How to Automate Slack Client Onboarding with Make.com

Why automate Slack onboarding?

Onboarding is the first impression a client has of you. If Slack is one of the main ways you communicate with clients, then creating channels and adding people by hand slows down the move from sales to onboarding. Automating it removes the delay and makes the handover consistent every time.

This guide covers a simple scenario in Make.com. Zapier can do similar things. We use both tools, and Zapier is a bit more beginner friendly but more expensive, while Make is slightly cheaper and can do a bit more. Both have free trials, so test them and see which you prefer.

What the automation does

Every time a client is closed, the scenario does five things in order.

1. Creates a new Slack channel for the client.
2. Sets the channel topic.
3. Invites the relevant team members.
4. Sends a welcome message to the channel.
5. Posts a task in an internal channel so your team invites the client.

How to set up the trigger

The trigger depends on your own process. It could be an update in your CRM or a new payment coming through Stripe. For a first build, use a basic trigger that passes in three values: the client name, the email and the company name. In a real setup you would pull these from your CRM or payment processor.

Open Make.com, go to the scenarios section and create a new scenario. Add your trigger first, then build each Slack step after it.

How to create the channel and set the topic

Add a Slack module and choose Create a Channel. When you add your Slack connection, a prompt asks you to log in. There are two connection types. A user connection is quicker to set up. A bot connection is better practice, because the automation is not tied to one person's account.

1. Choose whether the channel is private. In this build it is private.
2. Name the channel using the company name from the trigger. Slack does not allow special characters or uppercase letters, so wrap the company name in Make's lowercase text function.
3. Run the module once to confirm the channel is created and returns a unique channel ID.
4. Add another Slack module for setting the channel topic. Choose the private channel option, select the channel by ID, and map in the channel ID from the previous step.
5. Write the topic. A simple version is the company name followed by a short line such as a channel for communication.

How to invite your team and send the welcome message

Inviting a team member is useful if a customer success manager or virtual assistant works with every client. Instead of telling them to join, they are added automatically and are ready to greet the client. Add a Slack module, choose Invite User under users, map the channel ID from the earlier step and select the team member.

For the welcome message, add a Create a Message module and map in the same channel ID. A client may not join straight away, but when they do they can see earlier messages, so a welcome message is still worth sending. Triggering a message at the moment the client joins is possible but more complicated, so this build sends one generic message when the channel is created.

• Make's Slack module supports Block Kit, which Zapier does not. Block Kit lets you build messages with buttons, radio boxes and other interactive parts. Design the message in the Block Kit builder, copy the code and paste it into the blocks field.
• Map the client name into the first line so the message feels personal.
• Set an icon emoji and a username so the message does not simply appear as a plain bot. Use a Slack emoji name.
• Add useful links, such as your YouTube channel or a booking link, as buttons.

Why can't it invite the client automatically?

Slack does have a function for automatically inviting guests, but the API for it is only available on an Enterprise account. If you do not have one, the workaround is a task for your team.

Add one more Slack message module that posts to an internal channel, such as the channel your virtual assistants or team members use. The message asks them to invite the client's email to the new channel as soon as possible, using the email and channel name from the trigger. Test it by changing the trigger values and running the whole scenario again. A new channel appears with the topic set, your team member added and the welcome message posted, and the reminder lands in the internal channel.

Where does this fit in a full onboarding?

Creating a channel is only one part of onboarding. A full process would also create contracts, create payment links, update the CRM, inform the customer success manager and send emails. You can also use the same Slack pattern for a new payment alert, a wins channel that posts the payment amount and who paid, to keep the team motivated. The same scenario works for a new contractor or employee as well as a client. The video above walks through the full build.