If you're using Hoopla to boost your team's motivation, chances are you want wins and updates to show up where your team actually hangs out: Slack or Microsoft Teams. This guide walks you through connecting Hoopla to both Slack and Teams, step by step, so your recognition and metrics go where they'll actually get seen. No marketing fluff, just what works (and a heads up on what doesn't).
Why bother connecting Hoopla to Slack and Teams?
Let’s be real: nobody wants another login or dashboard to check. Integrating Hoopla with your team's chat app means:
- Recognition and wins are public—everyone sees them, not just Hoopla power users
- You meet people where they are—no need to chase folks to use yet another tool
- You automate the boring stuff—less manual copy-pasting, more time actually working
But don’t expect miracles. These integrations are about visibility, not deep workflow automation. If you’re hoping for full Slack command support or custom Teams bots, temper your expectations.
What you'll need before you start
- A Hoopla admin account (or at least integration permissions)
- Admin rights on your Slack and/or Microsoft Teams workspace
- The right browser—some steps require pop-ups, so Chrome or Edge is safest
- A few minutes with zero meetings (trust me, interruptions make this take twice as long)
Step 1: Prep your Slack and Teams workspaces
Before you even touch Hoopla, double-check:
- You’re signed in as an admin on both Slack and Teams
- You know which channel(s) in Slack/Teams you want Hoopla to post to
- No one’s going to yell at you for adding a new app/bot (seriously, check your org’s app policies)
If your company restricts third-party apps, talk to IT first—nothing’s more annoying than getting halfway through and hitting a permissions wall.
Step 2: Connect Hoopla to Slack
The Slack integration is the more popular option, so let's start there.
1. Open Hoopla integrations
- Log into Hoopla
- Go to Settings > Integrations
- Find Slack in the list and click Configure
2. Authorize Slack
- Click “Add to Slack.” This opens a new tab.
- Pick which Slack workspace you want to connect (double-check this—people accidentally connect to the wrong workspace all the time).
- Grant permissions. Hoopla needs to:
- Send messages as Hoopla
- Access basic info about channels and users
- Click Allow
3. Choose your Slack channel(s)
- Back in Hoopla, pick which Slack channel(s) should get Hoopla updates.
- You can usually select public channels. For private channels, you’ll need to invite the Hoopla bot to each one manually from within Slack.
4. Set what gets posted
- Decide which events get announced:
- Wins (deals closed, targets hit)
- Milestones (leaderboard changes, streaks)
- Announcements (manager shout-outs, company news)
- Some companies go overboard and post everything. Be selective. Too much noise and people will mute the channel.
Pro tip: Start with just wins and milestones. If people want more, you can always add later.
5. Save and test
- Save your integration settings.
- Trigger a test event (Hoopla usually lets you send a test notification).
- Check Slack: did it show up where you wanted, looking like you expected? If not, double-check channel permissions and bot invites.
Step 3: Connect Hoopla to Microsoft Teams
Teams is a bit fussier than Slack, but the basics are similar.
1. Find the Teams integration in Hoopla
- In Hoopla, go to Settings > Integrations
- Click Configure on Microsoft Teams
2. Authorize the connection
- You'll be prompted to sign into your Microsoft account.
- Grant permissions for Hoopla to post as a bot/app in your Teams workspace.
- You may need your IT admin to approve this—Teams is stricter than Slack about new apps.
3. Pick your Teams channel
- Select which Team and Channel you want updates to appear in.
- For private channels, you often have to manually add the Hoopla app inside Teams.
4. Choose events to post
- Just like with Slack, less is more. Wins and milestones usually do the trick.
5. Save and test
- Save your settings.
- Run a test announcement from Hoopla.
- Check Teams—if nothing shows up, double-check that the app is actually added to the right channel, and that you're not running into permissions issues.
Step 4: Fine-tune your notifications (and avoid spamming your team)
This is where most people mess up. If you blast every minor update, people will mute or leave the channel. Here’s how to stay in your team’s good graces:
- Start with the essentials: Wins, big milestones, and the occasional leaderboard update.
- Skip the noise: Don’t post every single activity or small metric.
- Check in after a week: Ask your team if the updates are helpful or annoying—then adjust.
- Adjust frequency or formatting: Most integrations let you tweak the look or cadence of posts. Use it!
If your team is ignoring the updates, don’t assume the integration is broken. Sometimes, less really is more.
Step 5: Troubleshooting common snags
Here’s what usually trips people up:
- Permissions errors: Make sure Hoopla is actually allowed in your Slack/Teams workspace. If not, IT has to approve it.
- Wrong channels: Double-check you picked the right channel and actually invited the app/bot.
- Notifications not showing up: Run a test event—if nothing appears, unlink and reconnect the integration.
- Duplicate messages: Sometimes, connecting the same channel twice creates double posts. Remove extra configs.
- Formatting issues: Don’t expect fancy attachments or interactive buttons—these integrations are mostly text-based.
If you keep having issues, sometimes it’s faster to remove the integration and redo it from scratch.
How robust are these integrations, really?
Here’s the honest truth: Hoopla’s Slack and Teams integrations are decent for posting announcements and recognition. They’re not deep workflow tools, and you can’t run commands or reference Hoopla data from chat. If you need advanced automations, you’ll need to look at Zapier, webhooks, or custom bots—which is a whole other level of hassle.
If all you want is “X just hit their sales goal!” to show up in your team’s chat, you’re in good shape. If you want two-way sync, or for chat actions to update Hoopla, you’ll be disappointed.
Keep it simple and iterate
Don’t over-engineer this. Connect Hoopla to your main team channel, pick a couple of meaningful notifications, and watch how your team reacts. If they love it, great—add more. If they grumble, dial it back. The goal isn’t to flood chat with noise, but to keep wins and momentum visible. Start small, get feedback, and tweak as you go. That’s how you get actual value from the integration—without driving everyone nuts.