What is our primary use case?
My experience with Slack is that for the past two years in my present company, we use it as a communication channel for each and every team discussion, manager discussion, or any alerts through various channels.
We primarily use the application on our system, connecting it with our official email address, and we have been doing this for almost a year. However, they plan to change to improve cost efficiency.
What is most valuable?
What I find valuable in Slack is that the interface is very attractive and it's easy for any new person to adapt to. There are a lot of channels we can create, and we can add people to those channels, allowing us to receive messages or conversations only between those individuals. Additionally, we have created some error alerts and notification-related channels in the Workato recipe itself, where if we encounter any production issue errors or alerts, we receive error notifications with descriptions, error messages, and recipe names in a dedicated production error alerts Slack channel. Users can also easily set their statuses in Slack when they are out of the office or in specific meetings. Furthermore, we can manage Jira tickets directly through Slack, allowing us to comment on and create tickets.
My impressions of the search functionality in Slack are that it is good, but it does not meet high expectations. There are opportunities for improvement, such as making the search functionality more intuitive or integrating it with AI to enable easier automation of tasks.
Regarding functionality in Slack, I believe we don't utilize it much. The interface and look and feel are preferable to me compared to Teams, but for cost reduction, it would be better to use Teams. Moreover, the newly introduced Copilot option in Microsoft products could be a significant advantage, allowing new users to find information by typing messages to get answers effectively.
For the initial setup of Slack, I find it straightforward. It isn't as difficult as one might think; it can be done based on requirements easily.
What needs improvement?
From my perspective, a disadvantage of Slack compared to Teams is that connecting between the apps can be a bit difficult. In Teams, all applications available in the Microsoft launchpad are easily accessible, while in Slack it is a little challenging to search for and install particular applications. Additionally, Teams allows for setting up an automatic update flow, which is more difficult to manage in Slack.
In terms of room for improvement in Slack, I believe we can enhance a few templates and lists. We can also improve the creation of channels, particularly in terms of privacy, security, flexibility, and the addition of members to newly created channels.
For how long have I used the solution?
For the past two years in my present company, we have been using Slack.
How are customer service and support?
As of now, no escalations have been made to Slack's technical support. We tend to focus more on Workato for support, but internally we raise service requests with the infrastructure team for any issues related to Slack.
How would you rate customer service and support?
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Slack is straightforward. It isn't as difficult as one might think; it can be done based on requirements easily.
What other advice do I have?
From next month onwards, we will be transferring from Slack to Teams to reduce the cost efficiency for the company.
I prefer Teams because most companies use Outlook as their working email, and they purchase licenses from Microsoft for Outlook and Teams. By using Teams as a communication channel alongside Outlook, companies wouldn't prefer any other communication channels or invest in additional licenses, thereby reducing the licensing cost for the business.
In terms of cost efficiency, I find Slack to be a great tool for communication. It simplifies the communication of meetings and integrates well with tools like Zoom and ServiceNow; however, to enhance cost efficiency, we will be moving to Outlook.
Based on my experience, I would recommend Slack to other teams. Personally, I think Slack is preferable because, in Teams, not all users adapt easily.
On a scale of 1-10, I rate Slack an 8.