Slack has become the communication and collaboration hub for countless teams and organizations. With its highly customizable platform and integration capabilities, Slack empowers users to centralize workflows and conversations for improved productivity.
However, the real power lies in Slack‘s ever-expanding ecosystem of third-party apps and integrations. These tools help teams eliminate distractions, streamline processes, and work more efficiently right within Slack.
In this comprehensive guide, we will explore 14 of the top-rated Slack apps to increase productivity based on their standout features and use cases.
Why Do Slack Integrations Matter?
Before diving into the apps, it helps to understand why productivity apps matter for getting the most value from Slack:
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Prevent context switching: Jumping between different apps and communication channels severely disrupts focus and workflows. Integrations allow users to complete tasks without leaving Slack.
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Improve visibility: Apps can give managers greater visibility into what individuals and teams are working on through automated updates in Slack channels.
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Simplify collaboration: Rather than managing workflows across disparate tools, teams can centralize projects, file-sharing, and conversations in Slack for smoother collaboration.
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Surface key information: Relevant data, metrics, and alerts can be channeled directly into Slack channels instead of getting buried in inboxes or dashboard.
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Automate manual processes: Tedious and repetitive administrative tasks can be automated with workflow bots and Slack apps.
With a shared understanding of why productivity integrations matter, let‘s explore some top options to consider across different categories.
1. Geekbot – Automate Team Updates
Geekbot is one of the most popular Slack productivity bots with over 4,000 satisfied business customers. It lets teams effortlessly automate regular status updates, standups, retrospectives, surveys and more right within Slack channels.
Key Features and Benefits
- Scheduled standups for daily check-ins without meetings
- Automated reminders ensure no update gets missed
- Status reports give managers real-time team visibility
- Two-way conversations via a friendly bot interface
- Time zone support customizes updates across locations
- Easy sharing of updates, goals, blockers etc.
- Valuable analytics show member engagement over time
For recurring processes that waste too much time in unnecessary meetings, Geekbot is an invaluable tool to keep the team aligned without disrupting individual productivity.
2. Bonusly – Peer Recognition System
Bonusly facilitates an employee recognition program within Slack to boost engagement and reinforce positive behaviors.
Why Bonusly Stands Out
- Give peer bonuses as rewards and appreciation
- Notify recipients through Slack integration
- Accessible dashboards to track engagement
- Reward redemption for gift cards etc.
- Integrates company values into the process
- HR analytics to identify trends and gaps
For distributed teams especially, facilitating timely recognition in Slack helps remote employees feel valued through organization-wide visibility.
3. Friday – Meeting Assistant
Friday is a Slack-based personal assistant that helps teams communicate asynchronously and reduce excessive meetings.
Key Benefits
- Automated reminders for upcoming tasks and deadlines
- Customized routing rules to notify key stakeholders
- Automated meeting preparation with agendas and notes
- Facilitates async communication with delayed sending
- Productivity analytics to improve workflows
- Easy integration with other tools like calendars and documents
For organizations struggling with meeting overload, Friday‘s automation and asynchronous communication support directly boosts productivity.
4. Roots – HR Bot
Roots provides a wide range of employee experience capabilities via its HR slackbot.
Why Roots Stands Out
- New hire onboarding with automated workflows
- Org charts to understand structure and communication pathways
- Pulse surveys for continuous feedback
- Meetups and events to boost connections
- Unlimited PTO policies supported
- Works across tools like Office 365, G-suite, and more
For rapidly growing and changing companies, Roots allows HR teams to streamline essential programs right in Slack to aid productivity.
5. Monday.com – Project Management
Monday.com offers comprehensive project and work management deeply integrated into Slack.
Key Features
- Real-time data sync between Monday and Slack
- Create and assign tasks through Slack messages
- Get deadline reminders and notifications in Slack channels
- Monitor task progress without switching contexts
- Two-way communication support across the tools
For project-driven teams, eliminating task management context switches with Monday.com boosts focus and work velocity enormously.
6. Donut – Employee Connections
Donut is an innovative solution for facilitating meaningful relationships and connections across distributed teams directly in Slack.
Why Donut Stands Out
- Random 1-on-1 pairings recreate watercooler moments
- Private Slack channels for each match protect privacy
- Group conversations around shared interests
- Milestone celebrations recognized organization-wide
- Paid plans offer advanced linking algorithms
Strong workplace relationships directly fuel productivity by enhancing psychological safety, trust, and knowledge sharing. Donut makes building connections effortless at scale.
7. HeyTaco – Recognition Game
HeyTaco promotes employee recognition through a fun, engaging game-ified experience powered by Slack integrations.
Key Capabilities
- Give tacos 🌮 to recognize peers
- Leaderboard drives engagement through motivation
- Ability to attach employee values
- Customizable rewards and integrations
- Analytics to inform management
- Supports distributed environments
A little bit of friendly competition blended with peer recognition gives HeyTaco powerful advantages for driving a culture of appreciation.
8. Polly – Instant Surveys
Polly makes gathering team feedback and insights incredibly easy through intelligent Slack surveys.
Key Benefits
- Get answers 10x faster than traditional surveys
- Fully native Slack experience
- Broad question types supported
- User anonymity preserved in sensitive cases
- Powerful analytics fuel data-driven decisions
- Scheduled and recurring surveys
For ad-hoc decisions or recurring pulse checks, Polly gives teams an effortless way to tap into collective intelligence while preserving productivity.
9. Jibble – Time Tracking
For professional services teams, Jibble provides easy time tracking directly in Slack.
Why Jibble Stands Out
- Slash command for clocking time against projects
- Real-time visibility into team capacity
- Simplified timesheets auto-populate
- Project cost management supported
- Free version available with basic features
- Payroll integrations with major providers
Automatic time capture and simplified reporting reduces administrative burden substantially to help focus remain on client work.
10. Status Hero – Standups and Updates
Status Hero eliminates tedious synchronous standup meetings with streamlined status updates and check-ins in Slack.
Key Features
- Custom standup schedules fit any team‘s needs
- Automatic reminders ensure consistency
- Support for asynchronous communication
- Status dashboard gives manager visibility
- Integrates updates from other PM tools
- Standup analytics help improve the process
For teams struggling with inefficient daily standup meetings, Status Hero gives back all those wasted hours to focus on actual work.
11. Workast – Task Automation
Workast helps teams cut down on unnecessary Slack messages by streamlining task and project communication into automated workflows.
Why Workast Stands Out
- Create tasks natively in Slack
- Assign work to individuals or groups
- Set reminders and deadlines to keep projects moving
- Avoid duplicate requests through automation
- Integrate workflows across tools
- Gain visibility into workloads and capacity
With Workast, teams configure complex, multi-step routines to remove manual processes and messaging overhead for much smoother operation.
12. Range – Goal Tracking
Range focuses specifically on helping teams and individuals track goals and tasks directly in Slack conversations.
Key Advantages
- Schedule check-ins on key deliverables
- Progress dashboard gives real-time visibility
- Document goals using natural language
- Integrate reminders and alerts related to priority tasks
- Simplifies communication around daily work
- Drive accountability with consistent tracking
By formalizing objectives tracking in Slack, Range helps managers gain more visibility into workloads to improve forecasting and resourcing.
13. Simple Poll – Quick Voting
Simple Poll delivers easy, fast poll creation natively inside Slack channels without external configuration or coding.
Why Simple Poll Stands Out
- Poll set up in seconds with a simple slash command
- Anonymous voting option protects privacy
- Recurring polls keep pulse checks effortless
- Multi-question surveys supported
- Results charted within Slack
- Export capability for further analysis
Sometimes organizing consensus quickly avoids productivity lulls when decisions stall momentum. Simple Poll makes the process painless.
14. Evergreen – Sustainability Recognition
Evergreen offers a unique sustainability-based peer recognition program within Slack. Users distribute virtual "seeds" to teammates which Evergreen correlates to real trees planted.
Key Benefits
- Promotes culture through values-based recognition
- Environmental impact helps attract purpose-driven talent
- Managers gain insights into employee engagement and trends
- Encourage positive collaboration even across distributed teams
- 14-day free trial lets you pilot the experience
Blending purpose, transparency, and functionality, Evergreen builds connectivity and goodwill alongside productivity gains.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find Slack app integrations?
The Slack App Directory contains thousands of apps sortable across dozens of categories. It‘s the best place to start evaluating options tailored to your needs.
With Slack‘s free plan, you can integrate up to 10 apps simultaneously. Paid tiers unlock unlimited integrations.
What are some of the most popular free Slack apps?
While individual needs vary, some of the most widely used free Slack apps include Zoom, Polly, Simple Poll, Geekbot, Google Drive, Trello, and TimeBot based on volume of installs and reviews.
How do I manage Slack apps our teams has installed?
Only workspace administrators can install, manage, and delete Slack apps across the organization. First, admins should navigate to the target workspace, click on it, and select "Manage Apps" from the menu. From there, you can browse installed apps and integrations alongside configured settings.
Conclusion
Slack application platforms transform chaotic workstreams into orderly, efficient systems for driving productivity to new heights.
This guide covered 14 of the most game-changing Slack apps helping teams operate at peak performance based on their standout capabilities.
From building connectivity and alignment to eliminating tedious tasks through automation, these integrations showcase how purposefully leveraging technology catalyzes both human and operational productivity.
While needs inevitably differ across teams, exploring some of these options can uncover new ways to promote productivity, transparency, and innovation across your organization.
