If you’re tired of missing important sales updates or sick of jumping between tabs, you’re not alone. Sales teams live and die by speed, but getting real-time notifications from your CRM always seems harder than it should be. This guide is for anyone who uses Close and wants to see deal updates in Slack—without duct-taping a bunch of tools together or babysitting zaps.
We’ll cut through the noise and show you how to set up the integration—what actually works, what’s not worth your time, and how to keep your setup from turning into a notification nightmare.
Why Connect Close with Slack?
Here’s the deal: CRMs like Close keep your sales data organized, but your team probably lives in Slack. If you’re not getting key Close events in your Slack channels, you’re missing out on fast reactions, quick wins, and a whole lot of context.
But let’s be real: most “integrations” are either too basic (just send everything and hope for the best), or they’re so complicated they break twice a month. The sweet spot? A setup that reliably sends only the notifications you care about, straight to the right Slack channels.
Step 1: Decide What You Actually Want to See in Slack
Before you start connecting anything, get clear on what’s worth interrupting your team for.
Ask yourself: - Do you want notifications for every new lead? Or just closed deals? - Should everyone see these alerts, or just managers? - Are you tracking calls, emails, notes, or just pipeline changes? - Do you want one big #sales-notifications channel, or separate ones for each team or stage?
Pro tip: Less is more. If everything is urgent, nothing is. Only notify for what really matters—your team will thank you.
Step 2: Pick Your Integration Method
There are a few ways to get Close talking to Slack. Each has pros, cons, and hidden gotchas.
Option A: Built-in Integrations (If Available)
Close itself doesn’t have a native, one-click Slack integration as of mid-2024. (If that changes, check their documentation—it’d be the simplest route.)
Option B: Zapier or Make
What it is: Tools like Zapier or Make connect apps without code. They’re the most popular way to automate Close → Slack notifications.
Pros: - No coding skills required. - Templates for common triggers (new lead, status change, etc.). - Quick to set up basic flows.
Cons: - Gets expensive with volume (free plans hit limits fast). - Can become a mess if you keep adding “just one more zap.” - Sometimes slow—notifications can lag a minute or two.
Option C: Custom Integration via Close API + Slack Webhooks
What it is: If you want full control (or your use case is weird), you can use Close’s API and Slack’s Incoming Webhooks to build your own connection.
Pros: - Maximum flexibility—filter and format exactly what you want. - No per-action fees.
Cons: - You need some programming chops. - You’ll need to host and maintain it yourself.
Honest take: For 90% of teams, Zapier or Make will do the job. Go custom only if you have really unique needs or want to avoid recurring fees.
Step 3: Set Up Notifications with Zapier (The Practical Route)
Here’s a no-nonsense walkthrough using Zapier. The steps are similar on Make, but Zapier is a little more beginner-friendly.
3.1 Create Accounts on Both Sides
- Make sure you have admin access to both Close and Slack.
- Sign up for Zapier if you haven’t already.
3.2 Connect Close to Zapier
- In Zapier, click Create Zap.
- For the trigger app, search for “Close.”
- Choose your trigger event. Common ones:
- New Lead
- New Opportunity
- Status Change in Opportunity
- New Activity (call, email, note)
- Connect your Close account (Zapier will prompt you for an API key; you can generate one in your Close settings).
3.3 Set Up the Trigger
- Pick the exact event you want to monitor. For example, “when an opportunity moves to Closed Won.”
- Filter further if needed (e.g., only deals over $10k, or from a certain rep).
- Test the trigger to make sure Zapier is pulling the right info.
3.4 Connect Slack as the Action
- For the action app, search for “Slack.”
- Choose an action. Typical choices:
- Send Channel Message
- Send Direct Message
- Connect your Slack account (Zapier will walk you through it).
3.5 Customize Your Slack Message
- Choose the channel (e.g., #sales-wins).
- Write the message. Use fields from Close to personalize it (deal size, contact name, etc.).
- Keep it readable—nobody likes an ugly dump of data.
Example message:
:moneybag: Deal closed! {{Contact Name}} just signed for ${{Deal Value}}. Rep: {{Owner Name}}.
3.6 Test and Turn On
- Run a test to make sure it lands in Slack as expected.
- Tweak the formatting if needed.
- When you’re happy, turn the zap on.
Step 4: Tune (and Prune) Your Notifications
Don’t set it and forget it—watch how your notifications work in the real world.
- Ask your team: Are these alerts useful, or just noise?
- If people start ignoring the channel, you’re sending too much.
- Use Zapier filters to narrow down what gets through.
- Review every month or so. Things change—your notifications should too.
What to skip: Don’t bother notifying Slack for every single call or email logged in Close. Unless you have a tiny team, it’ll drown out the important stuff.
Step 5: Advanced Moves (If You Need Them)
Multiple Slack Channels
If you want different updates in different channels (say, #sales-wins for closed deals and #pipeline-moves for big new opportunities), just duplicate your zap and adjust the trigger and channel.
Tag-Based Alerts
You can use Close tags or custom fields to trigger notifications only for certain types of deals, verticals, or reps. This takes some Zapier tinkering, but it’s possible.
Add Context to Notifications
Pull in extra info—like the deal source, stage, or last activity—so your team isn’t left guessing.
Custom Integrations
If you’re technical (or have a developer handy), you can use: - Close API docs - Slack Webhooks With these, you can build exactly what you want, but fair warning: it’s a project.
What Works (and What Doesn’t)
Works well: - Simple, high-impact notifications (deal closed, big new lead, etc.) - Routing alerts to specific channels (sales, exec, or even direct messages) - Filtering out low-value noise
Doesn’t work: - Dumping every CRM event into Slack - Over-complicating with too many triggers and channels - Relying on Zapier or Make for business-critical, must-be-instant alerts (they’re good, but not perfect)
Ignore: Any tool or plugin promising “AI-powered sales notifications” unless you see proof it does exactly what you need. Most just repackage the basics.
Keep It Simple (and Tweak as You Go)
Getting Close and Slack working together isn’t rocket science, but it’s easy to overdo it. Start with the essentials. Once you know what actually helps your team, you can always add more bells and whistles.
Stay skeptical, keep your notifications lean, and review your setup regularly. Your team—and your sanity—will thank you.