Slack lists: Collect and triage requests
When you receive a request in Slack and have to manage it in another tool, tracking the task can feel tedious and information can go missing. With Slack lists, you can simplify the collection process, quickly triage submissions, and discuss requests where everyone who needs to see them can — right in Slack!
Collect requests in a form
Let’s say you’ve created a channel your teammates use to request assistance from your IT help desk. Instead of manually adding submissions to a spreadsheet, create a list to collect and track requests, and avoid the need to switch between programs.
Tip: Slack lists are also useful for managing creative requests, gathering feedback from cross-functional teams, and storing a backlog of ideas.
Create a new list
Start a list from scratch or use one of our templates (the Help requests template is an excellent option).
- From your desktop, hover over More, then select Lists.
- In the top-right corner, click New, then select List.
- If you’d like, select the Help Requests template from the column on the left, then click Use Template.
Customize your list
Customize the list for information you’d like to include. In the Help requests template, Request, Category, and Priority are added for you, but you can add, edit, or delete fields as needed.
Add a field
Edit a field
Delete a field
- From the list, click the plus icon at the end of the top row.
- Enter a name for the field and choose a field type. Select additional options if prompted.
- Click Save.
- Click a field in the top row of the list, then select Edit field.
- Edit the name of the field, and select a Field type to change the format of the data.
- Click Save.
- Click a field in the top row of the list, then select Delete field.
- Confirm to delete the field.
Add a form automation
Simplify the request collection process with an automated form.
- From a list, click Forms in the top-right corner, then click Set Up a Form or Add a Form.
- Review your form questions, click the eye icon to exclude fields that shouldn’t appear on the form, then click Publish Workflow.
- To edit your form, click Open in Workflow Builder. Otherwise, click Share Form or Done.
When a member submits the form, a new item will be added to the list, and the field data will be filled out with the responses from the form.
Tip: You can turn any message into a list item! From a conversation, hover over a message and click the three dots icon, then select Add to list.
Quickly triage submissions
Now that you’ve set up a form to collect and automatically add requests to a list, you can triage submissions by assigning priorities and teammates. Then, organize the list the way you need by sorting and filtering it.
Assign priorities and teammates
As submissions come in, set their priority and assign them to teammates so it's clear who's responsible to handle each request.
- If you started with the Help Requests list template, an Assignee field was created for you, skip to step 4. If not, click the plus icon at the end of the top row of a list to create a new field.
- Add a name for the field, then select People from the Field type drop-down menu.
- Choose if you’d like to allow multiple selections and whether you’d like names to show in the list, then click Save.
- Click the people field on an item, then search for and select a member.
Sort and filter
Organize requests in your list the way you need, such as sorted by assignee and filtered by priority.
- From a list, click the filters icon .
- Under Edit view, choose how you’d like to sort, filter, hide, and group the items in the list. You can also choose between table or board layout.
- To come back to the way you've organized the list, click Save View, then Save changes or Save as new view.
- To switch between your saved views, click All items.
Discuss items without losing context
Asking follow-up questions or collaborating with teammates happens in a list, so context stays in one place. Manage who has access to the list by sharing it with the right people, and discuss specific tasks in an item’s message thread.
Share your list
Share the list with specific people that need to see it. You can also share lists in channels.
- From a list, click Share in the top-right corner.
- From the General tab, select if everyone in your workspace should have Restricted, Can view, or Can edit access, then click Save.
- From the Channels or People tabs, add the names of people or channels who can collaborate on the list, then click Share. The list will be sent as a message to the people or channels you specified.
Tip: To see who a list has been shared with, click Share in the top-right corner of a list, then navigate between the Channels and People tabs.
Create a message thread
Whenever you need to have a focused discussion about a request, such as to ask a follow-up question, create a message thread in a list.
- From the list, hover over an item, then click Add comment to start a thread or View comment to continue a thread.
- Type your message, then press Send.
Note: You can read and reply to message threads about list items in the same place as your other threads by clicking Threads in your sidebar.