taken, provides clear instructions on what needs to be done, and allows users to complete the task directly within Slack. Within Slack, users can leverage features like Salesforce search and create new records using commands such as /rattle-create.
The app also offers custom commands, where users can simply type “/” followed by the desired action that has been set up. Additionally, Rattle provides a library of templates for quick and effortless implementation within your team. This app is another prominent player in the realm of Salesforce and Slack integration.
Clouds: Sales Cloud
Momentum.io
“A sales execution platform for revenue teams. We connect Slack, Salesforce, and the rest of your sales stack to automate handoffs, drive visibility, and increase close rates. With Momentum, you can manage your entire sales process and deal desk right from Slack. That means no more switching between tools – everything you need is right where you work best.”
– Momentum
Momentum, known as an automation platform for the modern revenue stack, provides sales teams with the tools to update Salesforce swiftly through Slack and automation. With features like notifications, form fields, and deal rooms, sales processes become actionable and seamlessly sync back to Salesforce.
Real-time alerts are triggered by Momentum for any Salesforce object, allowing for quicker reactions, easier collaboration, and accelerated deal progression. By centralizing internal deal communication and updates within a single Slack Deal Room, the deal history becomes clear and easily auditable across the organization. Approvals can be conveniently viewed and managed through Slack DM, Deal Rooms, or in-thread messages, eliminating the need to sift through numerous emails and losing track of deal statuses.
Momentum also offers extensive integrations with other systems, making it a comprehensive and robust platform compared to some other solutions in this category.
Clouds: Sales Cloud
Sweep
“A no-code editor to manage GTM motions on Salesforce. Sweep creates a visual environment that allows you to customize business processes and deploy them directly to Salesforce – in a click. With Sweep anyone can easily configure sales, marketing and customer success playbook alerts in Slack based on real-time data from Salesforce.”
– Sweep
Sweep is a relatively new player to the game, having been around for under a year. They are specifically focused on Sales and RevOps, making your CRM simple so your team can work smarter.
Visualize, create and manage your CRM processes, rules, and automations while Sweep constructs an optimized backend Salesforce infrastructure. Similar to Rattle, this app has its own UI which allows a workspace to design your perfect CRM funnel via one interface – create, collaborate and deploy to Salesforce via drag-and-drop components to see how your CRM steps interact, as you build them. If you are looking for a Rattle-esque app, this may be worth comparing against.
Clouds: Sales Cloud
DataFetch
“Save time by searching all your major systems – Salesforce, Pardot, Adobe Marketo Engage, Hubspot, Eventbrite, Postgres, Amazon Redshift, Splash, etc. – simply use the ‘/datafetch’ command.”
– DataFetch
Offering a slightly different approach, this app caters more towards a technical audience by delivering internal tools and analytics within Slack. When you’re constantly navigating between calls, scheduling meetings, and closing deals, the last thing you need is to struggle with cumbersome user interfaces or remember login details for various dashboards.
That’s where DataFetch comes into play. With this app, administrators can configure custom slash commands that enable users to swiftly search through systems directly within Slack, with a particular focus on Salesforce in this context. Users can search objects and execute SOQL queries, while also customizing the displayed fields for each object. Setting up DataFetch might require someone proficient in SOQL, but it provides powerful and expedient access to data, tailored specifically to the needs of management and leaders.
Clouds: Platform, Sales Cloud
Summary
I hope the rundown above gave you a good glimpse into the exciting world of Slack and Salesforce integrations. Right now, Sales and Service teams are stealing the spotlight, but guess what? Other teams are starting to join the party too! Marketers, for example, are discovering the magic of integrating Salesforce with Slack with apps like Digital Command Center and Account Engagement for Slack.
Of course, there are many more apps out there both from Salesforce and third-parties, what are your favorites? Which do you want to hear more about? Let me know in the comments!
