People Behind the Platform: Slack Integration

The best product features do not start with code. They start with a moment of friction: 

• An order is ready to edit, but the notification gets buried in an inbox
• A delivery arrives, but no one sees the update until later
• A budget threshold is crossed, but it is already too late to adjust

The information is there. The timing is not. That is exactly why we built Crafty's Slack Integration.

Crafty helps workplace teams save time, and our Slack Integration brings critical pantry updates directly into the tools teams already use, turning passive notifications into real-time, actionable moments.

We are pulling back the curtain on Slack Integration with Kelley Gessner, Sr. Product Manager at Crafty, to learn about how she ran the Beta experience, what she learned throughout the process, and how that influenced the rollout.

What is Crafty's Slack Integration?

Slack Integration sends the Crafty Platform operational notifications you get via email directly into your Slack workspace.

Instead of refreshing your inbox or logging in just to check delivery updates, you receive real-time alerts in Slack when key moments happen in your program.

Each notification includes a direct link to the relevant page in the Crafty Platform, so you can take action immediately.

Meet Kelley

As a Sr. Product Manager at Crafty, Kelley’s role is all about turning real workplace challenges into solutions that actually work in the day-to-day. She sits at the center of it all, partnering with clients to understand what is not working, aligning with engineering on how to build it, and bringing features to life inside the platform.

Slack Integration was her first project back from maternity leave, which meant stepping back into product development while adjusting to an entirely new rhythm at home. That perspective shaped how she approached the feature.

Balancing a newborn while building a first-of-its-kind pantry feature made one thing very clear: not all notifications are helpful, and time matters more than ever. That thinking carried directly into Slack Integration, focusing on delivering the right information at the right moment, without adding more noise to an already busy day.

Q&A: The Story Behind Crafty's Slack Integration

Can you tell us how the Slack Integration works?

‍It brings your Crafty notifications directly into Slack.

Things like when your order is ready to edit, when it’s delivered, or when you’re getting close to budget.

We want workplace leaders to be able to take action quickly. That’s what results in smarter, better, faster, stronger pantries.

Why start with Slack?‍‍

We want to be where the people are, and according to the data over 215,000 organizations and 80% of Fortune 100 companies are using Slack.

It’s where teams are communicating, making decisions, and staying on top of their day. It made sense to bring those pantry updates directly into that flow.

That doesn’t mean we’re not on the hunt for other platforms to integrate into. Our goal is to make things easier for workplace teams. They have enough on their plate already.

What did you learn from the beta?

Before launching new features broadly, we test them with a small group of clients across top workplaces to learn and iterate in real time. With our exclusive Slack Integration, we partnered with a handful of clients who got early access to the feature, got it connected with their IT teams, and started seeing the notifications flow through. Throughout the process, they shared feedback directly with our team around the setup process, the notifications they wanted to see, and what they thought was uncessary. That input helped Kelley refine the experience, uncover gaps, and build additional functionality based on how workplace leaders and office managers were actually using it.‍

First, people don’t want more notifications. They get enough of those already. What actually matters are the ones they can do something with, like editing an order or catching a budget issue in time.

Second, like any new tool, IT is part of the process. So we spent time making sure the setup was as smooth as possible and that it’s easy to loop in the right people and get everything approved without a ton of back and forth.

Was this your first project after maternity leave?

Coming back from maternity leave is a bit of a reset. You’re balancing a lot more, your schedule looks totally different, and you get very aware of what actually deserves your attention.

So I found myself thinking a lot about time, interruptions, and what’s actually helpful versus just noise. Which honestly made working on Slack Integration feel even more relevant.

It’s all about getting the right information at the right moment, which is something I definitely appreciate a lot more now.

Real talk: How many Slack channels were created?

Between test channels and real ones, my Slack was… busy.

But honestly, it was great practice for tuning out noise, which feels very on brand for both the feature and life with a newborn.

What This Looks Like in Action

At Crafty, every feature starts with the same question: how do we make it easier for workplace teams to take action?

Slack Integration is designed to brings the right information into the flow of your day, at the exact moment it becomes useful, so you can respond immediately instead of circling back later.

• You get a notification when your order is ready to edit, and even a heads up when there are only a few hours left to make changes, so you can jump in before the window closes.
• You see when your order is delivered, so you can confirm everything is in place without tracking it down or following up.
• You are alerted when your Chicago office is almost at its monthly budget, giving you time to review spend and adjust before it becomes a problem.

Each message includes a direct link into the Crafty Platform, so you can take action in the moment, keep your program on track, and move on with your day without extra steps or delays.

Conclusion

Bringing real-time pantry updates into Slack, reduces inbox clutter, eliminates communication gaps, and helps teams act quickly as their workplace evolves.

At its core, this is what Crafty is built to do. Solve real workplace challenges with solutions that fit naturally into the day-to-day. Slack Integration is one more way we are turning friction into flow and helping teams run smarter pantry programs with less effort and more impact.