Manage customer cases in Slack

If you use customer management in Slack, you can respond to customer support requests directly from an automatically created support channel in your workspace.

Note: Customer case management in Slack is rolling out gradually. We appreciate your patience as we make it available to all customers on the new version of the Business+ subscription.

How it works

• When you enable customer management in Slack, a support channel will be automatically created in your workspace. This channel will be named #support-[workspace name] and will appear in the Salesforce section of your sidebar.
• Once your support channel is configured, emails sent to the address that you choose will appear in your support channel as Salesforce cases.
• Channel members with permission can reply to cases directly from the channel in Slack, escalate them when they need more support and close cases when the interaction is complete.

Note: Managing cases in Slack relies on the Salesforce Email-to-Case feature. Learn more in the Salesforce Help Centre.

Set up case management in Slack

Step 1: Verify your support email 

To get started with case management in Slack, you’ll first need to verify the email address that you use for customer interactions so that emails sent to that address can appear in the support channel automatically created when you enable customer management in Slack. 

1. From your desktop, open your support channel. 
2. Click the channel name in the conversation header.
   
3. Select the Integrations tab. 
4. Below Connect your support email, click Set up. 
5. Enter your support email address, then click Next.
6. We’ll send a verification email to your support email to confirm the address.

Once your customer support email is verified, we’ll provide you with a Salesforce routing email address. Proceed to the next step to set up forwarding from your support email address to the Salesforce routing email address.

Step 2: Set up email forwarding

1. From Slack, copy the email address provided below Set up forwarding.
2. In your email provider's settings, configure email forwarding from your support email to the Salesforce routing email provided above. For example, if your support email is [e-mail], configure forwarding so that emails sent to that address are forwarded to the address that you received at the end of Step 1. 
3. Once you’ve set up email forwarding, return to Slack and click Next. 
4. Some email providers (like Gmail) require an additional verification step. If prompted, click Let’s go, then follow the steps from the Salesforce app in your Slack support channel to complete the verification process.

View and reply to emails in Slack

Once you’ve completed the setup process, cases will appear in your support channel whenever a new email is sent to your support email address. Anyone with access to customer management features can select a case to view it, forward the case elsewhere in Slack or reply to the email. 

1. From your desktop, open your support channel.
2. Click on a case to view it. 
3. To reply to a case, click Quick actions, then select Send email. 
4. Compose your reply in the email response field. When you’re ready, select Send email to send it.

If a customer replies to your message, you'll see it in the Details tab when viewing a case. Click Quick actions, then Send email to send another reply. 

Manage customer cases

You can take a couple of other actions to manage customer cases in Slack. From a case in your support channel, click Quick actions, then choose one of the following options: 

• Change owner 
• Close case

Tip: Slackbot can help you get up to speed by summarising or researching a case. Click Quick actions, then select Ask Slackbot about the case to get started. 

Who can use this feature?

• Members with access to customer management features 
• Available on the new version of the Business+ subscription