The Chat Connector—a service within the Unified Connector 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.
IMPORTANT UPDATE
To simplify deployment and ongoing management, we are consolidating four separate connector applications into a single Unified Connector App.
This approach reduces complexity for both enterprise administrators and end users by eliminating the need to install, configure, and manage multiple Microsoft Teams applications. With the Unified Connector App, organizations benefit from a single installation that supports PBX, SMS, Call, and Chat services, resulting in a more streamlined setup experience, fewer configuration points, and a more consistent user interface.
Additional benefits of this consolidation include simplified updates and version control, improved reliability through shared services, reduced administrative overhead, and a clearer support and troubleshooting model.
Recommendation
The CallApp and Chat services are now available exclusively through the Unified Connector App.
New enterprise deployments are therefore strongly encouraged to use the Unified Connector App for PBX and SMS, rather than relying on standalone connector apps.
The end of life date for PBX and SMS Connector Apps will be announced soon.
Before You Begin
Your organization's Enterprise Admin must deploy and sync the Unified Connector App to the app catalog.
Know When the App Is Ready
In Microsoft Teams, navigate to the Teams app catalog.
Under Built for your org, locate the app.
Note: The app name may vary if it has been customized by your service provider.
The app is ready when the button says “Open”.
Once available, select Open to start using the app.
For quicker access in the future, you can optionally pin the app to your Microsoft Teams sidebar.
If the button continues to display Add for more than 24 hours, contact your enterprise administrator and request that they upgrade the app in the Enterprise portal by increasing the version number and redeploying the 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 "Install Teamslink" button.
Once permission is granted, the app appears in the App list of the Slack workspace.
RESULT:
After the Slack administrator on the other side installs the TeamsLink app, it becomes available to all users in their Slack workspace.You will get a notification in Teams for the successful deploy of the Slack app in your Slack contact’s 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 delete!
Do not remove the extra user in the People list and the Unified app in the Agents and bots list in the chat.
To allow additional Teams users to communicate with the Slack participants, add them to the group chat.
The Slack user will receive a new channel titled with your name, where your messages will be displayed and visible to all added members.
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.
