How To Integrate Slack With Outlook

What are the two apps you keep option almost all day? Slack and Outlook, right?

And because they’re open, you’re susceptible to flicking between them to conduct repetitive tasks. One thing you do in Slack, you replicate in Outlook.

We live in a world of automation. Why can’t you integrate the two?

Well, in this post, we walk through the steps you need to take to integrate Slack with Outlook.

Get ready to have your problems solved.

Can you integrate Slack with Outlook?

Yes, it is now possible to integrate Slack with Outlook. This enables you to give context to conversations with teammates.

There are two Outlook add-ons for Slack:

1. Slack for Outlook (Mail)
2. Outlook Calendar

Let’s take a look at use cases where this integration provides collaboration power ups:

• An email chain with a teammate is getting noisy; you can send it to Slack and continue there.

• You need your Slack status to dynamically reflect your actual status. Integrating Slack to Outlook will automatically sync your calendar to your status, letting your team know when you’re available, in a meeting, or at the office.

Outlook’s status sync doesn’t reveal details of your meetings, it doesn’t override a status you set on Slack itself, and only events you accept will trigger a status update.

• Perhaps you need help addressing a customer’s question, you can flag relevant teammates on Slack and give context with the customer’s email.

• You may also prefer the functionality this integration brings for meetings. Without leaving Slack, you can view your entire schedule. . .

. . .RSVP to meetings. . .

. . .and join Microsoft Teams meetings without leaving Slack.

How do I link Slack to Outlook (Windows)?

Follow the steps below to integrate Slack and Outlook for mail or calendar collaboration power-ups.

Link Slack to your Outlook mail

There are prerequisites before linking Slack to Outlook:

• You must have an Outlook client that supports add-ins.
• Your Microsoft account should have nothing lower than an Office 365 commercial subscription.

Link Slack to your Outlook mail by:

1. Heading to the Microsoft AppSource and installing the Slack for Outlook add-in.
2. Follow the instructions to confirm your Microsoft and Slack accounts.
3. Open your Outlook desktop client.
4. Click on the Slack icon and select Connect.
5. Click Authorize to link your Slack account on Outlook.

You can now send an email into Slack by clicking the Slack icon on the right-hand side of your inbox.

Link Slack to your Outlook calendar

Follow these steps to link slack to your Outlook calendar:

1. Click the Add apps tab under Apps.

2. Hit the search tab for the Outlook calendar.

3. Install the add-on.

You can now RSVP to events and add events and sync your status with your Outlook calendar directly from Slack.

Is there an Outlook plugin for Slack?

If your Slack and Outlook integration does not work, one alternative is to use third-party plugins that do the trick.

One trusted plugin that integrates Slack with Outlook is Zapier.

How to link Slack and Outlook using Zapier

Zapier is an automation tool that works perfectly for interoperability across collaboration apps using “Zaps”.

For Slack and Outlook integrations these are the steps to follow using Zapier:

1. First, set up an account with Zapier.

2. Head over to the Outlook integrations page on Zapier then search and select Slack.

3. Create the workflow you want to activate.

4. You will then follow a five-step process that involves connecting your Microsoft Outlook account.

Follow the prompts to map the field that will integrate Outlook with Slack.

Then test the Zap before turning on.

The Zapier add-on is also available as a Slack integration in the app directory.

You can also add Zaps from here.

Automate.io is another automation tool that would’ve been perfect for linking Slack and Outlook.

However, its acquisition by Notion means that this service won’t be available anymore, and they have recommended Zapier to existing customers as an alternative.

How do I add Slack to Outlook for Mac?

You can integrate Slack with Outlook on your Mac by using the “Slack for Outlook” and “Outlook calendar” add-ons, or the Zapier plugin.

The prerequisites for successful integration and the steps for any of the three add-ins are the same on a Mac as they are on Windows.

Scroll back up if you missed them!

What about connecting Slack to Microsoft Teams?

Good question! If you’re a regular Outlook user, chances are you’re one of the 270 million monthly Teams users too.

Using Mio’s message interoperability technology, you can sync channels and users within your organization. This enables cross-platform messages.

For example, when half your business uses Microsoft Teams and the other half uses Slack, you can connect the platforms in the background and let your users continue using their preferred platform.

No longer do they have to switch between apps to cater to colleagues who use a different platform.

Here’s what it looks like:

See how Sammy Williams has a Slack icon next to his name? That’s because he’s using Slack. Even though this conversation is happening in Teams.

When you connect your platforms using Mio, every component of the message gets sent from Slack to Microsoft Teams.

This includes:

• Message edits
• Message deletions
• Channel messages
• Group messages
• GIFs and emojis
• File uploads
• Rich text formatting

Mio supports both channel conversations and direct messages within an organization. Whether you sync channels, direct messages, or both is up to you.

If you need to connect Slack and Microsoft Teams internally, message interop is the way to go.

Try Mio for internal teams here.

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