Slackbot is a chat robot designed to answer any questions about using Slack. In addition to sending questions to Slackbot via direct message and receiving answers, you can also use Slackbot to set reminders of important dates and deadlines. Team administrators can even program Slackbot to respond to specific words or phrases with custom messages. Learn how to use Slakcbot to increase your productivity.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Sending Messages to Slackbot
Step 1. Open the Slack app
If you have any questions regarding the use of Slack, you can send a message to Slackbot and get an answer. Start by opening the Slack app on your computer or mobile device.
- Channel members can't see messages you send to Slackbot.
- Slackbot can only answer questions about Slack.
Step 2. Sign in to the Slack team
When prompted, sign in to the team using the username and password. Once logged in, you can access the team's main channel.
Step 3. Click “Direct Messages” on the left menu bar
After that, a new direct message window with Slackbot will open.
-
If you're using the mobile version of Slack, just type
/dm @Slackbot
- and hit the “Send” button to open a new message with Slackbot.
Step 4. Type “Slackbot” into the search field and press Enter key
If you are using the desktop version of Slack, a direct message window with Slackbot will open.
The message field will display the words “Message @Slackbot” indicating that whatever is typed into the field will be sent directly to Slackbot
Method 2 of 4: Asking for Help
Step 1. Open a direct message window for Slackbot
You can ask Slackbot questions about Slackbot features by sending a direct message. Slackbot will respond to questions with answers or at least a link to a page that provides more information.
Step 2. Type a question into the “Message” field and press Enter
You can type a question about any Slack feature.
- For example, type “How do I upload a file?” (“How do I upload a file?”) to receive a quick guide and a link with more information about the required answer.
- You can also type keywords or phrases instead of questions. The answer to the entry “upload a file” (“upload a file”) will be the same as the answer to the question “How do I upload a file?” (“How do I upload files?”).
- Slackbot can only answer questions regarding the use of Slack.
Step 3. Repack your question
If your question is not understood, Slackbot will send you the answer " I'm afraid I don't understand, I'm sorry! " ("Sorry I do not understand"). Think of another way to ask the same question, then resubmit the question in a new “package.”
For example, questions like “How do I talk to my coworker privately?” (“How to talk to coworkers in private?”) will confuse Slackbot. However, questions like “How do I send a private message?” (“How do I send a private message?”) can generate a direct link to the tutorial or guide you need
Step 4. Get more help
If you can't get the response you need from Slackbot after repackaging your question, visit the Slack help database at
Step 5. Close the direct message window with Slackbot
When you're done asking questions, click on the desired channel name in the left menu (desktop version) or tap the down arrow next to “@Slackbot” and select “Close DM” (mobile version).
Method 3 of 4: Setting a Reminder
Step 1. Sign in to the Slack team
Order
/remind
allows you to use Slackbot and set reminders for anything. When you set a reminder, you instruct Slackbot to send a message at a specific time. Run the Slack app and sign in to the team first.
You can also send reminders to other team members or to entire channel members
Step 2. Join any channel
You can set reminders from anywhere in Slack using text commands, leaving you free to choose whatever channel you want to follow.
Step 3. Add a new reminder entry
The format for setting reminders on Slack is
/remind [who] [what] [when]
but the elements do not have to be typed in the same order. Below are some examples of reminder entries (in English):
-
/remind me to do jumping jacks on Tuesday at 1:30pm
- (“Remind me to practice jumping jacks on Tuesdays at 1.30pm.” Use “me” if the reminder is self-directed)
-
/remind @natalie “Stop working so hard!” in 5 minutes
- (“Remind @natalie “Don't work too hard!” in 5 minutes”)
-
/remind #writing-team on Jan 14th 2020 at 11:55 to call the conference bridge
- (“Remind the #writing-team to hold a conference call on January 14, 2020 at 11:55 am)
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/remind #design of free bagels every Tuesday at 8am
- ("Remind #design that free bagels are available every Tuesday at 8am." This code serves to set a recurring reminder)
Step 4. Manage upcoming reminders
When Slackbot sends a reminder notification, you may also see several options at the end of the message:
- Click or tap “Mark as complete” if you have completed the task and don't need another reminder.
- Select “15 mins” or “1 hour” to have Slackbot send back the same reminder within the selected time frame. This option is also known as “Snoozing”.
-
Even if it doesn't appear in the message, you can use the code
/snooze
to define your own reminder period or timeframe. For example, you can type the code
/snooze 5 minutes
- if want to get notification back in 5 minutes.
- Select “Tomorrow” to snooze and retrieve the reminder message until the same time the next day.
Step 5. Type
/remind list
to view all reminder entries.
You'll see upcoming reminder entries, as well as entries that were previously or unfinished. In this segment, you can also see options to mark reminder entries as completed or delete reminders that are no longer needed.
- Any entries that have not been marked as completed will display a link for marking completed.
-
Code usage
/remind list
- on the channel will show reminder entries that apply to the selected channel, and not just the entries for you personally.
Step 6. Set a reminder from Slack messages
You can turn any message for Slackbot into a reminder. It works the same way as a reminder set using a text command.
- Hover over the message until a “…” button appears in the top right corner.
- Select "Remind me about this".
- Select a time period from the list that appears.
Method 4 of 4: Adjusting the Response
Step 1. Sign in to your team on Slack
If you're a team administrator, you can instruct Slack to respond to specific words or phrases with custom text. Open the Slack app on your computer and sign in to Teams first.
Step 2. Click the team name in the upper-left corner of the Slack window
A small menu will be expanded.
Step 3. Click “Team Settings”
The “Settings & Permissions” page will load in your computer's main web browser.
Step 4. Click “Customize” on the left menu
Now you can see a tabbed website with various customization options for the Slack team.
Step 5. Click the “Slackbot” tab
In this tab, you can add and remove custom responses from Slackbot.
Step 6. Add a trigger phrase to the “When someone says” field
Keep in mind that every time someone uses that phrase on Slack, Slackbot will respond with the custom text you specify.
For example, if you type the word “wifi password” in the field, you can instruct Slackbot to respond to anyone who enters that word with the password for the work WiFi network
Step 7. Add the appropriate answers to the “Slackbot responds” column
When a team member types a trigger word or phrase, Slackbot responds with whatever you type in this field. Once done, the changes will be saved automatically.
For example, if you used the phrase “wifi password” in the previous column, you could type in “password: g0t3Am!” on this column
Step 8. Click “+ Add new response” to add another custom response
You can create other responses in the same way, or come back to this page later if necessary. If not, you can already close the browser window or tab.
Tips
- Reminders for all channel members cannot be delayed.
- Slack doesn't allow its users to create recurring reminders for other team members.
