The Chat App enables Teams Users to exchange chat messages (with rich text and emojis) and share files with users of external chat applications, including Slack.
This article guides Microsoft Teams Users in using the Unified Connector App to communicate with Slack users.
Before You Begin
Your organization’s Microsoft Global Admin should have already added the Unified Connector App to your MS Teams app catalog. Instructions for this step are available in Deploy and Sync the Unified Connector App.
Checking if Chat Connector is Active
Open the Unified Connector App. Click on the Chat tab. In the compose message box, enter the phrase echo <message>.
If the entered <message> is echoed back, it confirms that your app is up and running.
Getting Help Instructions
Open the Unified Connector App. Click on the Chat tab. In the compose message box, enter the phrase help chat.
You will be given a list of commands on how you can use the Chat Connector.
Inviting a Slack Contact : Request Deployment of Chat App in Slack
The Slack workspace of your contact should have the Teamslink App installed. If it is not yet available, send an invite to your Slack contact. Follow the following instructions to carry out this invite process.
Open the Unified Connector App. Click on the Chat tab. In the compose message box, enter this command:
addslackworkspace <your Slack contact's email address>
If you enter a valid email address, you'll receive a confirmation message indicating that an email has been sent. This email includes a unique URL that you can share with your contact to complete the app installation in Slack.
If the email address is invalid, you'll see an error message instead—but the same URL will still be provided for you to share with your contact.
Your contact, by following the email instruction or using the URL you provided, will be redirected to a consent page. They should select the desired workspace to connect in the upper right corner of the page, then click the "Allow" button.
Once permission is granted, the app appears in the App list of the Slack workspace.
After the Slack administrator on the other side installs the TeamsLink app, it becomes available to all users in their Slack workspace. You can then invite individual Slack users, as detailed in the next section.
Inviting a Slack Contact: The Actual Invite for a Specific Slack Contact
This process requires the TeamsLink app to be installed in the Slack workspace, as explained in the previous section.
Ask your Slack contact to click the 'Show My ID' button in the TeamsLink app compose box to retrieve her TeamLink ID and share it with you. For detailed instruction, your Slack contact may check the Slack Users Guide for the Chat App.
Open the Unified Connector App. Click on the Chat tab. In the compose message box, enter this command:
invite <your Slack contact’s TeamsLink ID>
You will get a notification message informing of sending the invite.
The Slack user must click on the Confirm button in the invite received on the Slack app.
When the Slack user clicks confirm, you will get this notification message in MS Teams.
Clicking Connect button will redirect you to a Teams chat which now serves as your direct chat with the Slack user. Continue to chat with the Slack user here. Do not remove the extra user in the People list and the Unified app in the Agents and bots list in the chat.
On the other hand, the Slack user will see a new app bearing your name. Your communications will appear in this app.
Chatting with a Connected Slack Contact
After the invite is accepted and the connection is established, open the chat labeled with your Slack contact’s name to begin messaging.
