Manage Request Channels

This guide explains how to configure and manage Slack channels as Request Channels in ClearFeed. We'll cover adding channels so ClearFeed can monitor requests, setting up automatic monitoring, moving channels between Collections, getting channel data, and removing channels.

What are Request Channels?

Request Channels are any Slack channels where your customers or users ask for help or submit requests. ClearFeed monitors these channels, allowing your team to efficiently track and manage these incoming requests.

What You Can Do

You can perform the following actions to manage your Slack channels within ClearFeed Collections:

• Add Slack channels to a Collection to track requests and tickets.

  • From WebApp

  • From Slack

• Automatically Monitor New Slack Connect Channels: Set up a regex to automatically add new Slack Connect channels to a Collection that match a specific name pattern.

• Move channels between different Collections.

• Download Channels data from within a Collection.

• Remove channels to stop ClearFeed from monitoring them.

  • From WebApp

  • From Slack

Adding Slack channels to a Collection

Slack channels can be set up for ClearFeed monitoring and added to a Collection. You can do this via the ClearFeed WebApp or directly from Slack.

From WebApp

Use these steps to add channels to a Collection via the WebApp:

• Navigate to the Inbox in the ClearFeed WebApp.

• Go to "Collections" and find and click the name of the Collection you want to add channels to (e.g., “Customer Support”).

• You'll see the channels already added to the Collection along with a button "+ New Channel". Click on this button.

• A pop-up window will appear.

• From the dropdown menu in "Select Channels", choose one or more Slack channels you want ClearFeed to monitor.

  • You will see all Public Channels listed. For Private Channels, you will only see those where you've already invited the ClearFeed bot in Slack.

  To add a Private Channel that ClearFeed is not yet in, you must first invite the ClearFeed bot to that channel directly from Slack using /invite @Clearfeed. Once the bot is a member, the channel will appear in this list in the WebApp.

• Click the "Add" button after selecting your channels.

• For each channel you've selected, you'll need to choose a "Channel Owner". This is a team member in ClearFeed responsible for this channel's settings within ClearFeed.

• Click Start Monitoring.

From Slack

You can also configure a channel as a Request Channel directly from Slack:

• Go to Slack and open the channel you wish to monitor.

• Add the ClearFeed bot by typing /invite @ClearFeed and press Enter.

• ClearFeed will send a message asking how you want to configure the channel. Select the option to configure the channel As a Request Channel .

• Select the Channel Owner and Collection to which you want to add the channel.

  • A Channel Owner can move the channel from one collection to another and transfer the channel's ownership within ClearFeed.

• Click on Start Monitoring .

Automatically Monitor Slack Connect Channels

Slack Connect channels allow external organizations to communicate with your team. If your Slack Connect channels follow a set naming pattern, ClearFeed can automatically monitor these channels using a regex (regular expression) pattern to match channel names and add them to a designated Collection when created.

Steps to Set Up Automatic Monitoring:

Steps to Set Up Automatic Monitoring:

• Navigate to the Inbox in the ClearFeed WebApp.

• Navigate to the "Collections" tab. Find the specific Collection where you want to automatically add Slack Connect channels and click on the "Settings" icon associated with it.

• In the Collection's settings, scroll to the "Request Channels" section. Look for the option "Automatic Monitoring of new Slack Connect channels" and switch it on.

• You'll need to provide a "Regex Pattern". This is a special text string that ClearFeed uses to identify which newly created Slack Connect channels to monitor.

• Click "Save" to apply the settings. ClearFeed will now automatically add new Slack Connect channels that match your regex pattern to this Collection.

Moving Request Channels

To move a channel from one collection to another within ClearFeed, follow these steps:

• Navigate to the Inbox in the ClearFeed WebApp.

• Select the Collection from which you want to move the channels.

• Click on the Collection Name to expand and see all the channels within it.

• Click on the three-dots menu against the channel you want to move.

• Click on Move. A modal window will be shown.

• From the dropdown, choose the target collection where you plan to move the channel.

• To confirm the transfer, click on the Save button.

Downloading Channels

To download the request data for channels that are added to a Collection, follow the below steps:

• Navigate to the Collection for which you want to download the request channels.

• Open Collection Settings.

• Expand Request Channels.

• Click on the Download icon.

Removing Slack channels

You can stop ClearFeed from monitoring a channel either from the WebApp or directly from Slack.

From WebApp

The simplest way to remove a channel is to delete its monitoring configuration from the WebApp console.

• Navigate to the Inbox in the ClearFeed WebApp.

• Expand the Collections menu in the left sidebar.

• Your channels are nested under Collections. Expand the Collection of your choice to reveal all the channels.

• Hover over the channel name and click on the three-dots menu.

• Click on Delete and confirm.

  • You'll also get a prompt to remove the ClearFeed bot from the channel in Slack – you can select that option if needed.

From Slack

• Use the /remove @clearfeed command in Slack to stop ClearFeed from monitoring a channel.

• Once a channel is removed using Slack - on the web app, under the Collection dropdown, we should see the following interface.

FAQs

1. Is it possible to bulk-add private channels into a Collection?

   Answer: It is not possible to bulk-add private channels using the standard method because apps with bot privileges (like ClearFeed) cannot list private channels in Slack. You have to manually invite ClearFeed to each private channel individually by running /invite @Clearfeed from within that channel in Slack. Once the bot is a member, you can then add the channel via the WebApp as described in the "Adding Slack channels from WebApp" section.

2. How can I invite the ClearFeed bot to a shared Slack channel if I don't have permission? Answer: If you are in a shared Slack channel where your customer owns the channel and has not granted you permission to invite users or apps, they will have to temporarily grant you permission to invite apps. You can then add the ClearFeed bot using /invite @Clearfeed, and the owner can revoke the permissions later if desired. Note that your customer directly adding the ClearFeed bot will not work correctly for ClearFeed monitoring purposes.

3. What does the "Restore data" option do once ClearFeed is removed from a channel? Answer: Clicking on the "Restore Data" button in the ClearFeed WebApp will add ClearFeed back into the channel from where it was removed, and the older requests will be automatically restored. The option to restore data is available for 4 days.

4. What happens when we archive a Slack Channel? Answer: Once a channel is archived in Slack, ClearFeed is automatically removed from that channel, and monitoring stops. You should see an interface reflecting this change in the WebApp under the Collection dropdown, similar to when you manually remove the channel from Slack.

5. How do I monitor archived channels in ClearFeed? Answer: To resume monitoring an archived channel, you must first unarchive the channel in Slack. Then, in the ClearFeed WebApp, you can typically click on the "Restore Data" button (if available) to add ClearFeed back into the channel and resume monitoring, with previous Requests data also being restored.

6. What is a ClearFeed Channel Owner and what can they do? Answer: A Channel Owner is a designated team member in ClearFeed responsible for managing that particular channel's configuration within ClearFeed. This user has the ability to move the channel from one collection to another and transfer the channel's ownership to another team member. They may also receive notifications if a channel experiences problems, such as the ClearFeed bot being removed or the channel being taken out of a collection.