Slack Enhances Workflow Builder with New Automation Features and Developer Tools

Slack has recently announced a series of significant updates to its Workflow Builder, introducing new features that simplify the process of creating time-saving automations for users.

These updates include plug-and-play workflow templates, enhanced developer tools, and additional workflow steps from popular third-party apps like PagerDuty, Asana, and Bitbucket. The aim of these enhancements is to make no-code automation more accessible to users across various industries, enabling teams to streamline routine tasks and focus on more strategic activities.

Key Updates to Slack’s Workflow Builder

1. Plug-and-Play Workflow Templates:
   Slack has introduced 50 new plug-and-play workflow templates that enable users to quickly and easily build and customize no-code automations. These templates provide pre-built structures that users can modify to suit their specific needs. Examples of templates include:
   • Onboarding New Hires: Automatically add new team members to relevant meetings, share important files, and send a welcome message when they join a Slack channel.
   • Managing Recurring Meetings: Collect agenda topics, track them in a Slack list, and post the agenda in the team channel on the day of the meeting.
   • Streamlining Incident Response: Gather incident details, create a dedicated channel with the appropriate team members, and log the issue in tools like Jira Cloud to track progress toward resolution.

   These templates are designed to save time and simplify the process of building workflows, making it easy for users to automate both common tasks and more complex processes.

2. Starting Workflows from Third-Party App Actions:
   One of the notable new features allows users to initiate workflows in Slack based on events in integrated third-party tools. This integration helps centralize project management and reduces context switching, ultimately boosting productivity. For instance:
   • If a critical mobile app outage is detected in PagerDuty, a workflow in Slack can be automatically triggered. This workflow might involve creating an incident channel, adding the right team members, setting up a canvas, and sharing all relevant information from PagerDuty.

   This feature ensures that updates and actions from external apps seamlessly integrate into Slack, enabling teams to respond more effectively.

3. Enhanced Developer Tools for Custom Workflow Creation:
   Slack has also introduced new developer tools to facilitate the creation of custom workflow steps. These tools, part of Slack’s open API platform, help developers build and deploy specialized workflows efficiently. Key enhancements include:
   • Custom Step Management: Developers can create and manage custom steps from the Slack app settings page via a new, user-friendly interface.
   • Flexible Hosting Options: Custom steps can now be hosted anywhere, giving developers the flexibility to securely bring their services into Slack.
   • Integration with Existing Slack Apps: Developers can enhance existing custom-built Slack apps by adding custom steps that can be used within Workflow Builder, enabling deeper integration between Slack apps and time-saving workflows.

   In addition, developers can choose their preferred programming languages, such as TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, and Java, when creating custom steps using Slack’s SDK or Bolt framework.