Slack has become a go-to platform for modern workplace communication, especially for companies operating remotely or in hybrid settings. Beyond its efficient and organised approach to communication, Slack has also proven to be a great tool for team collaboration.

However, while most of us are familiar with its basic features — channels, direct messaging, and file sharing — there are several lesser-known tools that can significantly enhance your productivity.

Below are some of those features you should start using today.

/remind Command

We’ve all had those moments when you miss a meeting, forget a planned chat, or fumble tiny necessities that somehow slip through the cracks. The solution to this is Slack’s /remind command.

You can remind yourself, team members, or even whole channels of upcoming deadlines, meetings, or follow-up tasks without leaving the app. All you have to do is type /remind, followed by what you want to be reminded of, and the date and time you want to be reminded of.

Example:

/remind @me to send a graphics request to Simeon by 11:30 am on Monday.

/remind #editorial to join weekly startup meetings every Wednesday by 11 am.

This feature is especially handy for setting up future or recurring reminders without the need for an external task manager.

To manage your list of reminders, simply type “/remind list.”

Advanced Search Modifiers

Slack’s search bar is more powerful than you think. Instead of scrolling through endless chats or using vague search terms, you can optimise your search with advanced modifiers.

Here’s a quick overview of commands needed for advanced search:

‘in:’ limits the search to a specific channel.

‘from:’ filters messages from a particular @user.

‘has:link’ finds messages containing links.

‘has:emoji-code’ finds messages with a specific emoji.

‘to:’ searches for direct messages sent to you.

You can also use ‘before:’, ‘after:’, ‘on:’, or ‘during:’ to search within specific time frames.

Example: in:#general from:@Isilomo has:link

This command will show you all the messages from Isilomo in the general channel that include a link.

Slack Canvas

Slack Canvas is a relatively new feature designed to help you centralise and share essential information with your team. Think of it as a collaborative workspace that allows you to store text, files, links, and even apps — all on Slack.

Canvases are perfect for organising meeting notes, project plans, or brainstorming sessions. You can embed workflows, curate links, and share files to create a unified knowledge hub that anyone on your team can reference and update in real-time. It’s searchable, just like channel messages, so you can find all your resources quickly without hopping between apps.

It’s particularly handy for keeping track of action items, storing evergreen content, and enhancing collaboration on projects across departments.

Lastly, keep an eye out for Slack’s new Agentforce feature, which was recently unveiled as a tool for helping teams manage customer relationship management (CRM) tasks seamlessly within Slack. Powered by Salesforce’s AI, Agentforce is poised to automate workflows, retrieve data, and handle customer-related activities without switching between apps. It’s designed to boost productivity by leveraging Slack’s conversational interface and Salesforce’s robust AI capabilities, making it easier for teams to stay organised and informed.

Slack says Agentforce will be in beta in October, so a full-scale launch is expected any moment from then.