Everything You Need to Know About Using Slack for CRM

Can Slack be used as a CRM?

No, Slack isn’t a CRM on its own.

A CRM, or customer relationship management tool, is where you track leads, manage deals, and store customer information. Slack doesn’t do those things. But when you connect Slack to your CRM, the two tools can work together to make your sales team’s job easier.

Here’s how it works:

• Your CRM sends updates to Slack, like when a new lead is added or when there’s progress on a deal.
• You can create Slack channels to organize conversations about specific accounts or sales projects.
• Some integrations even let you log notes or update your CRM right from Slack.

For example, let’s say a new lead comes in. Your CRM can notify your sales team in Slack. Everyone can see the update, discuss the next steps, and respond faster—all without switching between tools.

Slack isn’t meant to replace your CRM. But many sales teams find it useful to discuss deals. That’s why integrating Slack and your CRM can be a good idea for a more streamlined workflow.

Which CRM tools work with Slack?

Slack integrates with popular CRM platforms like Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho CRM, and Pipedrive.

For example, if you want to integrate Salesforce with Slack, there’s a dedicated app you can use:

You can also find a HubSpot-Slack integration app and many more!

To find out if your CRM supports Slack, consult your CRM’s integrations page. If it doesn’t, you can explore using webhooks or custom integration solutions to connect Slack with your CRM.

Now let’s talk about the benefits of using CRM + Slack for sales.

How Slack for CRM benefits sales teams

When you connect Slack with your CRM, your sales team can collaborate more effectively on deals and sales opportunities. Let’s unpack key perks:

1. Faster response times

With Slack notifications from your CRM, your team gets instant updates when leads are assigned, deals progress, or accounts take action. This reduces delays and ensures that your team can act quickly on important opportunities. For instance, if a lead opens an email or schedules a demo, your team can respond immediately.

2. Centralized communication

Next, the integration offers multiple benefits when it comes to communication.

Instead of juggling emails, chats, and CRM updates, everything comes together in Slack. You can set up dedicated channels for leads, accounts, or specific deals to keep conversations focused, making it easy for your team to stay aligned.

3. Seamless collaboration across teams

Sales don’t work in isolation—customer support, marketing, and product teams often play a role. A lead might have a question about pricing or specific integrations. That’s when you need to loop in another team member for help.

In essence, Slack bridges the communication gaps by allowing teams to collaborate in real-time.

4. Reduced tool usage and switching

Research reveals that, on average, sales teams use 10 tools to close deals. That’s a lot. But what’s worse is that they constantly have to switch between these tools, including transferring information.

By connecting Slack with your CRM, you can reduce the need to log in and out of multiple tools. You’ll be able to log updates, view account details, and discuss the next steps—all without leaving Slack.

So, how can you integrate these two tools? That’s exactly what we’ll cover in the next section.

How to set up Slack for CRM success

Getting started with Slack for CRM is easier than you might think. By setting up the right channels, apps, and notifications, you can create a system that keeps your sales team organized and efficient.

Here’s how to do it step by step:

Step 1: Choose the right CRM integration

First, make sure your CRM integrates with Slack. Check if your CRM—like Salesforce, HubSpot, or Zoho—has an official Slack app or supports integrations through third-party tools. Install the integration and connect your Slack workspace to your CRM account.

Step 2: Create dedicated channels

Set up Slack channels for different parts of your sales workflow. Some ideas include:

• A #sales-leads channel for new lead notifications.
• A #deal-updates channel for tracking the progress of deals.
• A #key-accounts channel for discussing high-value clients.

Organizing channels this way keeps everyone on the same page and makes it easy to find the right information quickly.

Step 3: Automate notifications

Use your CRM’s integration settings to send important updates directly to Slack. For example:

• New leads or deals added to your CRM can trigger notifications in Slack.
• When a deal moves to the next stage, your team gets an instant update.
• Account activity, like a client opening an email, appears in Slack so you can follow up immediately.

Automating these alerts saves time and ensures nothing falls through the cracks.

Step 4: Use Slack features to collaborate

Take advantage of Slack’s built-in tools:

• Use threads to discuss specific updates without cluttering the main channel.
• Tag team members with @mentions to assign tasks or follow up on leads.
• Pin important messages to channels so key details are easy to find.

Step 5: Encourage team adoption

Getting the setup right is only half the battle—your team needs to use it. Share best practices, offer quick training, and encourage your team to rely on Slack for daily CRM updates and collaboration.

When set up correctly, Slack becomes the central hub for your sales operations. It’s where your team stays connected, tracks progress, and responds to opportunities—all in real-time.

Best practices for using Slack CRM integration

Integrating Slack with your CRM is just the beginning. To make the most of this setup, it’s important to follow a few best practices that keep your sales workflows efficient and your team aligned.

1. Structure your channels thoughtfully

Organize your Slack workspace with clear, focused channels for sales workflows. For example:

• #leads-feed for real-time lead notifications from your CRM.
• #deal-discussions for collaborating on deals with input from the entire team.
• #customer-feedback for updates from support or marketing teams.

Avoid overloading your workspace with too many channels—clarity is key.

2. Automate repetitive tasks

Save time by automating processes where possible:

• Use Slack workflows or tools like Thena (more on this in the next section) to automate deal assignment alerts or task reminders.
• Convert Slack messages into tickets or CRM entries without leaving the platform.
• Set up triggers that escalate issues to the right person or team automatically.

Automation reduces manual work and ensures consistency across the board.

3. Regularly review and adjust

As your sales team grows, your Slack setup may need updates. Periodically review:

• Which notifications are most helpful and which are ignored.
• Whether your channels are still well-organized and easy to navigate.
• Feedback from your team about what’s working and what’s not.

Adapting your workflows ensures that Slack stays a valuable tool as your needs evolve.

How to maximize Slack CRM integration with Thena

If you’re looking to make the most of your Slack-CRM integration, you might want to consider getting Thena.

Thena is a B2B customer support tool that sits inside Slack, connecting seamlessly with CRMs like HubSpot and Salesforce. It bridges the gap between customer conversations and CRM data, helping teams bring everything together in one place to boost sales and engagement.

Here’s how Thena makes Slack-CRM integration easier and more effective:

1. Instant CRM sync, zero hassle

Thena connects your CRM to Slack with just a few clicks, requiring no complex setup. Once integrated, it automatically pulls critical CRM data into Slack conversations, so your team always has the most up-to-date information without toggling between platforms.

2. Real-time data mapping

With Thena’s auto-mapping capabilities, your CRM data fields, such as ARR or Opportunity Stage, are synchronized in near real-time. This allows you to personalize your Slack workspace views—like Kanban cards or list rows—based on CRM data. Updates flow one way from Thena to your CRM, keeping your records current.

3. Conversational context for CRM records

Thena bridges Slack conversations with CRM systems. For example:

• If a Slack message comes from a user not yet in your CRM, Thena identifies the sender, links them to an account using their email domain, or creates a new contact and account in your CRM.
• For requests where a contact or account is missing in CRM, Thena attempts to match them using contextual data from Slack and fills gaps where possible.

By using Thena’s smart integrations, you streamline workflows, reduce manual input, and ensure your B2B sales team is always working with the latest data. From Slack to your CRM, every interaction is connected, organized, and ready to drive engagement.

To sum up

The Slack-CRM integration helps sales teams do more with less effort. Ultimately, sales should be about building relationships, not constantly switching between multiple tools and doing admin tasks.

Turn Slack into a central hub for tracking deals and communicating efficiently by integrating it with your CRM. To go further, consider using Thena.

Thena is a modern B2B ticket platform with AI superpowers. Join leading brands like Mixpanel, WorkRamp, and SpotDraft that use it to enhance their customer experience with AI and real-time messaging.

‍Request a demo today!