Do you feel overwhelmed trying to stay on top of all your Slack conversations? Do urgent questions slip through the cracks even though you‘re glued to the app all day? My friend, maximizing notifications is the lifehack you need!
As a long-time Slack power user, I have fine-tuned notifications to help me effortlessly keep tabs on hundreds of coworkers. I no longer stress about missing critical messages. This comprehensive guide will teach you how to transform Slack notifications into your personal productivity assistant.
Why are Slack Notifications Valuable?
Slack has quickly become the communication hub of over 10 million daily active users. That‘s more than double Twitter‘s userbase!
With its meteoric rise, the flood of messages can be hard to stay on top of. This is where notifications come in.
Well-configured notifications cut through the noise so you never miss important conversations again. They ensure you remain responsive to coworkers without having to manually check Slack every minute.
But basic notifications can soon become overwhelming. The key is customizing triggers so you only get relevant alerts. This is what we‘ll tackle in this guide.
Customizing Notification Triggers
Slack offers an array of notification triggers to fit various preferences. Let‘s break these down so you can choose the right blend.
All New Messages
This mode will notify you about each and every new message across channels in your workspace.
Good for – Getting a minute-by-minute pulse of all conversations.
Downsides – Can be extremely distracting with a bombardment of unnecessary notifications.
Direct Messages, Mentions, and Keywords
This more limited trigger will only notify you when:
- Someone DMs you
- Someone @mentions your name
- Preset keyword triggers appear
Good for – Staying focused on messages that need your direct input. Custom keyword alerts allow tuning into specific topics without following each conversation.
Downsides – Won‘t cover broader messages in channels you need to keep tabs on.
Here‘s a quick comparison:
| Notification Trigger | Use Cases | Downsides |
|---|---|---|
| All New Messages | Get instant updates from highly active channels | Distracting flood of notifications |
| Direct Messages, Mentions, Keywords | Track messages directed at you and topics you specify | Could miss important channel messages not covered by keywords |
Based on your personal communication needs, choose the notification blend that makes sense! Now let‘s get these dialed in.
Configuring Slack Notifications on Desktop
The desktop app offers robust preferences for fine tuning notifications. Follow these steps:
Step 1: Access Notification Settings
Click on your profile picture > Preferences > Notifications
This opens up your notification configuration panel.
Step 2: Select Trigger Conditions
Under Notify me about… choose your triggers:
As we just discussed, you can enable message conditions like all new messages, DMs, mentions etc. Make your choice!
Step 3: Pick a Notification Frequency
Further down the same screen, configure how often you receive notifications under When I‘m not active on desktop:
This allows you to control frequency based on your activity level in Slack.
Optimizing Slack Notifications on Mobile
The principles for configuring mobile notifications are quite similar. Simply follow these steps in the iOS or Android app:
Access Notification Settings
Tap your profile icon in the bottom right corner > Notifications
Select Notification Triggers
Under On mobile, notify me about… enable your chosen alerts:
Set Frequency of Notifications
In Notify me on mobile pick how often notifications should surface:
And you‘re all set! Your phone will now only buzz when relevant conversations need your attention.
Pro Tip: Leverage Custom Keywords
Want to take your notifications to the next level? Custom keyword triggers get you notified about topics you specify without having to follow each conversation manually.
Step 1: Locate the Keywords Section
On desktop and mobile, this is under your profile > Notifications > My Keywords
Step 2: Define Your Keyword Triggers
Enter words, phrases, brands – anything you want real-time alerts for:
Now Slack will ping you even if these keywords appear without a direct mention. Supercharged notifications!
Additional Recommendations
Here are some extra pro tips:
Adjust notification sound and visuals for increased awareness in Preferences > Notifications > Sound and Appearance on desktop and mobile.
Route notifications to email as a backup. This ensures you receive alerts even when Slack isn‘t actively open.
Review settings for each channel in your workspace. I recommend muting noisy channels rather than disabling notifications entirely.
Following this guide empowers you to tame notifications. Let me know if you have any other questions!