If you've checked out my recent post about setting up a Slack workflow to automatically generate a canvas from a template when a new project record is created in Salesforce, you might be wondering if it's possible to do something similar entirely within Slack. If not, maybe now you are? 😆 ...annnnd that's where Slack Sales Elevate comes in!
Sales Elevate allows you to seamlessly access Salesforce opportunities, customize notifications, and gain valuable insights for enhanced productivity, all within Slack. What is probably less known about Sales Elevate is that you can access more than just Sales Cloud objects and you get access to a powerful new trigger in Slack workflow builder: "From a Salesforce event". This is a first-of-it's-kind for Slack workflow builder, as it allows you to trigger workflows based on events in a "third party system" (albeit Salesforce 🙃) all configured directly in Slack.
In the previous article, the use case was creation of a project details workbook from a canvas template with variables when a new project was created in Salesforce. In that case, the automation was triggered via Salesforce flow. Let's instead build it entirely in Slack.
Every time a project is created in Salesforce, we should:
Create a new Slack channel.
Create a new canvas from a "Project Details" canvas template.
Project Details template should have variables for:
Project Name
Project Lead
Start Date
End Date
Share the new canvas with the channel.
Invite the creator of the project.
Send a welcome message to the channel.
With Sales Elevate, since we can trigger a Slack workflow directly within Slack using the "From a Salesforce event" trigger we eliminate the need for any Salesforce flow work. We will assume that Elevate is already installed, you have the required permissions available to create workflows using the "From a Salesforce event" trigger and you are on the Enterprise Grid Slack plan that gives you access to canvas templates with variables (more info here).
1️⃣ Create a Canvas Template
First things first, you will need a template canvas. Below see a very simple example with a handful of fields that we'll pull from a new project in Salesforce. You can use up to 25 different variables of type Text, Person, Channel or Date. In this case, we've just created a few simple variables: Project Name, Project Lead, Start Date, End Date.
2️⃣ Create a Slack Workflow
Now that you have your canvas template ready, you can create a new workflow that is triggered via "From a Salesforce event".
Now, in this case we'll want to use the Project object and apply a condition "Is New Record" so it's triggered for any new record. That's it, you've now essentially created a Salesforce "record triggered flow" directly in Slack, no Salesforce required.
Now you can create anything you want using workflow steps from Slack steps to platform connector steps to fully custom steps built by your team. In this case, lets create a new channel, create a new project details canvas from the template, share it with the new channel, invite the creator and send a welcome message.
3️⃣ Check out the results
Once a project is created, that's when the magic unfolds.👇
This is undeniably powerful and easily buildable right within Slack all through straightforward configuration. This is an amazing no-code solution for automating various tasks in Slack based on Salesforce data, without ever needing to access Salesforce directly, especially considering that 80% of those who build Slack workflows are non-technical.
✨ Summary
I'm seriously impressed by what Salesforce and Slack have cooked up! It makes life a whole lot easier by cutting out the need for separate app installations in Slack. Just plug in Sales Elevate to Slack, connect to Salesforce, and you're set to automate directly within Slack Workflow Builder. The possibilities here are super exciting, and hopefully, it paves the way for even more automation between the systems for all sorts of use cases.
🔗 See more examples of this in action: