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About Slack

Slack is a team collaboration platform that brings together messaging, file sharing, and integrations in one place. Connecting Slack to Serval enables powerful chat-ops workflows, automated help desk functionality, and seamless ticket management directly from your Slack workspace.

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What the Slack integration enables

CapabilityDescription
Help DeskTransform Slack channels or DMs into a full-featured help desk with ticket routing, tracking, and management
Team InboxCreate a unified channel where all team tickets are aggregated for centralized visibility and collaboration
Automation workflowsTrigger workflows, receive notifications, and interact with Serval directly from Slack
Slash CommandsUse /serval help from any channel or DM to instantly create tickets without leaving your conversation
Message ActionsConvert any existing message into a ticket using the … menu on a message in Slack

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Connect Slack to Serval

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Step 1: Initiate the Connection

  1. In Serval, find the team you want to connect Slack to under My Teams
  2. From there, navigate to Applications → Available → Slack
  3. Click Connect to begin the OAuth flow

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Step 2: Authorize in Slack

You’ll be redirected to Slack’s authorization page. Important: Ensure you have the correct Slack workspace selected in the top-right corner before proceeding.
  1. Review the requested permissions
  2. Select a channel to connect to Serval, you will configure the channel settings in Serval after connecting
  3. Click Allow to authorize the connection
At this point, Slack should be successfully connected to Serval.

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White-Label Your Serval Bot

Instead of using Serval’s managed Slack app, you can create your own custom Slack app with your company’s branding. This lets you control the bot name, icon, and appearance that your employees see in Slack.
White-labeling is optional. If you connected using Use Serval’s Slack App, your integration is already working and you can skip this section.

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Why white-label?

  • Display your company’s name and logo instead of “Serval” in Slack messages
  • Match internal branding (e.g., “Acme IT Help” or “TechSupport”)
  • Maintain a consistent brand experience for employees interacting with the help desk

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Set up a white-label Slack app

1

Start the connection flow

  1. Navigate to Applications and find Slack
  2. Click Connect
  3. In the connection dialog, select Use Your Own Slack App
2

Choose your app name

Enter the name you want your Slack bot to display. This is the name users will see when the bot sends messages, appears in channels, and shows up in DMs.
Choose a name that clearly communicates the bot’s purpose to your employees, such as “IT Help”, “Acme Support”, or your company name.
3

Create the Slack app from the manifest

Serval generates a pre-configured app manifest with your chosen name and the correct webhook URLs. Note: Update the name before copying the slack manifest json
  1. Click Copy & Go to Slack — this copies the manifest to your clipboard and opens the Slack app creation page
  2. In Slack, select From a manifest
  3. Choose the Slack workspace you want to install the app in
  4. Paste the copied manifest and click Next
  5. Review the configuration summary and click Create
4

Customize the app icon in Slack

After creating the app, you can upload a custom icon in Slack:
  1. In your app’s settings at api.slack.com/apps, go to Basic Information
  2. Scroll to Display Information
  3. Upload your custom app icon
This icon will appear alongside your bot’s messages in Slack.
5

Copy your credentials

Still in Basic Information on api.slack.com, scroll to App Credentials and copy:
  • Client ID
  • Client Secret
  • Signing Secret
6

Enter credentials in Serval

  1. Back in the Serval connection dialog, click I have my credentials
  2. Paste your Client ID, Client Secret, and Signing Secret
  3. Click Connect
  4. You’ll be redirected to Slack to authorize the app — select the correct workspace and click Allow
After authorization completes, your custom Slack app is connected and ready to configure. Continue with the help desk setup below to start using it in your channels.

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Configure Slack as Your Help Desk

After connecting Slack, you’ll automatically land in the Slack app configuration page in Serval. To start using Serval in a channel, you first need to add it to the channel in Slack, and then configure the channel mode in Serval.

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Add Serval to a Slack Channel

Before you can configure a channel in Serval, the Serval app must be added to that channel in Slack:
  1. Go to the Slack channel you want to configure
  2. Type @Serval to mention the Serval app
  3. Click the Add them button when prompted
Once Serval has been added to the channel, it will appear in the Slack app configuration page in Serval.

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Configure Your Channel

After adding Serval to a channel, navigate to the Slack app configuration page in Serval to set the channel mode:
  1. In Serval, navigate to Applications → Slack
  2. Find the channel you just added Serval to
  3. Select the mode for how Serval should operate in the channel
  4. See Channel Configuration Modes for more details

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Connect Additional Channels

Repeat the steps above for any additional channels:
  1. Go to the Slack channel where you want to add Serval
  2. Type @Serval and click Add them when prompted
  3. Return to the Slack app configuration page in Serval and configure the channel mode

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Enable Direct Messaging (Optional)

In addition to channel-based support, you can also enable direct messaging for more private support interactions:
  1. Navigate to the Slack app in Serval
  2. Access the help desk configuration settings
  3. Enable the Direct Messaging option
Note: You can use both channel and DM support simultaneously. Channel-based support is recommended for team visibility and collaboration, while DMs provide a private option for sensitive requests. When first setting up your Slack help desk, we recommend enabling Silent Mode:
  • This allows you to test the integration without immediately notifying users
  • You can observe how tickets are created and routed
  • Once comfortable, switch to Help Desk Mode to fully activate Serval in the channel

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Channel Configuration Modes

When you connect a Slack channel to Serval, you can configure it to operate in different modes depending on your needs:

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Disabled Mode (Default)

Serval will do nothing
  • Serval will not create tickets from messages
  • Serval will not respond to any messages in the channel
  • This allows you to safely add Serval to a channel before activating any features

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Silent Mode

Serval monitors the channel but operates quietly
  • Creates tickets based on messages in the channel
  • Does not post responses or acknowledgments in the channel
  • Ideal for testing or when you want ticket creation without channel noise
  • If you @Serval when making a request or at any point in a message thread, Serval will be toggled on and attempt to help resolve the ticket.

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Help Desk Mode

Full help desk functionality
  • Creates tickets from channel messages
  • Responds with a link to the created ticket
  • Attempts to resolve tickets using AI guidance and help desk workflows
  • Provides the complete support experience for end users

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Team Only Mode

Designed for internal Serval team channels
  • Team members can create tickets and request automation workflows
  • Access to all available workflows, including secure team-only workflows
  • Provides maximum functionality for internal operations
  • Should only be used in channels restricted to your Serval team members

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Team Inbox Mode

A dedicated channel for support agents to triage all escalated team tickets within Slack
  • Aggregates all escalated tickets for your support team into one channel, regardless of where end users created them
  • Support agents can view, respond to, and collaborate on tickets without switching to the Serval web interface
  • Responses in threads are automatically synced back to the end user’s original location
  • Egress-only: does not create new tickets from channel messages
  • Should be a private channel with only support agents and managers
Team Inbox is especially valuable when tickets come from DMs or other non-helpdesk sources that support agents can’t see directly.

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Configure Team Inbox Channels

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What is a Team Inbox?

A private channel where support agents triage all escalated tickets for your team within Slack. Every escalated ticket created for your team—from DMs, help desk channels, or the web—appears as a thread in this channel. Key benefits:
  • Triage all tickets in one place without switching to the web interface
  • Collaborate with other agents on ticket resolution
  • Respond to end users directly from the inbox thread

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Setting Up a Team Inbox

1

Create a private Slack channel

Create a private channel in Slack for your support team’s inbox (e.g., it-inbox, finance-support-inbox). Make it private and only invite the support agents and managers who will be handling tickets.
Use a clear naming convention like [team-name]-inbox to easily identify inbox channels. Only add support staff—not end users—to this channel.
2

Add Serval to the channel

In the channel, type @Serval to mention the Serval app and click “Add them” when prompted. Alternatively, you can connect the channel through the Serval app configuration in your Slack integration settings.
3

Configure as Team Inbox mode

In Serval, navigate to Applications → Slack and find the channel you just created. Set the channel mode to Team Inbox.All tickets for your team will now sync to this channel automatically.

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Working in Team Inbox Channels

Once configured, tickets automatically populate as threads:
  1. View: Each ticket appears as a thread with details and history
  2. Respond: Reply in the thread - your message sends to the end user automatically
  3. Manage: Use commands like @Serval assign to me to triage tickets
Messages posted directly to the Team Inbox channel (not in ticket threads) will not create new tickets. Team Inbox mode is egress-only, designed for viewing and responding to existing tickets.

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Interacting with Serval in Slack

Serval provides multiple ways to interact directly from Slack, making it seamless to create tickets, manage requests, and trigger workflows:
For a comprehensive guide covering all interaction methods, see Comprehensive Guide to Slack.

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Quick highlights:

  • Slash Commands: Use /serval help from any channel or DM to create tickets instantly
  • Message Actions: Convert any existing message into a ticket using the … menu
  • @Mentions: Tag @Serval in channels to activate assistance
  • Thread Replies: Continue natural conversations with context preservation
  • Direct Messages: Private support conversations when enabled
All these methods work together to provide a flexible, user-friendly experience that adapts to how your team already uses Slack.
Need help? Contact support@serval.com for assistance with your Slack integration.

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Data & Privacy

For information about how Serval handles your data, see our Privacy Policy.