Slack has revolutionized work communication. It allows the user to have daily discussions within teams, as well as maintain a regular workflow from team to team.
Slack is such a popular tool for remote and distributed teams that we wrote this handy guide on how to use Slack for your own remote teams. By using Slack, remote teams can not only collaborate but shorten the proverbial distance between them too.
In this article, you’ll find 12 amazing Slack tips for remote teams. Let's get started:
1. Create a Dedicated Channel to Share Updates With Your Team
When teams are working remotely, it’s important to have a single place where every employee can go to get information. You can create an “Announcement channel” crucial where your teams can get updates (that no one should miss).
You can name the channel #announcements or #team-updates to make it clear how this channel is going to be used. If you’re a small or new team, you can use the default #general channel for this purpose.
Use @channel to send a message to every person in a channel (active or not). Use @everyone to notify everyone in your company.
2. Connect (to Slack) All the Tools and Apps You Use Every Day
You can integrate all your most-used apps and tools with Slack. Whether your team uses G-Suite, Dropbox, Zoom, Trello, Salesforce, and Jira, you can use Slack to keep track of everything by bringing updates directly into your channels.
3. Join Slack Communities
Slack communities help you to collaborate and connect with like-minded professionals, discuss topics of interest, and get feedback about your ideas.
Join communities like Remote Work and We Work Remotely.
4. Update Status to Let People Know When You’re Not Around
A custom status feature is a perfect way to let your team know when you’re around – and when you’re not.
Just a simple line or an icon can be enough for your colleagues to understand where you are or what you’re up to before sending you a message.
Use this feature to let your team know that you’re on a call, out to lunch, commuting, dog walking, taking nap, random mood vibe, or in a meeting.
Your status will appear right next to your name so that everyone can see it at a glance.
5. Collaborate With Your Team Without Leaving Slack
Sometimes you have to make calls for one-to-one communication with your remote team. Slack comes with its own built-in. To make a call, click into a direct message or a channel and click the phone icon at the top of the app.
Does your team use other tools like Zoom, Skype, or Google Hangouts – Slack integrates with nearly all of them.
6. Setting Up Your Timezone in Your Profile Settings
Traveling to some other country? You can update your local time zone in Slack.
Click your workspace name in the top left >>> Choose Preferences >>> Select Language & region >>> Under Time zone, choose an option from the menu.
If you’d like Slack to automatically update your time zone, tick the box next to Set time zone automatically.
7. Praise Your Team Members Publicly
When a teammate helped you solve a problem, closed a sales deal, or just did an excellent job on one of their tasks, say kudos!
Compliments, praise & gratitude are all IMPORTANT to help keep up your remote teams happy, motivate, and feel valued for what they do. Anyone on the team can offer praise or receive praise and it’s a great way to practice gratitude in your work life.
Install EngageWith to your Slack Workspace. Use “/engagewith” slash command allows any user in your team to send recognition to team members.
8. Virtual Happy Hours
Simply create a channel on Slack to having fun and talk about whatever they want with each other. Play fun games, share your childhood pictures, share pictures of your workspace, and more.
9. Need to Focus on a Task? Utilize “Do Not Disturb” Mode
Need to focus on a task and can’t be distracted? Use the “Do not disturb” feature.
Visit Your Name > Preferences > Notifications > Set DND Schedule.
You can also disable your desktop notifications, if you’re on Slack throughout the day, you’ll see things pop up as they come in. Nobody has time for those right-side-corner slide messages.
10. Google Calendar Integration
Keep the team up to date with what’s happening company-wide – events, conferences, team member birthdays and leave dates. It really helps to get everyone on the same page and create clarity.
Do you schedule a one-on-one with your boss every Tuesday? Your daily 9 am calendar reminder will ensure you won’t show up unprepared.
11. Share an Email With a Channel or Team Member
Quickly forward an email to a channel or DM using email integration. This allows you to easily share important information with your remote teams and ensure information is in one central location, so you can continue collaborating with your team without leaving Slack.
Head to Preferences >>> Click Messages and Media >>> At the bottom, go to Bring emails into Slack >>> Copy the custom email address and paste in the “To:” email line of any emails This allows you to: you would like to forward into your Slack workspace
12. Emojis are Great at Revealing the Tone of Your Message
Text messages have no tone, context, or visual cues. Emojis are great at revealing the tone of your message. A simple emoji can make your message engaging. Use emojis to reveal context when you think you’re being funny or sarcastic.
Simply type +:[character] and start typing to find what you’re looking for — Slack will autocomplete the rest. For example, if you start typing +:ca, you’ll see emojis for cat, car, cake, and more.
Thanks for reading! Do you have any other Slack tips that your remote teams?