Slack: Concierge docs

Questions about orders, stock and numbers come up in Slack all day. Connect Slack and your team can ask a Concierge agent right there: mention it in a channel, and it answers in a thread under the message, using the same tools and rules it has everywhere else. Nobody has to leave Slack to look something up.

Setting it up takes three parts: authorize your Slack workspace, choose the Slack channels to open to Concierge, and assign those channels to an agent.

Before you start

You need a Chargezen role that can change Concierge channel settings, and a Slack account that's allowed to install apps in your Slack workspace. If Slack asks for an admin's approval, ask your Slack admin to approve it.

Connect your Slack workspace

Open Slack in Channels

In the Chargezen admin, go to Concierge > Deploy > Channels. On the Slack card, click Configure Slack.

Start a connection

Click Connect new Slack workspace. Give it a Connection name your team will recognize, such as "Main Slack".

Authorize in Slack

Click Connect Slack. Slack opens and lists what Concierge asks for: reading mentions and messages in the channels and conversations it's part of, and posting replies. Pick your Slack workspace and click Allow. You come back to Chargezen with the message "Slack workspace connected."

Choose the Slack channels

The page lists your Slack channels. Tick each channel Concierge should listen to. If a channel shows "The bot may need to be invited before it can receive channel messages", open that channel in Slack and invite the Chargezen app (type /invite and pick the app).

Check the status

Under Verify Channel, Connection should say Connected and Workspace auth should say Ready. The Summary on the right counts your setup steps as they're done.

Assign an agent

A Slack channel only gets answers once an agent owns it. Click Open Agents (or go to Deploy > Agents), click Configure on the agent that should answer, and tick the Slack channel under Channels and replies. Set its reply style and maximum length for Slack, make sure Status is Active, and click Save Agent.

Each Slack channel belongs to one agent at a time. If another agent already answers it, it shows as "· Assigned". You can use different agents for different Slack channels, for example a reporting agent in #ops and a support agent in #customer-questions.

How teammates ask an agent in Slack

Mention the agent

In a Slack channel you picked, type @, choose the Chargezen app, then write the request as you would to a colleague: "which orders from yesterday haven't shipped?"

It replies in a thread

The agent answers in a thread under your message, so the channel stays readable and the whole exchange stays together.

Follow up in the thread

To ask a follow-up, reply in the same thread and mention the agent again. It remembers what you asked it earlier in that channel, so you don't need to repeat yourself.

The agent answers only messages that mention it, so it never jumps into your team's other conversations. Messages posted by other bots are ignored, and every request from Slack is checked to make sure it really came from your Slack workspace.

Good things to ask in Slack (after mentioning the app)

"How many orders did we get yesterday, and how does that compare with the same day last week?"
"Find the order for jane@example.com and tell me where the package is."
"Which customers wrote to us in the last 48 hours and still haven't had a reply?"
"What were our best-selling products last month, and how much stock is left of each?"

What the agent can do in Slack

Whatever that agent is allowed to do, and nothing more. Its Capabilities decide what it can look up or change. Anything consequential, such as cancelling a subscription or changing an order, still waits for a yes from the person who asked (see Approvals). Every Slack conversation also appears in Operate > Inbox, where your team can read it and step in.

Manage the connection

Add or remove Slack channels: open Configure Slack, click Configure on the workspace and tick or untick channels. Unticking a channel stops Concierge from answering there.
Rename the workspace: change the Connection name and click Save workspace name.
Reconnect: if Slack access was removed or expired, click Reconnect Slack and authorize again. Your channel choices stay.
More than one Slack workspace: click Connect new Slack workspace again. Each one is listed under Authorized workspaces.

Troubleshooting and FAQ

I mentioned the agent and nothing happened

Check that the Slack channel is ticked, the Chargezen app is in that Slack channel, and an active agent has the channel under Channels and replies. If a teammate took over that conversation in the inbox, the agent stays quiet until someone clicks Return to Agent. More fixes are in Troubleshooting.

Can it work in private channels and direct messages?

Private channels the app has been invited to appear in the channel list once you invite it. By default an agent answers when it's mentioned, so mention it wherever you ask.

Can one Slack channel feed two Chargezen workspaces?

No. Connect each Slack channel to one Chargezen workspace, so every message has exactly one place to go.

Is Slack for customers too?

Slack is usually where your team works, so most businesses use it for internal questions and reports. Customer channels are covered in SMS, WhatsApp, Email and Telegram and website chat.

Guides

On the product page

Learn more

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