Docs/Getting Started/Connecting Slack

Connecting Slack

Slack is the primary interface for interacting with your Pingd AI agent. This guide covers the full connection process, permissions, and troubleshooting.

Prerequisites

  • A Pingd account (see Quick Start Guide)
  • Admin access to your Slack workspace (or permission from your Slack admin)

Connecting Your Workspace

  1. Log in to your Pingd dashboard
  2. Navigate to Settings → Integrations → Slack
  3. Click Connect Slack Workspace
  4. You'll be redirected to Slack's authorization page
  5. Select the workspace you want to connect
  6. Review the requested permissions and click Allow

Permissions Explained

Pingd requests only the permissions it needs to function:

PermissionWhy It's Needed
Send messagesSo your agent can respond to queries and deliver insights
Read messages in added channelsTo understand conversation context when mentioned
Access user profilesTo personalize responses with your name and role
Create DM conversationsTo send you proactive insights and alerts
Pro Tip: Pingd never reads messages in channels it hasn't been explicitly added to. Your private conversations remain private.

Adding Pingd to Channels

After connecting, you can invite your Pingd agent to specific channels:

  1. Open the Slack channel where you want Pingd available
  2. Type /invite @Pingd or click the channel settings and add Pingd
  3. Pingd will send a greeting message confirming it's active

Using Pingd in Slack

There are two ways to interact with your agent:

Direct Messages

DM your Pingd agent for private conversations. This is ideal for:
  • Sensitive deal questions
  • Personal pipeline reviews
  • Meeting prep

Channel Mentions

Mention @Pingd in a channel where it's been added. Great for:
  • Team-wide questions ("@Pingd what's our team pipeline this quarter?")
  • Collaborative deal reviews
  • Sharing insights with colleagues

Advisor Insight Delivery

Advisors automatically deliver personalized insights via Slack DM. When an advisor runs, it:
  1. Analyzes your data to generate insights for each team member
  2. Looks up each person's Slack user account using their email address
  3. Sends a personalized DM with relevant insights, priorities, and action items

Email Matching Requirement

Critical: For advisor insights to be delivered correctly, each team member's Slack email must match their email in your data sources (Salesforce, Snowflake, etc.).

Pingd uses users.lookupByEmail to find the correct Slack user for delivery. If emails don't match:

  • The insight won't be delivered
  • You'll see delivery failures in the advisor logs
  • The person won't receive their personalized insights

Fixing Email Mismatches

If insights aren't being delivered:

  1. Check the person's Slack profile email (click their name → View Profile → Contact Info)
  2. Compare with their email in your CRM/data sources
  3. Update either the Slack email or data source email to match
  4. Re-run the advisor to test delivery

Multiple Workspaces

Currently, each Pingd organization connects to one Slack workspace. If your company uses multiple workspaces, contact support to discuss multi-workspace setups.

Disconnecting Slack

If you need to disconnect:

  1. Go to Settings → Integrations → Slack
  2. Click Disconnect Workspace
  3. Confirm the disconnection
This removes Pingd from your Slack workspace but preserves your account data and configurations.

Troubleshooting

"Pingd isn't responding in Slack"

  • Verify the bot has been added to the channel
  • Check that your Slack connection is active in Settings
  • Try sending a DM directly to the Pingd bot

"Authorization failed"

  • Ensure you have admin permissions in your Slack workspace
  • Try clearing your browser cache and re-authorizing
  • Contact your Slack admin if your workspace restricts third-party apps

"Messages are delayed"

  • Pingd typically responds within 2-5 seconds
  • Complex queries involving data lookups may take up to 15 seconds
  • If delays persist, check the Troubleshooting Guide
See also: Quick Start Guide · Inviting Your Team