At GANDT, we are big fans of Slack and use it every day to communicate, share ideas, and keep track of all the plates we have spinning at any time. And on top of the clean interface and easy-to-navigate search capacity, we appreciate that Slack continues to release features to facilitate collaboration and produce a smoother workflow. In addition to the recent introduction of Slack Huddles, video messages, and an enhanced employee directory, they announced a new Scheduled Send feature this summer that we’ve been finding very useful in practice. Looking to work smarter rather than harder? Let’s look at how this new feature works and some of the potential benefits it offers.
Scheduled Send 101
As the name implies, the tool lets users schedule messages to send at a later time and date. The scheduled send feature adds a new drop-down arrow to the green “send message” button in Slack’s desktop app. Clicking it will reveal a new menu that allows for scheduling a message to send to a room, direct message, or group thread later on. Mobile users will be able to access a similar menu by long-pressing on the send button in the Slack app on Android and iOS.
The new functionality offers both pre-filled options (like “tomorrow at 9:00 AM”) and the ability to set a custom date and time to send a message. In addition, messages can be scheduled up to 120 days in advance, and users are also able to reschedule, edit, or delete any scheduled messages before it has been sent.
When the feature first launched, the company announced: “Today, we launched Scheduled Send to empower users to communicate and collaborate in a way that works best for them,” going on to explain that “teams shouldn’t be obligated to sync their schedules to communicate effectively.”
Working across times zones
And indeed, that initial point is one of the most prominent and most useful capabilities of this new tool. With more and more teams working remotely across time zones, the ability to schedule messages is a critical one. Regardless of whether you work in a remote, in-person, or hybrid capacity, the chances are that you occasionally have to navigate multiple timezones when collaborating and to communicate with your team or clients. So while email services like Gmail have offered the ability to schedule emails for later (so that users aren’t pinging teams at odd hours or getting messages lost overnight), the feature, which has been notably absent from Slack until now, is a welcome one.
No more messages past your bedtime
Considered from a different perspective, this ability to schedule messages also allows people working in the same time zone to respect the working hours of their colleagues (and themselves). We all know someone (or maybe are that person ourselves) who will check the phones the second they hear the Slack notification sound. Yet, although the urge is relatable for most of us, it isn’t necessarily a good thing. Being in work mode 24/7 can result in disrupted sleep patterns, stress, anxiety, and burnout. With mental health awareness occupying an increasingly prevalent place in the workplace, apps like Slack that facilitate collaboration are realizing that it’s essential to give people the option of tuning out.
You can prepare when it is convenient for you
The ability to get your work done when it suits you best is also essential, and Schedule Send facilitates this. As one of our content marketing experts explains, “It’s super helpful for when you have client presentations and know you will send a summary of what you presented after, to be able to just prepare it all at once.”
You can be more thoughtful and deliberate in your communication
Likewise, the ability to schedule a message for later means that you have a chance to rethink some of those impulsive responses that may have been improved upon second thought. As GANDT CEO Remco Livain explains, “It keeps you from sending off quick messages and gives you some time to think about your response before it goes out.”
All in all, it is encouraging to see platforms like Slack prioritizes features that make it easier to communicate while respecting the needs and limits of each individual. These are core components of our company culture and principles that we consider central to our success. You can learn more about our company culture here, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter for the latest digital marketing news.
