In this article, you can find:
You may have various reasons for wanting to schedule your Slack messages: meeting customer needs around the clock, ensuring daily support for your employees, or navigating complex time zones within your business.
With the Slack schedule message function, you can automate your Slack messages to achieve maximum impact at the perfect time.
In this article, you’ll learn how to automate Slack messages and why it’s important to schedule a recurring message in Slack. Additionally, we’ll provide a detailed step-by-step guide on scheduling Slack messages to maximize business value.
Let’s get to it.
Definition of Slack scheduled message
Have you ever hesitated to send a message to your colleague because of your unusual working hours? Or wish you could be fresh enough to message your clients at the crack of dawn so they know you are always there for them? The Slack schedule message function can solve all these problems for you.
This function enables you and your team to send Slack automated messages at a specific time to fit your exact needs.
Why it’s useful to schedule Slack messages
From the business perspective, scheduling Slack messages can be useful for many aspects, including:
Respect work-life balance: In today's remote work culture, many of us adhere to very different working patterns, even within large corporations. Research indicates that 58% of American employees work flexibly in some form. Automated Slack messages enable you to respect your colleagues' work-life balance by allowing you to schedule messages for times that are most convenient for both parties or at times when a quick response is most likely.
Work across multiple time zones: Most medium-to-large organizations employ people from around the globe, which can lead to complex scheduling challenges. By using the Slack message scheduling feature, you can ensure that your messages are sent during your colleagues' working hours, avoiding interruptions to their sleep or family time with work-related communication.
Regularly check in on your clients or projects: Scheduling recurring messages in Slack helps you stay on top of your projects and maintain strong client relationships. Research indicates that 84% of employees feel more engaged when they have regular check-ins with their teams. Automate Slack messages for team stand-ups or status reports so your end-users can never question your commitment!
Multitasking during meetings: Although you may wish to send messages while listening in on meetings, doing so can be frowned upon, especially if noticed by colleagues on the call. The Slack message scheduling function allows you to compose these messages during the meeting and schedule them to be sent later, maintaining professionalism and focus during the call.
Planning announcements in advance: As a business leader responsible for making occasional company-wide announcements, it's crucial to get the timing right. A Harvard Business Review survey reveals that 90% of employees prefer weekly updates from their organization. Utilizing Slack's automated messaging feature, you can pinpoint the ideal time for dispatching these notifications, allowing you to carefully craft them in advance. This approach enables you to observe the rollout in real-time and, thanks to the editing features, make last-minute adjustments if necessary.
How to schedule a Slack message
The Slack schedule message option is hidden under the down arrow next to your send button. This feature provides a variety of standard time options but also allows for the selection of a specific time that best suits you or your recipient. Additionally, this functionality can be accessed on Slack’s mobile app by pressing and holding the paper plane icon.
Now that you've scheduled your first message, you've taken a significant step toward achieving maximum productivity. But that's not all—you also have the flexibility to edit, reschedule, or cancel any scheduled Slack messages, either from the desktop app or your mobile device, right up until their designated send time.
You can easily review your scheduled Slack messages by selecting the appropriate option from the sidebar, or by accessing it through the pop-up notification above your text box.
All scheduled messages are neatly organized in chronological order. When you choose a message you wish to modify, you will find options to edit, reschedule, or cancel it with just a click. However, it's important to remember that automated Slack messages cannot be sent as replies within a thread, whether in direct messages (DMs) or channels.
Regarding scheduling recurring messages in Slack, the process is a bit more complex. It requires using Slack's workflow builder or leveraging third-party integrations. Despite the additional steps, these tools enable you to create recurring messages tailored to your specific needs.
How to take it one step further
Thanks to Slack's compatibility with various third-party applications, you can explore a wide array of integrations available in Slack's App Directory. These integrations can be leveraged to fully utilize and expand the capabilities of Slack's message scheduling function.
Solutions like Thena offer a seamless integration of your customer support tools with Slack, enabling the generation of critical alerts and messages. These custom notifications provide timely updates about activities across different channels. For instance, Thena’s smart alert feature can automatically notify service agents with custom messages if a customer query remains unanswered beyond the stipulated SLA timeframes.
Our award-winning tool also enhances customer interaction by generating AI-powered responses drawn from a shared knowledge base. This advanced functionality allows for the inclusion of a variety of resources in responses, such as videos, files, and images, thereby offering comprehensive support to your colleagues and clients around the clock.
Top 20 Canned Scheduled Messages for B2B Businesses in Slack
Category | Message Title | Canned Message Text |
|---|---|---|
Welcome | Welcome New Team Members | Hi everyone, please join me in welcoming @{new_user_id} to the team! They’ll be focusing on [brief description of role]. Let’s give them a warm Slack welcome! |
Meetings | Meeting Reminder: [Meeting Name] | This is a friendly reminder about our meeting on [Meeting Date] at [Meeting Time] in [#Meeting Channel]. The agenda includes [brief agenda points]. |
Project Updates | Project Update: [Project Name] | Just a quick update on the [Project Name] project. We’ve [achievement or milestone reached]. We’re on track to [next steps or deadline]. |
Deadlines | Gentle Reminder: Deadline Approaching for [Task Name] | Heads up! The deadline for [Task Name] is approaching on [Due Date]. Please let me know if you need any assistance to ensure timely completion. |
Performance | Performance Review Reminder: [Employee Name] | This is a friendly reminder that [Employee Name]’s performance review is due on [Due Date]. Please use the following link to access the review form: [Link to form]. |
Team Building | Fun Fact Friday! Did You Know...? | Did you know [interesting fact related to your industry]? Share a fun fact you learned this week in the comments below! |
Knowledge Base | Knowledge Base Spotlight: [Article Title] | Did you know we have a great article on [topic]? Check it out here: [Link to article in knowledge base]. |
Company News | Company News: [Announcement Title] | We’re excited to announce [company news or achievement]! Read more about it here: [Link to news article]. |
Events | Reminder: Upcoming Industry Event – [Event Name] | Don’t forget to register for the upcoming [Event Name] industry event happening on [Dates]. It’ll be a great opportunity to [reason to attend]. [Link to registration]. |
Birthdays | Happy Birthday, @{celebrated_user_id}! | Happy Birthday, @{celebrated_user_id}! We wish you a fantastic day filled with joy and celebration! |
Work Anniversaries | Work Anniversary – Celebrating @{celebrated_user_id}’s [Years]! | Today, we celebrate @{celebrated_user_id}’s [Years] anniversary with the company! Thank you for your dedication and hard work! |
Appreciation | Thank You to the Team! | A big thank you to the entire team for your hard work and dedication this week! You all rock! |
Surveys | Team Feedback Survey – Your Input Matters! | We value your feedback! Please take a few minutes to complete this short survey to help us improve: [Link to survey]. |
Polls | Quick Poll: What’s your preferred time for our next team meeting? | We’re scheduling our next team meeting. Which time slot works best for everyone? [Poll with time options using a third-party integration] |
Office Closures | Heads Up: Office Closure – [Date] | Just a reminder that the office will be closed on [Date] for [Reason for closure]. Enjoy the break! |
Client Onboarding | Welcome Aboard, [Client Name]! | We’re thrilled to welcome [Client Name] as a new client! Let’s work together to achieve great things. |
Client Updates | Client Update: [Client Name] Project Progress | Here’s a quick update on the [Client Name] project. We’ve made significant progress on [areas of progress]. We’ll keep you informed as we move forward. |
Sales Leads | New Sales Lead: [Lead Name] | We have a new sales lead from [Lead Source]! Check out the details here: [Link to CRM or lead information]. |
Customer Success | Customer Success Story: [Customer Name] | We’d like to highlight a fantastic customer success story with [Customer Name]! Read their story here: [Link to case study or testimonial]. |
Conclusion
The Slack schedule message option can revolutionize how you and your teams operate daily. With the help of third-party solutions like Thena, you can take your operations a step further and maximize business value.
Interested in discovering how Thena can benefit you? Don't hesitate — add Thena to your Slack workspace today and experience its advantages firsthand!
