As an advanced business communication and collaboration app, Slack comes packed with useful features that you won’t find on just any chat app on the market.
Additionally, the ability to schedule messages on Slack can be vital to an organization. It allows you to plan out various business actions and execute them either simultaneously or individually based on a schedule.
In this article, you’ll learn how to schedule messages in Slack, as well as a couple of other cool Slack hacks.
Can You Schedule Messages by Default?
Slack is a highly customizable app that could’ve come pre-packed with every feature you need, but it doesn’t. Instead of including enough add-ons to make your head hurt, the app creators have decided to let you choose which of the various features you want to add to your app on your own.
For instance, scheduling isn’t a feature that comes included with Slack. You’ll have to add the feature to your app yourself. Fortunately, the ability to do this is very straightforward.
Which Tool Should You Use?
As mentioned, there are various add-ons and tools available to use with Slack. So, when it comes to message scheduling, you’ll find you can do this as a part of several plug-ins and features. Some will allow you to schedule various things, while others are bots that can be instructed to do pretty much anything else.
When it comes to message scheduling, the Message Scheduler app is the best way to go. It’s as simple as adding it to your Slack workspace, just as with any other app/feature.
By now, you’re probably anxious to include message scheduling to your Slack platform. But first, how do you add apps and features to Slack?
Slack Integrations
When it comes to your smartphone, for example, there’s an available store where you can download apps you either purchase or get for free. The number of apps in the store is huge, which is why the majority of them are optional. The same holds true for Slack add-ons, which are officially called “Slack Integrations.” But they are, for all intents and purposes, apps as well. In fact, they’re even referred to as “apps” by Slack.
Adding the Message Scheduler
To use the Message Scheduler feature in Slack, the first step is adding it to your Slack workspace. Adding apps and features to your Slack workspace is done the same on any device across the board – whether you’re using an iOS/Android device, a Macbook, or Windows on a Chromebook PC.
Integrating a webstore option into the Slack app itself is certainly possible, but this would make the app very resource demanding. Additionally, it would complicate the responsiveness of the app, and Slack would have to offer this feature for their Android, iOS, and desktop/laptop apps.
Instead, adding an integration to Slack is as simple as using the web browser. Whether you’re using a smartphone, tablet, or any type of computer, adding apps and features to Slack is done via the browser. Another thing to keep in mind: when you add an integration to a Slack workspace, it’s available to all devices accessing the workspace. Here’s how to do it across the board.
- Open a web browser.
- Go to Slack.com.
- Sign in to the workspace.
- Scroll down to the Integrations section.
- Click/tap/select “Learn more about integrations.”
- Select “Explore all apps.”
- In the “Find a new app, or a service you already use”, type in “Message Scheduler.”
- Select “Add to Slack.”
- Select “Allow” to add the Message Scheduler to the current workspace you’re on.
Keep in mind that the app comes with a 14-day free trial period. Once this period expires, the Message Scheduler integration costs $7 per month for the Basic plan (allowing up to 10 different people to schedule messages), or $20 per month for the Team plan, giving access to message scheduling to everyone in the workspace.
How to Schedule a Slack Message
Now that you’ve installed and successfully integrated the Message Scheduler, let’s find out how to schedule those messages. Keep in mind that these instructions are applicable across the board – no matter what device you’re using, the principle stays the same.
- Open a channel on Slack or just go to a direct message screen.
- Type in “/schedule”
- Type in the message you want send, followed by the time you want it sent.
For example, to send a quick-schedule message saying “hi” to someone, type “/schedule hi in 10 minutes.” This will send a message saying “hi” to the channel/user you’ve selected, and it will do so in 10 minutes.
The best thing about this integration is that it doesn’t just instruct a bot to send a scheduled message. There will be nothing on the message itself to let people know that you’ve scheduled it – it will appear as a regular message that was just sent.
There’s also an option to choose a specific time zone, the Slack channel where you want to send the message, or the user you want to contact. Here’s how to get access to these advanced options.
- Go to any user/channel.
- Type in “/schedule” and select the Message Scheduler app. A dialogue box will open, prompting you to fill out various empty fields.
- Type in your message.
- Select the hour, minute, day, or month, according to your preference.
- Select the time zone (if you want to).
- Select the channel where you want to send the message and/or select the user of your preference.
- Send the message.
You can schedule a message to be sent on Slack up to 120 days in advance. Granted, the need to do this might not be that necessary for everyone. But the ability to schedule a particular message, say, 14 days from now? That’s entirely conceivable and useful.
It’s understandable that you might completely forget about having scheduled this message. But don’t worry, you won’t have to resort to setting a reminder on your phone about this. The Message Scheduler integration can show you the details about the message that you’ve scheduled – when, to whom, why, etc. This will only be visible to you.
This kind of information is handled automatically by the Message Scheduler integration. Some of the messages you’ve scheduled won’t be visible (usually only those messages that have been scheduled for very far in advance are displayed automatically). But if you want to see all your scheduled messages, don’t worry. The app developers have thought about this as well.
Listing All the Scheduled Messages
You can get a list of messages you’ve scheduled by typing in a couple of basic commands.
- Go to any channel/user.
- Type in “/schedule list”.
A list of all the scheduled messages for that channel/user will be displayed. Again, only you are able to see this.
Additional FAQs
Can I cancel a scheduled message?
Yes, you can schedule messages using this integration. You can easily get a list of all the scheduled messages in a specific channel or a chat with a user. When you want to cancel one, it’s as simple as typing in “/schedule delete last.” This will delete the last message that you’ve scheduled. To cancel all scheduled messages in the chat, type “/schedule delete all.” To delete a particular message, enter “/schedule delete [enter message text].”
Can you use Slack for project management?
Slack is, officially, a tool used for collaboration and communication. At its bare essence, Slack enables teams to easily communicate and gain a clear view of their workspace. But, if used properly, Slack becomes a brilliant project management tool. Installing integrations can help you turn Slack into more than just a business chat app. With tools such as the Message Scheduler and others, Slack becomes a true project management platform. It encourages organization.
How do I set up Slack notifications?
Receiving a barrage of notifications on communication platforms can sometimes make you lose your focus when working. In those instances, turning certain notifications off while letting others come through can be of tremendous help. To do this in Slack, open your desktop app and navigate to your profile icon in the top-right corner of the screen. Select “Preferences.” Then select “Enable Desktop Notifications” to enable global Slack notifications. To customize notifications for particular chats, right-click the chat and change the settings.
Does Slack use cellular data?
Given that there’s a mobile version of the Slack app, if your mobile/tablet device is not connected to a wireless internet network, then Slack can be available using your cellular data. But while the text messaging functions don’t require too much data, Slack video calls can use up a lot of your cellular data. Plus, given the bandwidth requirements, don’t expect a smooth experience on data.
How do I open Slack in the app instead of the browser?
If you don’t want Slack links to open in Slack’s in-app browser, but instead one of your preferred mobile/tablet apps instead, there’s a solution for this. Go to any conversation and navigate to the three-dot icon in the top-right part of the screen. Select “Settings” and navigate to “Advanced.” Turn off the “Open web pages in app” option. Now, when you click on a link in Slack, it will open in your default browser.
Slack Message Scheduling
Although there are many ways to schedule Slack messages, the Message Scheduler integration allows you to send the scheduled messages instead of letting a bot do it for you. Plus, the app is simple to integrate and simple to use.
If you have any additional questions or anything else to add, contact us in the comments section below. Our community is more than happy to engage with you.
Disclaimer: Some pages on this site may include an affiliate link. This does not effect our editorial in any way.
