If you’re tired of missing new Salesforce leads until someone forwards you an email—or if you’re just sick of checking Salesforce all day—this guide is for you. I’ll walk you through setting up an automatic Slack notification every time a new lead comes in. You need zero coding skills, just a willingness to click around a bit in Zapier.
I’ll show you the fast way, flag what actually matters, and skip the fluff. Whether you’re a sales manager, an admin, or just the person who gets tapped for these things, you’ll be sending lead notifications to Slack channels (or DMs) in under 30 minutes.
What You’ll Need
Let’s keep it real. Here’s what you actually need before you start:
- A Salesforce account (with rights to view Leads)
- A Slack account (with a channel or person to notify)
- A Zapier account (free is fine for testing, paid for ongoing use)
- Permission to connect apps (sometimes IT gets weird about this)
- About 20–30 minutes, depending on how many “just one more thing” interruptions you get
Step 1: Get Your Accounts Set Up
This sounds obvious, but Zapier needs to connect to both Salesforce and Slack. If you don’t have admin rights, get whoever does to set up the integrations for you.
Pro tip: Some companies lock down third-party integrations. Check with IT before you burn time clicking through Zapier’s connection screens.
Connecting Salesforce to Zapier
- Log in to Zapier.
- Click on “My Apps.”
- Search for Salesforce.
- Click “Connect” and log in with your Salesforce credentials.
- Authorize Zapier to access your Salesforce data. (It won’t do anything scary, but you’ll see a list of permissions.)
Connecting Slack to Zapier
- In Zapier, search for Slack under “My Apps.”
- Click “Connect” and authorize access.
- Pick the workspace you want Zapier to use.
Heads up: If you’re in a big org, you might need a Slack admin to approve. Don’t wait until the last minute to find out.
Step 2: Start Your Zap
A “Zap” is just Zapier-speak for an automated workflow. You’ll set up a Zap that says, “When there’s a new Salesforce lead, post a message in Slack.”
- In Zapier, click “Create Zap.”
- For the trigger, search for Salesforce.
- Choose New Record as the event.
- Pick Lead as the Salesforce object.
What works: This catches every new lead, right when it’s created.
What doesn’t: This won’t pick up updates to existing leads or leads created before you set up the Zap. If you want to filter for only certain leads (like from a web form), you’ll need a filter step later.
- Connect your Salesforce account if you haven’t already done so.
- Test the trigger. Zapier will pull in a sample lead from your Salesforce account. If it can’t find one, go make a dummy lead in Salesforce first.
Step 3: Set Up the Slack Action
Now for the fun part—deciding what your Slack message actually says and where it goes.
- For the action app, pick Slack.
- For the event, choose Send Channel Message (if everyone should see it) or Send Direct Message (if just one person should get it).
Pro tip: Don’t spam your whole sales team. Start with a private channel or just DM yourself for testing.
- Connect your Slack account.
- Set up the message:
- Channel: Pick where the message should go.
- Message Text: This is where you can get creative. Use fields from Salesforce (like Lead Name, Company, Email, etc.) by clicking in the message text box and inserting data from the trigger.
Example message:
:tada: New Salesforce Lead! Name: {{Lead Name}} Company: {{Company}} Email: {{Email}} Created by: {{Owner Name}}
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Bot Name / Icon: Optional. Give your bot a friendly name like “LeadBot” or keep it boring—up to you.
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Test the action. Zapier will send a real message to your chosen Slack channel or DM. Check that the fields look right and nothing weird is showing up.
Step 4: (Optional) Add Filters or Formatting
Here’s where you can get fancy, but most people don’t need to.
- Want notifications only for leads over a certain size? Add a Filter step in Zapier and set your logic (e.g., “Lead Source is Web” or “Company size > 200”).
- Want to format fields or add emoji? Use the Formatter tool, but don’t overthink it at first.
What to ignore: Don’t bother with delays, paths, or multi-step logic unless you have a real need. Complicated Zaps break more often and are harder to fix.
Step 5: Turn On Your Zap and Monitor
You’re almost done.
- Name your Zap something clear, like “Slack Alert for New Salesforce Leads.”
- Turn it on.
- Watch Slack for the first few notifications. Check that the right people see them and that the info is useful (not just noise).
If you get too many alerts: You can always add a filter or change the channel. If you get none, double-check that new leads are actually being created and that you picked the right object in Salesforce.
Common Gotchas (and How to Avoid Them)
- Duplicate notifications: If you have other automations running, make sure you’re not double-notifying.
- Field permissions: Sometimes, Zapier can’t see custom fields if they’re locked down in Salesforce. Check your field-level security.
- Slack app limits: Free Slack plans have limits on app integrations. If you hit a wall, talk to whoever manages Slack at your company.
- Zapier pricing: Free Zapier plans work for light usage, but if you need high volume or advanced steps, be ready for a subscription.
Real Talk: What Actually Matters
- Simplicity wins: The fewer steps, the less that breaks. Start basic, then add bells and whistles.
- Test with real data: Don’t just trust the sample. Create a lead yourself and see what comes through.
- Respect your audience: Nobody wants a Slack channel full of noise. Send notifications where they’re genuinely useful.
Take a breath. You just automated a tedious part of your workflow. If things change—maybe you want to add more lead info, or send alerts to different channels—it’s easy to tweak your Zap later. Start simple, watch what happens, and iterate as you go. Most of these tools promise magic, but the real magic is keeping it straightforward so you don’t have to babysit your automations.