Getting started for workspace creators

A Slack workspace is a single place for your team, and anyone else you collaborate with, to get work done. If you haven't already, sign up to get started with Slack.

In this guide, you'll learn how to: Customize your workspace Create channels Invite people and get them up to speed

Tip: If you're newer to Slack, read What is Slack? for a general overview of how things work. To join an existing workspace, check out Getting started for new Slack users.

Customize your workspace

As the workspace creator, you’ll hold the Primary Owner role. You'll have access to customization settings so you can personalize the workspace for your team. Here are a few things we recommend doing:

Slack icon

Status suggestions

Profile fields

Help members identify your workspace by uploading a Slack icon, such as your company logo.

Try it.

You and your coworkers can let each other know what you're up to by setting your Slack status. As an admin in your workspace, you can set default status suggestions people will be able to choose from.

Try it.

Profiles help coworkers learn more about each other. Add custom profile fields to encourage your team to share more details, like location, start date, and more when they fill out their profiles.

Try it.

Create channels

After customizing your workspace, you can start creating channels. In Slack, conversations happen in channels and direct messages (DMs). DMs are better-suited for one-off conversations, and channels are where the majority of work will take place.

As you're getting things set up, we recommend creating channels for announcements, major projects, and something social. 

#announcements

#project

#social

An announcements channel can be used to share critical information everyone in the workspace should know. You can use the #general or #all-companyname channel for announcements since everyone in your workspace will be added automatically when they join.

You can have ongoing, focused discussions about priorities and keep work organized in project channels.

Set up a dedicated channel for informal conversations about topics other than work. You might discuss movies, dogs, or even movies about dogs.

Tip: You can set up your channels from scratch, or use a template designed for a specific purpose like onboarding new hires or managing a project.

Invite people and get them up to speed

Now that you’ve completed the basics to set up your workspace, you’re ready to invite your coworkers and get them familiar with Slack:

• Use our customizable template to introduce Slack. If you already have a communication plan in place, include a link to our Slack quick-start guide.
• Read about the types of roles in Slack and think of a few people to be Workspace Admins. They can help with administrative tasks as you're getting the rest of the team on board.
• Invite people to your workspace! From the Slack desktop app, click your workspace name in the top-left corner and look for the Invite people to... option in the menu, or read more about inviting new members to your workspace.
• To work with people from other companies in your workspace, get started with Slack Connect.

Do more

Slack helps keep conversations organized and work moving forward, especially if everyone on the team is using Slack. If you find your coworkers continue to default to email or other tools, we have a few tips to help them make the transition.

• Connect other tools: You can connect other software, like Google Calendar, Zoom, and Asana to Slack. With all your tools in Slack, your team can switch between apps at work less often. Browse the Slack Marketplace, or read our guide to apps in Slack to learn more.

• Forward emails to Slack: You can send emails directly to channels in Slack. Visit Send emails to Slack to learn how.