VA Tools In The Spotlight: Slack

VA Tools In The Spotlight: Slack


Slack is proving to be a great place for client communication when you’re a virtual assistant.

What is it used for – key features

  • Communication between you and your clients
  • You can have multiple clients, each in their own separate area
  • Communication is separated into channels, where various different work aspects are discussed
  • Images and documents can be uploaded
  • The entire chat history is fully searchable

Why should l recommend this tool to a client?

It is a great communication tool for you to talk about and organize many different aspects of your work together. It reduces the need for a lot of email communication if you talk frequently back and forth about projects.

How does it work?

An account is created between you and your client, and then everything is separated into channels, such as 'Blog Posts', 'Ideas', 'Travel Plans' and so on. This allows various tasks and areas to have their own individual area where discussion can take place. What's also great about Slack is that you can use it with multiple clients; you can have many accounts in your central one, and control them all in place. The Slack App is very handy when you're on the go.

Integrations?

Slack offers several useful app integrations. See the full list here. Some of the most useful ones include Google Doc integration, Twitter streams, IFTTT and Google Hangouts.

Pricing?

Slack is free to use for most of the best features. There are pricing options that offer rich features.

Best Practices

Slack is an app that has a very extensive list of tips and tricks. For additional ideas, check out this blog. Here are some of our favorites.

Reminder List. You can use Slack as your to-do list. Type “/remind me to do [XYZ] at [a certain time or date]” in Slackbot (a communication window).

Star Messages. You can star messages to remember them, and access all stared messages when you click the star icon in the top right of your Slack window.

Edit Messages. Made an error? All messages sent can be edited. Click the gear icon, and select “Edit.”

Use IFTTT with Pocket. Set up a 'recipe' in IFTTT, that for any articles you save to your Pocket account, they are added to a Slack channel. This is a great way of getting articles in to one place that you want to use for clients’ accounts later.

Shortcuts. Slack has some fantastic keyboard shortcuts for you to use. Check them out here.

Use the apps. Slack can be used within your browser on your computer, but it is much easier to use it within its own app. These are available for Windows and Macs, as well as iPhones (Windows phone is on the way).

Desktop Notifications. Once you have the app on your computer, you can set up notifications, much like how you'd be notified of a new email. Set preferences under: You > Preferences > Notifications > Desktop Notifications.

Other Comparable Tools

HipChat

Yammer

 


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