Salesforce as of late announced a new toolkit for its developers to construct integrations and customise apps on Slack’s collaboration platform.
Salesforce acquired Slack last year for $27.7 billion and has begun to integrate the team messaging app into its portfolio of Tool-as-a-Carrier gear — aiming to create what it calls the “virtual HQ.” The Salesforce Platform for Slack, introduced on the TrailblazerDX developer conference, is aimed toward simplifying processes for Salesforce’s 11 million builders when connecting workflows between Customer360 apps and Slack.
“Salesforce’s number one justification for getting Slack is to leverage Slack because the collaboration layer throughout Salesforce clouds,” mentioned Irwin Lazar, president and major analyst at analysis and advisory company Metrigy. “That calls for tight integrations to make sure information drift out and in of Slack, and the power to each collaborate on, and perform duties inside of Slack. So it’s vital that Salesforce impulsively allow builders to combine into Slack.”
Metrigy’s Place of work Collaboration: 2021-22 survey indicated that just about 60% of finish consumer organizations considered apps like Slack as a hub for paintings, somewhat than purely a messaging app.
With the Apex SDK for Slack, Salesforce builders can use the acquainted Apex programming language to customise Slack apps constructed the usage of the Block Kit UI framework (created 4 years in the past to embed interactive elements reminiscent of checkboxes and menus in Slack messages). The Apex SDK lets in get right of entry to to information in Salesforce, reminiscent of buyer data, with out the will for middleware.
“Shall we say a developer already has an ideal utility inbuilt Apex — they are able to now carry that super-easily to Slack,” mentioned Slack Leader Product Officer Tamar Yehoshua in a pre-announcement briefing.
Salesforce may be connecting its Float low-code platform to Slack. This must allow the automation of straightforward handbook duties, reminiscent of developing a brand new Slack channel or sending an account standing replace.
“Shall we say a deal standing adjustments and you wish to have to collaborate on that deal in a deal room in Slack. All you do is attach it thru Salesforce Float to mechanically create a channel,” mentioned Yehoshua.
“Slack’s deeper integrations to the Salesforce platform successfully streamlines communications and collaboration by means of getting rid of the want to transfer between packages,” mentioned Wayne Kurtzman, analysis director at IDC. “This brings conversations round paintings into the paintings — retaining the context had to make choices.”
Float in Slack is anticipated to be to be had as a beta in June and in ultimate liberate in October. The Apex SDK for Slack is about for a pilot in June, with normal availability in February 2023.
At TrailblazerDX Salesforce additionally introduced the general public beta of a number of integrations between Slack and Salesforce’s Gross sales, Carrier and Advertising Cloud merchandise that had been introduced ultimate 12 months.
Copyright © 2022 IDG Communications, Inc.
