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Communication

How to Connect Microsoft Teams and Slack (Best Integrations)

Paulina
Content Writer
February 26, 2024

If this seems like the solution you've been searching for to streamline your customer communication, you're in the right place. In this article, we'll explore:

With everything laid out, let’s explore how this integration can make things easier for you and your customers.

Facing the Teams vs. Slack dilemma? It's a common headache in the B2B world, especially considering that Microsoft Teams boasts over 300 million daily active users—a testament to its widespread adoption among your potential customer base. Yet, your heart (and operations) belong to Slack. The good news? You don't have to choose or force a switch.

With MS Teams Slack integration, neither your team nor your customers need to leave their preferred communication platform. Connecting Microsoft Teams and Slack allows your team to assist customers via Slack while communicating with users on Teams.

What is Slack Teams integration exactly?

The Slack Microsoft Teams integration allows users to bridge communication between Slack, a popular team communication platform, and Microsoft Teams, widely used for video conferencing and corporate communication.

This integration enables organizations to leverage the strengths of both platforms to facilitate a more integrated communication environment. This functionality enables the centralization of notifications and updates, thereby streamlining workflows and improving team coordination.

Why should you integrate Slack with Teams?

Integrating Microsoft Teams with Slack offers significant advantages, particularly for SaaS businesses that operate on Slack while their clients prefer Microsoft Teams. This strategic bridge can enhance client satisfaction and operational efficiency by facilitating seamless communication and collaboration without requiring either party to leave their preferred platform.

Here are other benefits of Slack Teams integration:

Comfort and familiarity

The first advantage of integrating Slack with Teams is the reduction of friction, especially for your clients. With the integration, clients remain in their preferred environment (Microsoft Teams), which reduces the learning curve and eliminates the need for them to adapt to new tools. This comfort can lead to increased engagement and satisfaction as clients communicate and collaborate using tools they are already familiar with.

The same principle applies to your organization. If you're running your business on Slack, that's where you want to stay. However, this doesn't mean you have to force your customers to switch to Slack. You can simply bridge the two tools, managing everything through Slack while your customers receive updates via Teams.

Streamlined support and issue resolution

The next benefit piggybacks on the first advantage. For customer support, integrating Slack with Teams allows your team to receive and respond to support tickets or queries directly from Slack, bypassing the need to switch platforms, even when these requests originate from users on Microsoft Teams.

Such seamless integration improves the efficiency of your support services while drastically cutting down on wait times for your customers. 86% of B2B buyers claim that vendors don’t solve issues quickly enough. And that’s often down to slow communication and information silos.

With Teams Slack integration, a customer might flag an issue on Teams, and within moments, your support team on Slack is on it. This means your customers can get the help they need quickly and directly within their preferred platform. The benefit? Their satisfaction soars as well as their perception of your company.

Expanded reach and flexibility

Integrating with clients' preferred communication tools can also expand your market reach. It demonstrates flexibility and a customer-centric approach, appealing to a broader spectrum of potential clients who may prefer different platforms.

Data and insights gathering

Lastly, the cross-platform integration allows for the collection of data across tools, providing insights into client needs, preferences, and communication patterns. These insights can inform business strategies, customer service improvements, and personalized client interactions.

So, how do you go about connecting the two tools? Check out these 4 methods.

4 ways you can connect Microsoft Teams and Slack

1. Microsoft Teams Calls App for Slack

The first integration method involves using the Microsoft Teams app specifically designed for Slack. This app enables Slack users to start Microsoft Teams meetings directly from Slack. Users can set up the app within their Slack workspace, allowing them to quickly create Teams meeting links in Slack channels or direct messages without needing to switch to the Teams application.

Pros ✅: This integration simplifies meeting scheduling and joining processes, enhancing collaboration efficiency between Teams and Slack users.

Cons ❌: Microsoft Teams Calls App is limited to video conferencing only.

2. Custom webhooks

Webhooks are automated messages sent from apps when something happens. They are used to notify other apps or services in real time, allowing them to react or update accordingly.

Pros ✅: Custom webhooks let organizations tailor the integration to their specific needs, allowing for a highly customizable communication bridge between Teams and Slack.

Cons ❌: Requires technical expertise to set up and maintain, potentially increasing overhead for businesses without dedicated IT support.

3. APIs and bots

Another effective way to connect Microsoft Teams and Slack is through the use of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) to create custom integrations tailored to specific business needs.

By leveraging the APIs provided by both Microsoft Teams and Slack, developers can create custom integrations that allow for a wide range of interactions between the two platforms. This could include syncing messages, notifications, calendar events, or even automating specific tasks that bridge the gap between Teams and Slack users.

Pros ✅: With API-based integrations, organizations have the flexibility to create solutions that solve complex enterprise communication problems.

Cons ❌: Developing custom integrations requires significant technical expertise, both for the initial setup and ongoing maintenance. This approach can be resource-intensive and might necessitate dedicated IT support to manage and update the integration as APIs evolve.

4. Thena’s Microsoft Teams Bridge

Thena Microsoft Teams Integration
Thena Microsoft Teams Connect

Thena is an intelligent B2B customer engagement platform that allows businesses to provide omnichannel customer support via Slack, email, and the web. It also offers the ability to link Slack with Microsoft Teams, facilitating vendor-customer communication.

Thena’s Microsoft Teams Bridge with Slack is designed to bridge the communication gap between Slack and Microsoft Teams users. This cross-platform integration is particularly beneficial for enhancing vendor-customer interactions without the need to switch platforms.

With Thena, users can create shared channels on Microsoft Teams and mirror these conversations in Slack channels, ensuring efficient communication without leaving their preferred environment. It supports features like seamless communication, mirroring conversations and statuses, initiating direct messages and group chats, along with handling attachments and text formatting.

Compared to other integration methods, Thena’s Microsoft Teams Bridge has an upper hand thanks to its unique features, including:

  • Advanced messaging features: Supports a wide array of messaging functionalities like reactions, threaded messages, attachments, and text formatting, preserving the richness of communication.
  • Workflow integration: Facilitates the initiation and continuation of workflows across platforms, with features like direct messages and group chats for focused conversations.
  • Easy setup and synchronization: Provides thorough setup guides and synchronization of channels and users, enhancing integration completeness.
  • Rich communication experience: Closely replicates native platform functionalities.

All in all, Thena's integration provides a more nuanced and feature-rich approach for businesses seeking to bridge communication gaps between Slack and Microsoft Teams.

Comparison of Collaboration Features: Microsoft Teams vs. Slack with Thena.ai Integration

Exploring Teamwork Tools: Microsoft Teams vs. Slack, Boosted by Thena.ai

Let's dive into the magic of team collaboration, comparing the giants: Microsoft Teams and Slack, each supercharged with Thena.ai.

Microsoft Teams shines with its seamless Office 365 integration. Imagine effortlessly hopping from a group chat to an Excel spreadsheet. That's Teams for you.

Slack, on the flip side, is like the social butterfly of collaboration platforms. Its flexibility in integrating with countless apps, including Thena.ai, makes it a hub for diverse teamwork.

Adding Thena.ai into the mix boosts these platforms. For Teams, it's about smarter meetings and streamlined workflows. With Slack, it amplifies this, turning chats into productive workspaces.

So, which is your ally in collaboration? Teams, with its office synergy, or Slack, the king of app integration, both empowered by Thena.ai? Let the battle of the teamwork titans begin!

FeatureMicrosoft TeamsSlackSlack with Thena.ai Integration
Core FunctionalityTeam communication, file sharing, video conferencingTeam communication, file sharing, integrationsTeam communication, file sharing, integrations, AI-powered customer support
Channels & GroupsPublic and private channels for team discussionsPublic and private channels for team discussionsPublic and private channels for team discussions with AI-powered chatbots within channels for specific purposes (e.g., sales bot, FAQ bot)
File SharingShare and collaborate on files within TeamsShare and collaborate on files integrated with various cloud storage servicesShare and collaborate on files integrated with various cloud storage services, with Thena.ai potentially providing automated tasks related to shared files (e.g., summarizing documents, extracting key information)
Video ConferencingBuilt-in video conferencing with screen sharingIntegrates with various video conferencing servicesIntegrates with various video conferencing services, with Thena.ai potentially transcribing meetings, summarizing key points, or generating follow-up tasks.
IntegrationsIntegrates with various Microsoft 365 apps and third-party servicesIntegrates with a wide range of third-party servicesIntegrates with a wide range of third-party services, with Thena.ai offering additional functionality specifically designed for customer support (e.g., ticketing systems, knowledge base management)
AI AssistantMicrosoft Viva integrates with AI features but is not specifically designed for customer supportNo built-in AI assistantThena.ai acts as an AI-powered customer support assistant within Slack channels, automating tasks, answering questions, and qualifying leads.
Security & ComplianceOffers robust security features compliant with various regulationsOffers security features, but compliance certifications may vary depending on the planSecurity features of Slack with the additional layer of Thena.ai's security measures. Compliance certifications may need to be evaluated for specific use cases.
CostFreemium plan with limitations, paid plans with additional featuresFreemium plan with limitations, paid plans with additional featuresCost of Slack subscription + Cost of Thena.ai subscription

Summing up

Whichever integration you decide to pursue, you need to ensure that you properly evaluate both your organization’s and your clients’ unique needs.

While the MS Teams Calls App for Slack is great for launching calls with clients from Slack, that’s all it essentially does. Likewise, custom integrations via APIs and webhooks might require additional expertise to be operational.

If you're looking for a straightforward solution that offers additional benefits, you might want to consider Thena. Book a free demo to see how the integration functions in practice.

Customers first, growth always.
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