If you’re juggling calls and messages all day, missing a call notification isn’t just annoying—it can cost you a customer. If you use Aircall for your phone system and Slack for, well, just about everything else, connecting the two is a no-brainer. This guide is for anyone who wants call alerts to pop up right in Slack, without any fluff or vague promises. I’ll walk you through setup, real-world tips, what actually works, and what to watch out for.
Why bother integrating Aircall with Slack?
Here’s the deal: Aircall’s built-in notifications are pretty good, but they’re siloed. If your team lives in Slack, you’ll end up missing calls or scrambling to check another app. Integrating the two means you get instant updates—calls ringing, missed calls, voicemails—right where your team already hangs out. That’s one less excuse for missing a customer.
Who’s this for? - Sales teams who don’t want to miss inbound leads. - Support teams who need to stay on top of missed calls and voicemails. - Anyone tired of jumping between tabs just to see who called.
What you’ll need
Before you dive in, make sure you’ve got the basics covered:
- An Aircall account (admin access helps, but some setup can be done by team leads).
- A Slack workspace (again, admin access is best).
- The ability to install third-party apps in both Aircall and Slack.
- About 15–30 minutes (no, this isn’t an all-day project).
If your company locks everything down with IT approvals, start there. Otherwise, let’s get to it.
Step 1: Decide what you actually need notifications for
Before you connect anything, take a beat. Not every team needs every alert. Ask yourself (and your team):
- Do you want to see every call, or just missed ones?
- Should notifications go to a public channel or a private one?
- Do voicemails need their own alert?
- Is this for everyone or just a few people?
Pro tip: Too many notifications, and people start tuning them out. Start simple—you can always add more later.
Step 2: Connect Aircall to Slack
Option A: Use Aircall’s official Slack integration
Aircall offers a direct integration with Slack. Here’s how to set it up:
-
Log in to your Aircall dashboard
Head to your Aircall admin panel. -
Go to the Integrations page
Find “Integrations & API” in the sidebar. Search for “Slack.” -
Click “Install” or “Connect”
You’ll be prompted to connect your Slack workspace. Click through and sign in to Slack if asked. -
Choose your Slack workspace and channel
Pick where you want call notifications to appear. You can select a public channel (like #sales-calls) or a private one. -
Authorize the connection
Slack will ask you to approve permissions. Read them—don’t just mash “Allow.” The integration mostly needs access to post messages, not read your private DMs. -
Configure notification settings
Back in Aircall, choose what triggers a notification—missed calls, voicemails, inbound calls, or all of the above. -
Save and test
Make a test call to see if the notification pops up in Slack.
Option B: Use Zapier or another automation tool (if you need more control)
If Aircall’s default Slack integration is too limited (and sometimes it is), you can use Zapier or Make to build your own workflow:
- In Zapier: Trigger on “New Call” or “Missed Call” in Aircall, then send a custom message to a Slack channel.
- Bonus: You can filter by call type, caller, or even time of day.
Honest take: Only go this route if you have a specific need that Aircall’s built-in integration can’t handle. Otherwise, it’s just extra complexity.
Step 3: Tweak your Slack channel settings
Once notifications are flowing, you’ll want to make sure they aren’t lost in the noise.
- Set channel-specific notifications:
In Slack, click the channel name > “Notification preferences.” Set it to “Every new message” if you really can’t afford to miss anything. - Pin important messages:
Pin a message explaining what the notifications are, so new teammates know what’s up. - Mute the channel for everyone else:
If only a few people care about these alerts, tell everyone else to mute the channel so they’re not annoyed.
Step 4: Test real-world scenarios
Don’t just trust that everything works after a single test call. Try these:
- Miss a call on purpose:
Does Slack notify you? Does it say which number called? - Leave a voicemail:
Does the notification include a transcript or just a link? - Check call assignments:
If calls are assigned to specific reps in Aircall, does Slack show who it’s for?
If something’s missing, check your integration settings or try a different channel.
Step 5: Troubleshooting and common gotchas
Even simple integrations can be finicky. Here are the issues I see most:
Notifications are delayed or missing
- Check Aircall’s status page for outages.
- Make sure the integration is still connected—sometimes tokens expire, and you’ll need to reauthorize.
- If you’re using Zapier, check the task history for errors.
Notifications are too noisy
- Go back to your Aircall integration settings. Turn off any alerts you don’t absolutely need.
- Consider splitting notifications into separate channels (e.g., #missed-calls vs. #all-calls).
Slack channel is too crowded
- Archive call notifications after a week to keep the channel tidy.
- Use Slack’s search filters (“has:link” or “from:aircall”) to find specific alerts.
Data privacy concerns
- Double-check who has access to the notification channel. Don’t post sensitive call data in wide-open channels.
What works, what doesn’t, and what to ignore
-
Works great:
Instant missed call alerts, quick team visibility, and accountability. If you’re a small team or run a call-heavy workflow, this can replace a lot of “Did anyone get that call?” back-and-forth. -
Not so great:
The integration can get spammy if you don’t dial in the settings. If your team doesn’t pick up calls in real time, notifications pile up and lose meaning. -
Ignore the hype:
This won’t magically improve your response times or customer satisfaction. It’s just a notification pipe. The hard part—actually following up on calls—is still on you.
Pro tips for keeping things sane
- Start with missed calls and voicemails only.
Most teams don’t need a ping for every inbound call. - Review notification settings monthly.
Your needs will change as your team grows (or shrinks). - Set up a “silent hours” filter.
Use Slack’s Do Not Disturb or Aircall’s business hours to avoid after-hours noise. - Train your team to act on notifications.
The integration is only useful if people actually use it.
Keep it simple (and iterate)
Start small. Get a single Slack channel working for missed call notifications. See how the team uses it for a week or two. If you’re getting value, layer on more alerts or channels. If not, kill what isn’t working—no shame in it.
Integrations like this are supposed to make your life easier, not add another thing to manage. Don’t get distracted by shiny features; stick to what solves your real problems. If you ever get lost in settings or it just stops working, remember: you can always disconnect and start over. That’s the beauty of it.