If you run a team that lives in Slack but collects info or requests through forms, you’re probably sick of missing things. Or maybe you’re tired of checking emails just to see who filled out what. Good news: you can connect Paperform to Slack and get instant notifications right where your team already talks. This guide is for anyone who wants a straight-up, reliable way to make that happen—without coding or cobbling together half-baked workarounds.
Here’s how to do it, what actually works, and what to watch out for.
Why Connect Paperform to Slack? (And What Not to Expect)
Let’s keep it real: the main reason to connect Paperform to Slack is so you don’t miss stuff. Whether it’s new leads, support requests, or lunch orders, you want your team notified instantly—no more digging through emails or browser tabs.
But here’s what this integration won’t do: - It won’t magically sort or assign requests. You just get the alert; your team still has to read it. - It’s not a full CRM or helpdesk—think of it as a virtual doorbell rather than a concierge. - If you want fancy formatting, file uploads, or deep Slack interactivity, you’ll hit limits.
Still, if all you want is “Someone filled out the thing—let’s see what they said,” you’re in the right place.
What You’ll Need Before You Start
Before you dive in, make sure you have:
- A Paperform account (Pro plan or above for integrations)
- A Slack workspace where you have permission to add apps/integrations
- A Paperform form already built (or at least a test one to play with)
- Optional: A basic Zapier account (if you want more control, but more on that later)
That’s it. No coding, no servers, no mystery steps.
Step 1: Decide How You Want Notifications to Work
Paperform can notify Slack in a couple of ways, and your choice affects setup and features:
- Direct integration (native): Paperform has a built-in Slack integration, but it’s pretty basic.
- Via Zapier: Adds more customization and works even if you want to send to different channels based on answers.
Honest take: If you just want every form submission to ping a single Slack channel, use the native integration—it’s faster. If you want to route messages based on form content, customize the message, or trigger other actions, use Zapier (or Make, if you prefer).
Step 2: Set Up the Paperform<>Slack Native Integration (The Simple Way)
If you’re after “fast and works for 90% of cases,” start here.
1. Open Your Paperform Form Settings
- Go to your form dashboard in Paperform.
- Click on the form you want to connect.
- Find the After Submission tab or the “Integrations & Webhooks” section.
2. Connect Slack
- Click Integrations, then find Slack in the app list.
- Hit Connect. You’ll get prompted to sign in with your Slack account (if you haven’t already).
- Approve the requested permissions. Paperform needs to post messages as you.
3. Choose Your Slack Channel
- Pick the public or private channel where you want notifications to go.
- Pro tip: If you’re not seeing a private channel, add the Paperform app to it in Slack first (type
/invite @Paperformin the channel).
4. Customize Your Notification Message
- You can insert form answers into the Slack message using placeholders (like
{answer_1}). - Keep it short—Slack notifications get unreadable if you dump the whole form.
5. Test It
- Submit your form with some test info.
- Check Slack for the notification.
- If nothing shows up, double-check permissions and make sure you picked the right channel.
What works:
- Fast setup.
- No extra tools or logins.
- Good enough for simple notifications.
What doesn’t:
- Limited formatting (not much bold/italic or attachments).
- Can’t route messages to different channels based on answers—every notification goes to the same place.
Step 3: Level Up with Zapier (Optional—For Power Users)
If you want to do more than just “ping a channel,” Zapier unlocks extra possibilities. Here’s how to wire it up:
1. Create a New Zap
- Go to Zapier and sign in.
- Click Create Zap.
2. Set Paperform as the Trigger
- Search for “Paperform” and select the New Form Submission trigger.
- Connect your Paperform account and pick your form.
3. Set Slack as the Action
- For the action, search for “Slack.”
- Choose Send Channel Message (or DM, or whatever fits).
- Connect your Slack account.
4. Customize the Slack Message
- Use Zapier’s editor to pull in form answers wherever you want in the message.
- You can add logic: for example, if the form’s “Priority” field is “Urgent,” send to #support; if it’s “Feedback,” send to #feedback.
- You can also format messages better, add emoji, or include links back to the full submission.
5. Test and Turn On
- Run a test to make sure everything works.
- Give your Zap a name and switch it on.
Why bother with Zapier? - Route notifications to different channels or people, based on form answers. - Add more actions: update a spreadsheet, send an email, etc. - Get better formatting (Zapier lets you tweak the message more).
What to watch out for:
- Zapier’s free plan has limits. If your form gets a lot of submissions, you’ll hit those fast.
- More moving parts = more things can break. If reliability is critical, keep it simple.
Step 4: Keep Notifications Useful (Not Annoying)
Not all notifications are helpful. Here’s how to avoid Slack overload:
- Pick a single channel for form notifications, and make sure everyone knows what shows up there.
- Keep messages short. Only include the fields your team actually needs to act on.
- Use threads in Slack for follow-up, so the channel isn’t flooded with replies.
- Review notification rules every couple of months. If nobody reacts to the alerts, change it up.
Pro tip: For forms with lots of submissions (like public contact forms), set up a summary notification via Zapier—daily or hourly digests are often more useful than a ping for every single form.
Troubleshooting: When Things Don’t Work
Even with “no-code” tools, things break. Here’s where most people get stuck:
- No notifications in Slack? Double-check that you connected the right Slack workspace and channel, and that the Paperform app is invited to the channel.
- Placeholders not working? Make sure you’re using the exact field keys—typos will just print out
{answer_1}instead of the actual answer. - Zapier not triggering? Free plans get throttled. Also, Zapier sometimes lags a few minutes behind; don’t panic unless it’s totally dead.
If all else fails, disconnect and reconnect the integration. Sometimes that’s really all it takes.
What About Alternatives? (If You’re Not Sold)
- Make/Integromat: Similar to Zapier, but sometimes cheaper or more flexible if you like flowcharts.
- Email-to-Slack: If you want to skip integrations, you can have Paperform email a special Slack email address—but formatting is wonky.
- Custom Webhooks: If you know your way around APIs, you can use Paperform’s webhooks to post directly to Slack’s API, but you’re on your own for setup and maintenance.
Honestly, for 90% of teams, the built-in integration or Zapier is plenty. Don’t over-complicate unless you love tinkering.
Keep It Simple, Iterate as You Go
If you got this far, you’re set up to get real-time Slack notifications from Paperform. Don’t stress about making it perfect right away. Start with the basic notification, watch how your team uses it, and tweak from there. The best setup is the one people actually pay attention to.
If you run into trouble, take a breath and remember: it’s just forms and chat. You’ve got this.