If you run customer onboarding and want your team to actually see what’s happening (and when), you need more than a spreadsheet or a weekly meeting. You need notifications—fast and in the right place. For a lot of teams, that place is Slack. This guide will walk you through connecting Arrows to Slack, so you get real-time onboarding updates without flooding your team with noise. If you don’t want another integration that makes things worse instead of better, read on.
Why Pair Arrows and Slack?
Arrows helps track onboarding checklists and keeps customers moving. Slack is where your team lives. Combine them, and you’ve got a good shot at actually seeing when customers get stuck or finish a step—without having to ask. But, as with any integration, it’s easy to overdo it and drown in notifications. The key is to set it up intentionally.
Who’s this for? - Customer success or onboarding teams using Arrows and Slack. - Anyone who wants fewer status meetings and more real info. - Folks who’d rather not babysit onboarding in yet another tab.
Step 1: Decide What’s Worth Notifying
Before you open any settings, get clear on what you actually want to know in real time. Not every action needs to ping Slack. Here are common onboarding events you might care about: - A new onboarding project starts - A customer completes a key step (or misses a deadline) - A customer finishes onboarding (cue the confetti) - A note or comment is added by the customer
Skip: “Passive” events like viewing a checklist or making minor edits. You’ll just annoy everyone.
Pro tip: Start with less. You can always add more notifications later. If you’re not sure, ask your team: “What’s the one thing you wish you knew faster?”
Step 2: Get Your Slack House in Order
You’ll need: - The right Slack workspace (duh). - Permission to add apps/integrations (ask your admin if you’re not sure). - A channel (or channels) where you want onboarding updates to land.
Naming tip: Create a dedicated channel like #onboarding-alerts or even a private team channel. Don’t dump everything into a general channel—no one likes that person.
Step 3: Connect Arrows to Slack
Arrows doesn’t have a native, one-click Slack integration as of mid-2024. That means you’ll likely use one of two methods: - Zapier (or similar automation tools) - Slack’s Incoming Webhooks
Let’s break down both:
Option A: Arrows ➔ Zapier ➔ Slack
This is the most common route. Zapier acts as the go-between, watching for events in Arrows and posting to Slack.
Here’s how:
- Create a Zapier account (if you don’t already have one).
- Set up a new Zap:
- Trigger: Search for Arrows in Zapier. If it isn’t listed, use a webhook or email trigger (Arrows can send notifications via email, which Zapier can parse).
- Event: Pick the event you care about (e.g., “New Onboarding Project” or “Checklist Step Completed”).
- Action: Choose Slack as the action app.
- Pick “Send Channel Message.”
- Connect your Slack workspace and pick the channel.
- Customize the message: Pull in details like customer name, step, due date, etc. Keep it short; no one reads a Slack novella.
- Test it: Run a test through Zapier to make sure the message shows up where you want.
What works: Zapier’s easy to set up and doesn’t need engineering time.
What doesn’t: If you go overboard with triggers, Zapier can get expensive, and your Slack will turn into a firehose.
Option B: Arrows ➔ Webhook ➔ Slack
If you’re comfortable with a little technical setup, Slack’s incoming webhooks are a direct way to get messages into a channel.
Steps:
- Set up an incoming webhook in Slack:
- Go to https://api.slack.com/apps.
- Create a new app (name it something like “Arrows Notifications”).
- Under “Incoming Webhooks,” enable webhooks and add a new one for your target channel.
- Copy the webhook URL.
- Configure Arrows to send notifications:
- In Arrows, look for “Webhooks” or “Integrations” in settings.
- Add the Slack webhook URL and specify what events should trigger notifications.
- If Arrows only supports sending webhooks on certain events, you may need to get creative or use a middleware like Zapier to interpret and forward.
- Format the payload: Slack expects JSON in a specific format (see Slack docs). You may need to tweak Arrows’ webhook settings or use an intermediary tool to format the message.
What works: No Zapier fees. Slightly faster notifications.
What doesn’t: If you’re not technical, this can be a pain. Debugging webhook payloads is nobody’s idea of a good time.
Step 4: Make Slack Messages Useful (Not Annoying)
The best notification is one that tells you just enough—no more, no less.
Keep your Slack messages: - Short (think: headline + link) - Actionable (do I need to do something?) - Attributable (who, what, when)
Bad:
“Customer updated onboarding checklist.”
Better:
“Acme Corp marked ‘Kickoff Call’ as complete. View in Arrows”
If you want to get fancy, use Slack’s message formatting and emoji to make important updates stand out. But don’t get too clever—clarity beats cuteness.
Step 5: Test with a Real Customer Flow
Don’t just test with fake data—watch what happens when an actual customer goes through onboarding.
- Does the right Slack user see the message?
- Is the info clear?
- Are there too many (or too few) notifications?
Ask your team for honest feedback. If you hear, “I had to mute the channel,” you’ve got a problem.
Step 6: Tune and Prune
You won’t get it perfect the first try. That’s normal.
- Turn off events you don’t care about.
- Move notifications to DMs or another channel if they’re only relevant to one person.
- Check if messages are getting lost in the shuffle—if so, try summary digests instead of real-time pings.
Reality check: Most teams start with way too many notifications and end up turning half of them off. That’s not failure—it’s just learning.
Common Pitfalls (and How to Dodge Them)
- Too much noise: More isn’t better. If Slack is lighting up every minute, you’ll tune it out.
- Not enough context: “Checklist updated” doesn’t help unless you know by whom, for which customer, and what changed.
- Forgetting to review: Integrations drift over time. Audit which notifications are still helpful every month or so.
- Ignoring permissions: Make sure only the right people can see sensitive onboarding updates.
Should You Bother with This Integration?
Let’s be real: Integrations are only as useful as the problems they solve. If your onboarding is simple or your team doesn’t use Slack much, this might be overkill. But if you’re chasing customers for updates or missing key moments, it’s worth the setup.
Wrap-up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Start with one or two key onboarding events. Set up notifications where they’ll be seen and acted on. Don’t aim for perfection—just useful signal. Watch how your team reacts and adjust. The goal isn’t to automate yourself into oblivion; it’s to make sure the right people know what matters, when it matters.
And if it gets noisy? Don’t be afraid to mute, tweak, or even pull the plug. The best integrations make your life easier—not busier.