Slack integration launches the Intranet of Things

Modern-day technology has disrupted the way companies communicate. Where work happened through email, phone or the water cooler, technology has spawned a host of new ways to communicate.

Messaging services, Enterprise Social Networks (ESN’s) and even the old intranet portals have all relocated work-centric conversation. To get things done quickly, dynamic messaging platforms are great tools.

Everything has its downside, though. Email gets lost in a box, instant messaging conversations are fleeting and static communication doesn’t push conversation enough. Different communication platforms serve different communication needs. This is why Happeo has partnered with Slack, the world’s leading dynamic-communication tool, and Google Chat – to integrate the best of both worlds.

Flexible workforce, flexible toolset

The Bureau of Labor Statistics in the United States recently released a research report on how the average American uses their time. Key statistics show that 23% of employees work from home. Take into account the increasing globalization of small and large companies and the need for fast-paced digital communication becomes clear. Enter Slack, the instant messaging service that’s seen its popularity soar across the globe. Now Google has joined the party too with their own instant-messaging app: Chat.

Mike Klein, Principal of internal communications consultancy agency Changing The Terms says: "In my research, internal communicators around the world are calling for more integrated solutions. For those fortunate enough to be Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) customers, Happeo offers unprecedented integration – working across Gmail, Docs, Calendar and now Chat. Adding an integration for Slack users makes it an even more compelling proposition."

What is the Intranet of Things?

The Internet of Things is a term likely coined by Procter & Gamble’s Kevin Ashton. It refers to the connection of traditional ‘dumb’ machinery to the internet. Think of a soda machine that logs on to the local WiFi connection. While it’s certainly not impossible to have the Cola you withdrew register somewhere in your intranet solution, we see the Intranet of Things as something that revolves around work and conversation – things that traditionally took place offline. If we were to define it, it would be the centralization of all conversation and work into one platform. Never lose sight of the task at hand, or important conversation that can help you with it. How else will you get your employees to actually use your intranet?

Bringing it all together

The challenge for Instant Messaging services comes from the very nature of the product. They’re meant to deliver instant, dynamic communication. Conversations are fast, valuable and often more informal by nature. To prevent the loss of information among a myriad of messages, Slack introduced a few features to use within the app itself. Recognizing that other platforms specialize in ‘sticky’ communication, they also allow you to link to conversations in Slack, outside of the platform. Enter Happeo – leading the market in channel-based communication, adding a social layer for employee interaction and a user-friendly page-builder tool. See it as a modern version of an intranet, with key features from Enterprise Social Networks to encourage conversation on the platform itself.

Communicating through Instant Messaging platforms enables fast, informal input. Intranet platforms allow clear, consistent messaging across the communications ecosystem of an organization. Add a social layer and static communication becomes dynamic. Combine it all and important conversations, announcements – and work – will never get lost again.

“Information silos are the death of any company’s growth” says Perttu Ojansuu, CEO and founder of Happeo. “Communication within companies and teams doesn’t scale when conversation gets lost or becomes inaccessible. Centralizing company communication and work into an ecosystem of tightly integrated platforms is the future; we call it the Intranet of Things. Our integration with Slack and Chat is a step closer to that ideal. This means employees own the conversation – and the place it happens – keeping them happy and engaged.”

Bridging the gaps

The integration allows selected posts from channels in Happeo to be directly sent to one or multiple channels in Slack, or Chat. This way employees get to choose where they continue the conversation. The integration creates a two-way communication stream, bridging the gaps that isolated Software as a Service (SaaS) tools can create.

At Happeo, we hope to make your working environment more productive than ever. Book a personalised demo and speak with one of our team members about enterprise intranet solutions today.

The term “Intranet of Things” is inspired by the “Internet of Things”, which describes connecting traditional, offline machinery to the internet. In a corporate environment, however, this concept focuses entirely on the centralisation of work and conversation. Traditionally, these interactions occurred offline or across fragmented digital tools, but the Intranet of Things brings them all together into one single, cohesive platform. By doing so, organisations ensure that employees never lose track of important tasks or the essential conversations needed to complete them.

According to the text, centralising communication and work into a tightly integrated ecosystem of platforms represents the future of business operations. When communication is scattered, information silos can develop, which can severely hinder a company’s overall growth. Scalability is lost when critical discussions become inaccessible or fade away.

By building an “Intranet of Things,” companies can bridge these communication gaps. It allows employees to take ownership of their conversations and choose the environments in which they occur. Ultimately, this level of integration is designed to make the working environment more productive than ever, keeping employees engaged, connected, and happy by making sure important updates, announcements, and tasks are always visible and manageable from a single digital home.

Happeo’s integrations with Slack and Google Chat are designed to create a seamless, two-way communication stream between your main intranet and your daily messaging tools. Specifically, this feature allows users to take selected posts from channels within the Happeo platform and send them directly to one or multiple channels inside Slack or Google Chat. By bridging the gaps that isolated Software as a Service (SaaS) tools often create, this integration gives employees the freedom to choose exactly where they want to continue their discussions.

This integration is highly beneficial because it combines different communication styles into a unified ecosystem. For Google Workspace users, the platform offers unprecedented integration by working across Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Google Chat. Adding Slack to this mix provides an even more compelling solution for modern businesses.

By linking these platforms, organisations can capture fast, informal input from instant messaging services and combine it with the clear, structured, and consistent messaging of an intranet. This hybrid approach adds a social layer to static communication, ensuring that important announcements, vital conversations, and key work items are never lost in a flood of individual messages. It allows teams to maintain the dynamic, conversational nature of instant messaging while keeping critical knowledge secure and easily accessible in a centralised hub, ultimately boosting workplace productivity and engagement.

Modern workplaces utilise various tools to communicate, but different platforms serve distinct communication needs. Instant messaging platforms, such as Slack and Google Chat, are highly effective for fast, dynamic, and informal conversations. However, these tools have inherent downsides; conversations move rapidly, meaning critical information can easily get lost in a constant stream of messages. On the other hand, traditional communication methods like email can easily clog up inboxes, and static communication platforms often fail to drive active engagement and conversation.

To solve this dilemma, organisations need to combine the best of both worlds by pairing instant messaging with a social intranet. Intranets are excellent for delivering structured, consistent, and “sticky” messaging across an entire organisation. When you add a social layer to this static framework, communication becomes truly dynamic.

Integrating these systems ensures that informal daily chats can feed directly into broader company communication without vital details slipping through the cracks. It prevents the formation of information silos, which can severely restrict a company’s ability to scale. This combination allows for a flexible toolset that accommodates the needs of modern, decentralised workforces, where a significant portion of employees work remotely or across global locations. By merging these platforms, organisations can offer a digital home that supports both the speed of instant messaging and the structured clarity of an intranet, keeping everyone aligned.