Build time-saving automations with ease using new enhancements to Slack’s Workflow Builder

Today we’re introducing new features to Workflow Builder, including plug-and-play workflow templates, enhanced developer tools, and new workflow steps from third-party apps like PagerDuty, Asana, and Bitbucket. Together, these updates make no-code automation even more accessible across Slack.

At Slack, our mission has always been to empower everyone, regardless of technical expertise, to automate routine tasks and simplify complex work, freeing up time to focus on more strategic activities. In fact, eighty percent of users who build Slack workflows are non-technical. And now, with more than 3 million workflows running per day and 65 third-party workflow connectors, we’re excited for the next phase of automation in Slack, designed to enhance speed and focus.

Build workflows in seconds with new plug-and-play templates 

Plug-and-play templates make workflow creation as easy as filling in the blanks of a sentence. And with 50 new productivity and industry templates, you can quickly build and customize no-code automations to simplify both common tasks and complex processes. For example, you can use a template to: 

• Onboard new hires faster: Automatically add new teammates to relevant meetings, share important files with them, and send a welcome message when they join a Slack channel
• Keep recurring meetings focused: Collect agenda topics from your team, track them in a Slack list, and post the agenda in your team channel on the day of your meeting
• Help streamline incident response: Gather incident details, create a channel with the right team members to triage the issue, and log the issue in your incident management tool, such as Jira Cloud, to automatically track progress toward resolution

Start a workflow from actions in your third-party apps

Moving a project forward often involves monitoring and reacting to updates across various apps, and that context switching drives down productivity. Now workflows can automatically initiate in Slack when an event occurs in an integrated third-party tool, centralizing everything you need to do your best work. For example, if your organization faces a critical mobile app outage, logging the issue in PagerDuty can start a workflow in Slack. You can set up this no-code workflow to create an incident channel, add the right team members, set up a canvas, and share all relevant information from PagerDuty.

Make customizing workflows easier with new developer tools 

When you need to build a specialized workflow, you can use Slack’s open APIs and flexible developer tools to code and create custom steps. New tools in Slack’s developer platform make it easier to build custom steps, so you can go from idea to deployment faster. Now with Slack’s developer platform, you can:

• Create and manage your custom steps on the Slack app settings page in a new, intuitive user experience 
• Develop custom steps that are hosted anywhere, allowing you to easily and securely bring the power of your services to Slack
• Enhance existing custom-built Slack apps, such as bots, with a custom step so that it can be used as a step in Workflow Builder, allowing you to connect your Slack apps to time-saving workflows 
• Choose your favorite programming language to develop custom steps, including TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, and Java, using Slack’s SDK or Bolt framework

“Automation is a core capability that increases productivity and saves time for Rivian employees when doing repetitive work. Workflow Builder allows Slack users to easily create no-code automation at any experience level. With Workflow Builder, Slack is the place where users can easily connect workflows with other applications and platforms to achieve specific goals. Our Slack users created approximately 3,000 workflows in 2024, with heavy adoption in Production, Operation, and Service groups.”
– Anoop Narang, Head of Digital Workplace and Solutions, Rivian

 

To discover the automations you can build in Slack, visit our Workflow Builder page.

Developers can head over to our API documentation to learn more about extending the functionality of Workflow Builder.

 

 

The above is intended for informational purposes. Please do not rely on this information in making your purchasing decisions. The development, release and timing of any products, features or functionality remain at the sole discretion of Slack and are subject to change.