Staying connected and informed is crucial, which is why over 70% of employees at large companies use collaboration tools. These platforms help teams communicate effectively, co-create documents, and stay updated on project progress. However, managing attention across different platforms can be challenging. One moment, you're engaged in a Slack discussion; the next moment, a comment on a Confluence page demands your attention, possibly sidelining other important tasks.

The integration of Slack and Confluence addresses this issue effectively. By connecting Slack’s real-time chat with Confluence’s organizational capabilities, not only are projects kept on track, but team knowledge sharing and efficiency are also enhanced. This blog will explore how this integration improves teamwork and turns spontaneous ideas into structured, actionable plans.

‍

How to Connect Slack with Confluence?

Integrating Slack with Confluence can be achieved using three common methods:

• Using the Native Slack App for Confluence, receive notifications of Confluence updates within Slack
• Using Zapier to trigger advanced workflows based on Slack and Confluence updates - including creating Confluence pages.
• Using ClearFeed to post automated answers in Slack from Confluence.

In the following sections, we will give into these methods in greater detail.

Method #1: Using Native Slack App for Confluence

Slack app for Confluence is built by Atlassian and allows users to stay updated on Confluence content directly within Slack. This integration enables several key functionalities:

Features and Benefits:

1. Ease of Setup: The native app can be more straightforward to configure as it is built by Atlassian.
2. Real-Time Notifications: Receive updates in Slack when changes are made in Confluence, such as page edits, comments, or mentions.
3. Collaboration via Slack: The native app allows users to reply to comments in Confluence from Slack.
4. Security and Compliance: As a native feature, it often adheres strictly to both platforms' security standards.

How to connect Slack with Confluence using the Confluence Slack App?

To integrate Slack with Confluence Cloud using the official Atlassian app, the following three steps are needed:

1. Install the Confluence Cloud App in Slack
2. Connect Slack to your Confluence Site
3. Setup notifications for specific Confluence Spaces in Slack

Step 1: Install the Confluence Cloud App in Slack

1. Visit the Slack App Directory and search for the "Confluence Cloud" app.
2. Select the app from the search results and click the "Add to Slack" button.

3. You may be prompted to log in to your Slack workspace if you haven't already done so.

1. After clicking "Add to Slack," you'll be redirected to a permissions page.
2. Review the permissions requested by the Confluence Cloud app.
3. Select the Slack workspace where you want to install the Confluence Cloud app.
4. Click "Allow" to grant the permissions.

Once you've authorized the app, you will get a confirmation about successful installation.

Step 2: Connect Slack to Your Confluence Site

1. Go to the Atlassian website and log in to create a Space if you haven’t done so already. Follow the link to connect your Confluence Cloud site to Slack.
2. Confirm the connection and make sure that the correct Confluence site is linked.

Step 3: Choose Spaces to Receive Notifications

1. After linking your Confluence site, choose the Confluence spaces for which you want to receive notifications.

2. Set up the notifications in the desired Slack channels by following the prompts provided by the Confluence Cloud app.
3. Customize your notification preferences to specify what types of updates you want to be notified about (e.g., page creation, comments, mentions, etc.).

4. You can also use the "/confluence" slash command in Slack to manage your settings and subscriptions.

Limitations:

1. It may not be as customizable as some third-party solutions.
2. Features are limited to what Atlassian and Slack mutually support.

‍

Method #2: Using Zapier

While both Slack and Confluence offer powerful functionalities on their own, merging their capabilities through Zapier can create a seamless flow of information and collaboration. Here’s a glimpse into what this integration can do for you:

Features and Benefits:

1. Custom Workflows: Set up unique workflows that aren’t available with the native app, like creating Confluence pages from starred messages in Slack.
2. No Code Integration: Easily connect apps with a user-friendly interface without needing programming knowledge.
3. Extensive Trigger Support: There are many more options for triggers and actions than what is typically available in native integrations.
   ‍

How to Connect Slack with Confluence Cloud using Zapier?

Here's a step-by-step guide to setting up Slack-Confluence integration using Zapier:

Step 1: Sign up or Log in to Zapier and Create a New Zap

1. If you don't already have a Zapier account, go to Zapier and sign up. If you have an account, just log in.
2. Search for the “Confluence Cloud” app in the Zapier library.

3. Once connected, select the Event “New Page or Blog Post” from the dropdown menu and click “Continue.”

4. You will be required to connect your Confluence Cloud account as the next step. 

Step 2: Configure the Trigger

1. Choose the site connected with your Confluence Cloud account from the dropdown menu. You will need to select the Space and Type in the same window.

2. To proceed and save the settings, click “Continue”.
3. Zapier will ask you to test the trigger to make sure it's set up correctly. Follow the instructions and click "Continue".

Step 3: Set Up the Event & Action

1. Search for "Slack" and select the option. Choose what action you want to happen in Confluence when your Slack trigger occurs. This could be "Send Channel Message in Slack,” “Set Status," or any other available event. Click "Continue".

2. As you did with Confluence, you’ll need to connect your Slack account by signing in and approving the connection.
3. Define the details of the action, such as what details you want to share (e.g., the title of the page and the body content, etc.) and what channels need to be notified.
4. Zapier will prompt you to test the action by creating a page in Confluence or executing the chosen action.

Step 4: Name and Turn on Your Zap

1. Give your Zap a descriptive name that helps you identify its function.
2. Click the “Publish” and toggle on the button to activate your automation.

After successfully linking Slack and Confluence through Zapier, spend some time playing around with the variety of triggers and actions. Tweaking your Zaps as per team suggestions can lead to a significant boost in efficiency and cooperative efforts. 

While Zapier is a viable option, ClearFeed stands out for its ability to connect Slack to not just Confluence but a range of other productivity platforms. So next, we'll explore the core functionalities of ClearFeed, an AI-powered customer and employee support platform built for Slack and Microsoft Teams, to improve your Slack-Confluence integration.

Limitations:

1. It can become costly as you scale up or need more intricate workflows.
2. Depending on the tasks, there might be a slight delay in execution compared to native integrations.

‍

Method #3: Using ClearFeed

Integrating your business's Confluence knowledge base with Slack using  ClearFeed brings a world of efficiency and convenience to handling customer inquiries and internal queries. Confluence, known for its robust flexibility and user-friendly interface, serves as an excellent platform for storing a company's collective knowledge. ClearFeed takes this utility a step further by indexing this knowledge base for easy accessibility and making it available via GPT-based AI models within Slack thereby enhancing its usefulness manifold.

‍

How to Answer Questions in Slack from Confluence

Here's a quick guide on setting up ClearFeed to answer questions in Slack using Confluence automatically:

1. Combine Confluence Spaces and Pages into Knowledge Sources: Using ClearFeed, users can select specific Confluence pages and spaces that may be relevant to automated answers on a specific knowledge source in ClearFeed. ClearFeed indexes and stores the knowledge source into a vector database that can be plugged into different answer-generation workflows.  
2. GPT-Powered Answers from Confluence: ClearFeed uses the latest AI models like GPT-4 to generate accurate and relevant answers to user queries using data indexed from Confluence. Generative answers are much easier to understand and more accurate than search results. They also provide citations to the Confluence pages used to power the search.
   ‍
3. Configurable Automated Answer Workflows: ClearFeed can be configured to provide generated answers in various different ways:
   1. For Deflection: Answers can be posted directly in response to queries. Users can mark if the answer resolved their issue.
   2. As Agent Assistant: Conversely - the answers can be posted privately to agents on a Triage Channel - to help them resolve queries faster. This is especially useful when sensitive or private data is needed to answer questions.
   3. Manual Interactions: Users can also get answers via manual actions like applying an emoji or tagging the ClearFeed bot. 
   4. OOO Responses: Teams can also configure automated responses generated from Confluence only during out-of-office hours.
4. Combine with other knowledge sources: Not only can ClearFeed use Confluence to provide answers, but it can also do the same by using knowledge sources from data like Notion, PDF files, Google Docs, and Documentation.

If you are intrigued by the possibilities of making your team more efficient and informed, a deeper dive into ClearFeed’s Automated Answering functionalities could be exceptionally beneficial. For those keen on seeing the feature in action, book a demo with our team here.

‍

FAQs

Can Slack Integrate with Confluence?

Yes, Slack can integrate with Confluence. This integration allows teams to connect their communication platform in Slack with their knowledge management system in Confluence. By linking these two platforms, users can receive updates, search for Confluence documents directly from Slack, and even create Confluence pages. This combination enhances workflow efficiency, promotes better team collaboration, and helps keep everyone in the loop with the latest updates and document changes.