Hybrid work is becoming the norm for many companies. With team members splitting time between the office and remote locations, staying connected and productive can be a challenge. Fortunately, Slack offers a robust platform for communication and collaboration. By integrating the right tools, you can optimize Slack to suit your unique hybrid work needs.
Why Should Hybrid Teams Use Slack Integrations?
For hybrid teams, Slack provides a flexible hub for real-time communication and content sharing. Your entire team can stay in sync with a single platform connecting on-site and remote employees.
However, the base Slack experience leaves room for improvement when it comes to structured team collaboration. That's where integrations come in. With the right apps, you can turn Slack into a robust project management tool that will allow you to stay up-to-date on project progress through shared channels, automate daily tasks to save time and bridge the time zone gaps of remote work.
The key is selecting integrations that enhance efficiency without interrupting your existing workflows. App integration should feel seamless. The best tools plug right into Slack channels alongside regular Slack messages.
6 Best Slack Apps for Hybrid Work in 2024
Slack apps should make managing projects easier, automate repetitive tasks, and coordinate across hybrid work environments. Here are six of the best apps for Slack to take your hybrid team's productivity to the next level in 2024.
1. Scoop: Increase Productivity and Spend Time Where It Counts
For hybrid teams that split time between the office and remote locations, coordinating schedules can drain productivity. With Scoop integrated into your Slack workspace, your team gets visibility into who plans to be where and when.
Rather than figuring out your coworkers' work location preferences from periodic messages, you can view real-time availability through simple Slack commands and Snaphshots. Plus, Scoop's office interest polls within Slack channels provide a structured way to align ideal in-office days.
Other standout features of Scoop include:
- Automated daily and weekly summaries of your co-workers’ plans and upcoming meetings
- Streamlined tools to easily send running late alerts
- Polls to gauge interest for upcoming office days
- Ability to instantly confirm office plans from Slack
- Options to send In-Person Invites for coffee, lunch, or a 1:1
With Scoop for Slack, your team can optimize collaboration while eliminating the guesswork of coordinating hybrid work schedules.
2. Zoom: Connect Teams With Varied Video Meeting Capabilities
When collaborating across distances, high-quality video chat is a must. Zoom integration makes starting, scheduling, and managing meetings simple without ever leaving your Slack workspace.
You can quickly initiate video calls with teammates using Zoom from any channel or direct message. The app supports meetings with up to 1,000 attendees, making even company-wide events accessible right within Slack.
A few key features include:
- Screen sharing and collaborative whiteboards
- Polls and Raise Hand features to engage attendees
- Calendar integration with Google and Office 365
- Ability to live stream meetings or webinars publicly
With trusted video quality and extensive features for audience interaction, Zoom makes it feel like your in-office and remote teams are in the same room.
3. Notion: Manage Projects With Ease Across Teams
For structured project management, Notion is a versatile Slack integration. It provides a centralized workspace for your team's institutional knowledge, from meeting notes and status trackers to wikis and FAQs.
With flexible components like tables, kanban boards, calendars, and more, Notion lets you visualize projects in whatever way works best for your team. Drag-and-drop simplicity makes it easy to add and rearrange pieces as needs evolve.
Some key features include:
- Customizable tables, boards, calendars, and workflows
- Robust template library for every use case
- Real-time syncing across devices
- Offline accessibility for remote work
Notion integration gives your hybrid team the flexibility to track project progress in the most efficient way possible.
4. Zapier: Automate Your Teams' Workflows
Zapier lets you build automated workflows between tools by connecting your most-used apps. With over 6,000 integrations to choose from, it's an easy way to optimize manual, repetitive tasks that slow productivity.
From within Slack, Zapier gives you the power to trigger actions across tools when specific events occur. Send instant Slack messages when emails come in, push Salesforce updates to relevant channels, or automatically add Trello attachments to Slack channels.
Here are a few of its key features:
- Intuitive drag-and-drop interface
- Multi-step Zaps to connect several apps at once
- Conditional logic for personalized automation
- Centralized dashboard to manage all Zaps
For hybrid teams relying on specialized tools to connect remote and in-office work, Zapier helps combine platforms into cohesive Slack-based workflows.
5. Giphy: Foster Workplace Fun and Engagement
Remote work can strain team culture and morale over time, but a touch of fun fosters remote employee engagement and connection across distances. With Giphy integrated into your Slack workspace, you can easily incorporate humor into daily conversations.
Searching Giphy's massive library of GIFs using a simple /giphy command adds humor and emotion to conversations between in-office and remote team members. This helps create quick connections through laughter to keep team rapport alive.
A few key highlights include:
- A lightweight app with a simple /giphy command
- Access to millions of high-quality GIFs and stickers
- Enables a fun way to react, congratulate teammates, or express frustration
Don't underestimate the power of fun! Giphy easily incorporates humor and light-heartedness within Slack's existing workflows.
6. Timezone Butler: Bridge Time Zone Gap To Coordinate Teams
Distribution across time zones can make collaboration chaotic for remote employees. However, Timezone Butler can elegantly resolve scheduling difficulties, all from within Slack.
Powered by location-based employee data, the bot automatically translates times mentioned in any channel. Rather than tackling tedious timezone math, you simply reference hours in your own time zone, and team members will see them converted to their own.
With Timezone Butler, distributed teams get:
- Auto time zone conversions in Slack messages
- Consistent meeting times across regions
- Reduced friction in coordinating distributed teams
Timezone Butler handles all the heavy lifting so your team can focus on work rather than logistics.
Get Started With the Best Slack App To Plan Your Hybrid Day
As hybrid work evolves in 2024, platforms like Slack will continue to gain popularity for distributed teams. But real competitive advantage comes from leveraging top app integrations like Scoop.
With Scoop, coordinating the logistics of hybrid schedules doesn't have to be a productivity bottleneck. Streamlined visibility into your coworkers' office plans and simplified scheduling coordination give your team the flexibility that hybrid teams need to thrive.
Experience the frictionless path to hybrid work success and start boosting team productivity when you get Scoop today.
