NextPlane Open Channels for Slack: Users Guide

Increasingly your colleagues, inside and outside the enterprise, can be on other collaboration platforms than Slack, such as Microsoft Teams. Others may be on legacy platforms such as Cisco Jabber or Microsoft Skype for Business.

NextPlane Open Channels works just like Slack Connect or Slack Shared channels. Except you as a Slack user can invite non-Slack colleagues on Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex, or legacy UC platforms to participate in your Slack channels.

In Slack channels, you and your non-Slack contacts can share presence status, send rich-text messages, GIFs, and emoji reactions*, view channel members, and share files*. Also, You can view non-Slack members’ profiles and send DM to them.

As a Slack user, you stay in Slack, and your internal or external colleagues can remain in their apps. No one has to install and learn another app or get and pay for guest accounts.

* Coming soon.

Prerequisites:

• The non-Slack contact has been added to your workspace.
  For more information about adding non-Slack contacts to a workspace, please see https://nextplane.net/slack/userguide/.
  
  
• The necessary channel exists within the same workspace the non-Slack contact has been added to.

Select the necessary channel* and below the channel description, click Add an app  . In the list of workspace apps, next to the app representing the necessary contact, click Add  .

Wait for the non-Slack contact to accept your invitation to join the channel. Once they accept, all the channel members will be able to see their messages posted to the channel.

In the message area, post your welcome message and click Send message  or press Enter.

If you have the necessary permissions, you can remove non-Slack members from the channel.

* You can add non-Slack contacts to public channels only. Adding non-Slack contacts to private as well as shared channels will be available soon.

Select the necessary channel* and in the upper-right corner, click Show channel details . Select More  > Add apps.

In the list of workspace apps, next to the app representing the necessary contact, click Add .

Wait for the non-Slack contact to accept your invitation to join the channel. Once they accept, all the channel members will be able to see their messages posted to the channel.

In the message area, post your welcome message and click Send message  or press Enter.

If you have the necessary permissions, you can remove non-Slack members from the channel.

* You can add non-Slack contacts to public channels only. Adding non-Slack contacts to private as well as shared channels will be available soon.

Select the channel with non-Slack members. In the upper-right corner, click Show channel details , and then select More  > View apps in #channel_name.

The non-Slack channel members are listed as apps.

Select the channel with non-Slack members. In the upper-right corner, click Show channel details , and then select More  > View apps in #channel_name.

The non-Slack channel members are listed as apps with their presence state—Active or Away—displayed.

In the channel view, select the non-Slack member's name, and then click Go to App. The conversation with the non-Slack contact opens and you may start direct messaging.

In the channel view, select the non-Slack member's name, and then click Go to App. In the direct conversation with the non-Slack contact, navigate to the About tab below the contact's name. Here, your contact's profile details are displayed.

If you have the necessary permissions, you can remove non-Slack members from your Slack channel.

Open the channel and in the upper-right corner, click Show channel details . Select More  > View apps in #channel_name. In the list of channel apps, next to the app representing the necessary non-Slack member, click Remove.

When removed from the channel, the non-Slack contact stops receiving messages posted to that channel.

Why NextPlane Open Channels
NextPlane Open Channels works just like Slack Connect or Slack Shared channels. Except you as a Slack user can invite your colleagues on Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex, or legacy UC platforms to participate in your Slack channels.

Does NextPlane Open Channels work with an existing Slack Channel?
Yes, NextPlane Open Channels works with the existing Slack channels. After setting up the NextPlane Open Channels solution in your Slack workspace, members of the workspace can add external colleagues to any existing Slack channel of their choice.

Does NextPlane Open Channels support Slack Connect and Shared Channels?
No, but we plan to support them soon. No extra permissions will be required to add your external non-Slack partners to Slack Connect and shared Slack channels.

Can Slack users see the presence status of the non-Slack members?
Yes, Slack users can see the non-Slack members’ presence status as Active or Away.

Can Slack users and non-Slack channel members post messages with rich text and emoji reactions?
Yes, Slack users and non-Slack channel members can post messages with rich text and emoji reactions.

Can Slack users and non-Slack members share files in Slack channels?
No, Slack users and non-Slack members cannot currently share files. But file-sharing is coming soon.

Can Slack users DM the non-Slack members?
Yes, Slack users can direct message their non-Slack colleagues.

Can Slack users and their non-Slack contacts engage in a group conversation?
No, but we plan to support this feature soon.

How can legacy UC users participate in Slack channels?
NextPlane uses SIP or XMPP to establish interoperability between Slack and legacy UC platforms such as Microsoft Skype for Business or Cisco Jabber. Users on these platforms do NOT need to add the nextplane App to receive an invitation to a Slack channel.

Once users on a legacy UC platform accept the invitation to join a Slack channel, they will see the Slack channel names as contacts on their client applications. To view and send messages to Slack channels, UC users need to open a chat session with the Slack Channels represented as contacts. Their messages will be visible to all the channel members.

Can Slack users see who the members of a Slack channel are?
Yes, Slack users can view all the channel members, including the external ones.

Can non-Slack users see who the members of Slack channels are?
No, non-Slack users cannot view the channel members, but this feature is coming soon.

Can Slack users see the non-Slack contacts' profiles (V-Card)?
Yes, Slack users can view the non-Slack contacts' profile details (V-Card).

Can Slack users remove individual non-Slack channel members?
Yes, Slack users, with necessary permissions, can remove non-Slack members from Slack channels. Slack workspace admins have full control over their channel to grant or withdraw permissions related to the channel. Slack channel owners and members can manage the external members of their channels.

Can non-Slack members manage the Slack channels or invite other non-Slack contacts?
No, non-Slack members cannot manage the Slack channels or invite other contacts. Only Slack channel members can add external contacts to their Slack channels.

Can Slack users rename the Slack channels?
Yes, Slack channel owners can rename their channels. However, the new channel name will only be visible to Slack channel members. External members will not be able to see it.

Do Slack workspace owners and admins have full control over the NextPlane Open Channels?
Yes, Slack workspace owners or admins have full control over the NextPlane Open Channels and their members as with any other Slack channels.

Can a non-Slack member be removed from a Slack channel but remain in the workspace?
Yes, non-Slack members removed from the channel will remain in the workspace. Thus, anyone from your workspace can still send direct messages to them or add them to other channels. Workspace admins can remove non-Slack contacts from the workspace.

What are the advantages of NextPlane Open Channels?
The key advantages of the NextPlane Open Channels are as follows:

• Unprecedented platform coverage
  NextPlane supports both team collaboration and unified communications (UC) platforms—from Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex to Microsoft Skype for Business and Cisco Jabber.
  
  
• Complete user management and access control
  Slack workspace admins have full control over their channel to grant or withdraw permissions related to the channel.
  Slack channel owners and members can manage the non-Slack members of their channels.
  Non-Slack members have no access to manage the Slack channels or invite other users.
  Slack channel members can add non-Slack contacts to their channels.
  Slack channel members, with necessary permissions, can remove non-Slack members from channels.
  
  
• Security
  Non-Slack members cannot invite other external members to Slack channels.
  Slack channel members can see external members as individuals and view their profiles.
  
  
• Flexibility and rich collaboration experience
  External members can participate in both public and private channels.
  Slack users can send direct messages or engage in group conversations with external members.
  There are no limitations as to the number of channels external contacts can join or participate.

How do I contact NextPlane for more information?
For more information, feel free to book a free 30-minute call with the NextPlane expert.