RFPIO® LookUp for Slack

 

RFPIO is a cloud-based platform that automates and streamlines the process of responding to a request for proposal. Slack is a cloud-based communication and collaboration platform that facilitates instant messaging with contributors and maintains a full audit trail of all back-and-forth communication.

RFPIO LookUp for Slack allows organization to deliver both system-generated and user-generated messages around RFPIO projects directly into Slack. Notifications, messages, action items and more can be delivered directly through Slack to appropriate recipients, or directly into a dedicated channel for RFPIO projects. This integration ensures cross-functional visibility and increased engagement, no matter the preferred communication platform of individual team members within your organization.  

Highlights of connecting RFPIO and Slack includes:

• Simple installation
• Allows whole team to have conversations in a single location
• Notifications sent to both RFPIO and a configured Slack channel
• Reply to messages from Slack and send comments to RFPIO
• Search Answer Library content in Slack

Note: LookUp is an add-on feature and must be enabled by RFPIO staff. Please contact your account manager, or accountmanagers@rfpio.com, if you would like to enable it.

Click HERE to watch our recent Webinar on How to Streamline Collaboration by leveraging RFPIO LookUp for Slack

Note: For an overview of this feature, download the attachment at the end of this article.

Scope

RFPIO can assign Bot token and requires the following scope from Slack:

Scope	Slack Scope Description	Purpose
channels:history	View messages and other content in public channels where RFPIO has been added.	Reply from public channel the bot is a part of; Search using @rfpio in public channel where RFPIO is a part of.
channels:read	View basic information about public channels in the workspace.	List public channels in the application for configuration.
chat:write	Send messages as @rfpio.	For posting messages.
chat:write.customize	Send messages as @rfpio with a customized username and avatar.	For customizing icon and name.
chat:write.public	Send messages to channels where @rfpio is not a member.	For posting messages into channels where RFPIO is not a part of (public channels)
commands	Add shortcuts and/or slash commands that people can use.	Search using slash commands.
files:read	View files shared in channels and conversations where RFPIO has been added.	To read the files attached to a comment’s reply.
groups:history	View messages and other content in private channels where RFPIO has been added.	Reply from a private channel where the bot is a part of; Search using @rfpio in a private channel where RFPIO is part of.
groups:read	View basic information about private channels where RFPIO has been added.	List private channels in the application for configuration.
im:history	View messages and other content in direct messages where RFPIO has been added.	Reply from direct message (bot channel); Search using @rfpio in direct messages with RFPIO.
mpim:history	View messages and other content in group direct messages where RFPIO has been added.	Search using @rfpio in multi-party groups where RFPIO is a part of.
users:read	View people in the workspace.	Required parent scope for users:read.email
users:read.email	View email addresses of people in the workspace.	To get user’s email ID from the Slack user ID.

 

Installing Slack Connector

Installing and connecting RFPIO with Slack is a simple process. Both RFPIO and Slack must be installed separately. 

Permissions Required: Administrator permissions in both RFPIO and Slack is required to set up the integration.

The Slack connector can be installed and configured only by logging into RFPIO.

The installation and configuration instructions are as follows: 

1. Login to RFPIO as an Admin User.
2. From the RFPIO landing page, select Organization Settings.

3. The Organization Settings-Manage Users page will be displayed. Select INTEGRATION.

4. The INTEGRATION tab will be expanded. Click Collaboration.

5. Click Configure on the Slack card.

The Slack pop-up will be displayed as shown below:

6. Click CONNECT TO RFPIO SLACK BOT.

You will be redirected to the RFPIO Slack page to confirm your identity.

Note: Only Workspace Owners or Administrators have authorization privileges

7. Click Allow. The Slack pop-up will be displayed with Slack Bot (Enabled) and Account connected.

Note: Once connected, notifications can be received in Slack through the integration for all comments made in the Content Library and/or Project Discussions. You can also receive messages through a selected Slack channel and to notify a group of people part of that channel. If the channel is not selected, notifications will be received only through email. Public channels and channels that the bot is a part of will be listed here. For a private channel to be listed here, the bot should have been added in that channel.

8. To select the channel, click the drop-down icon and select a channel.

9. Under Search Options, select Top Result Count. The count can range between 1 and 10.
10. To post search results as a private message, select Yes. You can preview the results before posting them to the channel.

Note: The search result can be posted as a private message only if the value for Top Result Count is two or more. If 1 is selected, it cannot be posted as a private message. If the value is selected as 5, top 5 results will be displayed. You can request for the next set of 5 results after viewing the first set. For more information, refer to Previewing Search Results.

 

Note: To further filter Slack search results, specify the Filters. You can select a maximum of three filters including custom fields. (Supported custom field types: Dropdown, Multi-Select Dropdown, Checkbox, and Radio.)

 

11. To make the search results accessible to non-RFPIO users, turn ON the toggle switch associated with Allow Non-RFPIO Users. A section as shown below will be displayed:

12. Enter Collection name to indicate the Collection(s) that you want these guest users to have access to. Multiple collections can be specified.

Note: This Collection(s) field will be displayed only if collections are utilized for the Organization. If collections are not selected, and domain is specified, the default collection will be fetched by the system. Either a collection or a domain must be configured.

13. Enter a domain from which you want the non-RFPIO users to have access to this RPFIO content. Multiple domains can be specified, one domain per line.

Note:  Multiple domains can be specified, one domain per line. If the guest users’ email ID is serah@abc.com, and ajohn@gmail.com enter the domain as  abc.com gmail.com

14. To enable adding Q&A pair from Slack to Answer Library, select Yes.
15. If moderation is enabled for your company, a section for Non-RFPIO users will be displayed:

16. Select Yes to allow Non-RFPIO users to add content to Answer Library.

17. Specify moderator names.

Note: Moderator field is a mandatory field when the feature to enable Non-RFPIO users to add content to RFPIO Answer Library is on.

18. Click SUBMIT. The Settings will be saved and a success message- Preference Updated will be displayed. 

Limiting Answer Library Searches in Slack to Specific Collections

A Super Admin user can restrict access to specific collections to protect potentially sensitive information by performing the following steps:

1. Navigate to Organizations > Collaboration > Integrations, and then select Configure on the Slack tile.

 

2. In the RFPIO User Options section, select Search only these collections and then enter the collections your users should be able to see. Click Submit when you are finished.

Features

The features supported by RFPIO LookUp for Slack are as follows:

• Rich Notifications
• Replying to Messages
• Search AL Content
• Adding Q&A Pairs to the Answer Library
• Setting Up a Project-Specific Channel 

Rich Notifications

By integrating RFPIO with Slack it keeps everyone in sync with instant notifications from the Section level and Question level within a project and the Answer Library.

The following topics are covered here:

• Messaging from SECTIONS
• Messaging While Responding to Questions
• Messaging from Answer Library

Messaging from SECTIONS

This section explains how comments made in the SECTIONS tab of RFPIO will be sent as  instant notifications in RFPIO LookUp for Slack, as well as to all users in the selected Slack channel.

1. From the SECTIONS tab of your project page, click the  icon associated with a section.
2. Select Section Comments from the displayed options. The Add New Comment box will be displayed as shown below:

3. Enter your comments and click  icon.

Note: To send a message to a particular user, type @username followed by the message. To send the message to the entire team, type @team followed by the message.

 The message will be displayed to all users in the Slack channel as shown below:

  

The message will be displayed to the user in the RFPIO Slack app as shown below:

  

Messaging While Responding to Questions

This section explains how messages can be sent directly to any or all users within the RFPIO LookUp for Slack or selected channel while responding to questions.

1. From the response section, click the comments icon.

The Comments section will be displayed.

2. Enter @username followed by the comment and click icon.

Note: To send comment to a group, type @team followed by the message and click  icon.

The comment will be sent to the user in the selected channel as well as RFPIO LookUp for Slack.

Commenting from the Answer Library

You can also send instant notifications from the Answer Library. Comments can be sent directly to any or all users within the RFPIO LookUp for Slack or selected channel from the answer library. 

1. From the Answer Library page, click on the QA pair you wish to add a comment to.
2. Click the comment icon. The Comment pop-up will be displayed.

3. Enter your comment and click  icon.

Note: To send comment to a particular user, enter @username followed by the comment and click  icon. To send comment to a group, type @team followed by the comment and click icon.

The comment will be sent to the user in the selected channel as well as the RFPIO LookUp for Slack.

Replying to Comments

From Slack you can directly reply to comments from RFPIO SECTIONS, Questions, and Answer Library. Once the comment is received in Slack, it will be displayed in the connected channel as well as the RFPIO LookUp for Slack as shown below:

Note: To receive a comment in a channel, either the channel must be public or the bot must be a part of that channel. Similarly, to reply back to RFPIO, the Bot must be present in the channel.

Follow the steps below to reply to the comment:

1. Click icon at the top right of the comment.

A section Thread will be displayed on the right-side pane.

2. Enter the comment to be sent in the Reply text-box and click Send. The comment will be displayed in the Thread section example below:

The replied comment will be displayed in RFPIO as shown below:

 

Attention! Everyone in the channel can view the comments sent in Slack. Members who do not have access to the question, section, or answer library can still view all the messages sent in the Slack channel, if they are a member of the particular channel. Only users with access to the question can view the replied comments in RFPIO.

Searching Answer Library Content

Using search in Slack makes it easier to find content from the Answer Library. You can filter and refine your searches in Slack to quickly find what you need.

• Search using /rfpio
• Search with @rfpio

Topics covered in this section:

• Starting a New Search
• Viewing Search Results
• Previewing Search Results

Starting a New Search

Search using /rfpio: This search can be performed from any channel that you are part of and from the RFPIO LookUp for Slack channel.

• To start a new search for Answer Library content directly from the message box use the /rfpio search slash command, followed by keywords, which will search in both the Question and Answer.
  • • /rfpio search [keyword], Example: /rfpio search business
• To perform an advanced search use field names such as question, answer, tags, collections, language, and custom fields.
  • • /rfpio search fieldname:[value] Example: /rfpio search language:English
• To perform a combination search use Boolean operators(AND, OR, NOT), wildcards (?, *), fuzzy(~), and range([1 TO 5 ]).
  • • Example: /rfpio search question:policy AND tags:(security OR privacy)

Note : You can also get the list of searchable fields by typing: /rfpio help search-fields.

1. Enter /rfpio from any channel. The system would suggest rfpio search <keywords> as displayed below:

  

2. Enter the keyword after /rfpio, example: /rfpio social and click Enter key.

The results would be displayed as shown below:

 

If no matches are found for the searched keyword, a message would be displayed as shown:   

Note: The result will display the name of the user who performed the search and will be visible for all users in the channel. If no matches are found for the searched keyword, a message will be displayed only to the user who performed the search. Using the Slack integration, non-RFPIO users can access specified domains (Guest Access to Collections) and search for Answer Library content available in the specified collections will be displayed to them. If no domain is specified, users across any domain can search for AL content from slack. However, only contents within the specified collections will be displayed in Slack. If domains are specified and either collections are not specified or collections are not available, the system fetches the default collection and results displayed will be from the default collection. Either a domain or a collection must be specified. Non-RFPIO user can view the results only in Slack, link to navigate to Answer Library will not be available.

Search with @RFPIO: This search can be performed from any channel that you are part of and from the RFPIO LookUp for Slack channel.

• To start a new search for Answer Library content directly from the Slack message box use the @RFPIOsearch command, followed by keywords, which will search in both the Question and Answer.
  • • @rfpio search [keyword], Example: @rfpio search business
• To perform an advanced search use field names such as question, answer, tags, collections, language, and custom fields.
  • • @rfpio search fieldname:[value], Example: @rfpio search language:English
• To perform a combination search use Boolean operators(AND, OR, NOT), wildcards (?, *), fuzzy(~), and range([1 TO 5 ]).
  • • Example: @rfpio search question:policy AND tags:(security OR privacy)

Note: You can also get the list of searchable fields by typing: @rfpio help search-fields.

1. Enter @rfpio from any channel that is connected to the RFPIO Bot. The system will suggest @rfpio <keyword> as displayed below:

 

2. Enter the keyword after @rfpio, example: @rfpio social and click Enter key.

The results will be displayed as shown below:

 

Points to Remember: If no matches are found for the searched keyword, a message will be displayed as shown: If the channel is not connected to the RFPIO LookUp for Slack, a message as shown below will be displayed:       To enable @rfpio search, you can click Invite Them.

 

Filtering Search Results

Once the search results are displayed, you can further filter the search results based on filters configured in the RFPIO Organization Settings.

Select the filter values as shown below:

The filtered results will be displayed as shown below:

Viewing Search Results

Search results are adaptive to help you find what you’re looking for. For example, searching for a word like "test" may show results for related words like "testing" or "tests."

For both /rfpio and @rfpio searches, the results will be displayed in Slack as shown below:

 

• Viewing Current Content in RFPIO: Clicking this will take you to RFPIO with the current result being displayed in Slack.

• Viewing All Matching Results: Clicking this will take you to RFPIO with all matching search results. The keyword searched will be highlighted.

Points to Remember: All members in the Slack channel can see the search results displayed in the channel, and the RFPIO Bot. TOTAL RESULTS(S) count indicates the count of the best matches. To view the results in RFPIO, the user/member must have access to the Question-Answer pair in the Answer Library. If access is not available, the page will display the following alert message: If matching results are not found, an alert message will be displayed. If the channel is not connected to RFPIO, the @rfpio search will not work.

 

Previewing Search Results

When privacy settings for search results are enabled, you can preview your results before posting them to the channel.

1. While performing search, results will display Only visible to you as shown below:

2. To view the full answer, click View Full Answer. A pop-up as shown below will be displayed.

3. To view the question in the Answer Library, click on the hyperlinked question. You will be navigated to the RFPIO page.
4. To post the search result to the channel and make it visible for all members in the channel, click Post to this Channel. Alternatively, you can click Post to this Channel from the Slack search results page. The posted result will be displayed in the channel as shown below:

Note: You can view all matching results by clicking View All Matching Results. You can navigate to the immediate next result by clicking View Next. You can navigate to the previous result by clicking View Previous.

Search operators you can use with Slack

You can use words or symbols called search operators to search Answer Library content from Slack. You can also combine operators to filter your results further.

How to use a search operator

1. Go to Slack.
2. In the editor area, type the search syntax.

Search Syntax

	Search syntax & example (this is applicable for @rfpio search too)
Keyword in the Q&A pair	/rfpio search <searchterm>  Example: /rfpio search business, will fetch all content with the term business anywhere in the content.
Keyword in the Question	/rfpio search question:<searchterm>  Example: /rfpio search question:business, will fetch all content with the term business in the question.
Keyword in the answer	/rfpio search answer:<searchterm>  Example: /rfpio search answer:business, will fetch all content with the term business in the answer.
Tag	/rfpio search tags:<tagname> Example: /rfpio search tag:security, will fetch all content with the tag security.
Collection	/rfpio search collections:<collectionname> Example: /rfpio search collections:APAC, will fetch all content within the collection APAC.
Language	/rfpio search language:<language> Example: /rfpio search language:German, will fetch all content in the German language.
Wildcard search	/rfpio search language: <itali?n>, will fetch all content in the Italian language /rfpio search tag: <secu*>, will fetch all content with the tags- secure, secured, security, etc.
Fuzzy Search	/rfpio search question: <secu~>, will fetch all content with the terms- secure, seek, self, present, such, etc., in the question.
Range Search	Range search can be used to search numeric values such as star rating and dates. /rfpio search <starrating>:[1 to 5], will fetch content with star rating 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. /rfpio search <starrating>:{1 to 5], will fetch content with star rating between 2, 3, 4, and 5. /rfpio search <starrating >:[1 to 5}, will fetch content with star rating 1, 2, 3, and 4. /rfpio search <starrating >:{1 to 5}, will fetch content with star rating 2, 3, and 4. /rfpio search <starrating >:[* to 5], will fetch content with star rating from any number till 5. /rfpio search <starrating >:[1 to *], will fetch content with star rating from 1 till any number. /rfpio search <starrating >:[* to *], will fetch content with any star rating.
Date Range Search	/rfpio search date:[* to NOW], will fetch all content with Date field. /rfpio search date:[<30-12-2019>], will fetch content with the specified date. /rfpio search date:[<30-12-2019> TO <01-01-2020], will fetch all content within the specified date.
Boolean search	AND/&& Search /rfpio search language:English AND French /rfpio search language:English && French The above examples will fetch all content in the English and French languages. OR/||Search /rfpio search collections:C1 OR C2 /rfpio search language:C1 || C2 The above examples will fetch all content in the collections C1 and C2. NOT Search /rfpio search tags:!Tag1 will fetch all content without the tag Tag1. + Search /rfpio search question (+< terms>) Example: /rfpio search question (+social media search) will fetch all content with the term “social” in the question, even if the terms media and search are not available. - Search /rfpio search question (-< terms>) Example: /rfpio search question (-social media search) will fetch all content without the term “social” in the question, but contains the terms media and search. Grouping Search- You can group Boolean operators AND, OR and NOT to perform searches Example: /rfpio search question:policy AND tags:(tag1 OR tag2) will retrieve all content having the keywordpolicy in the question and has either the tag 1 or tag 2.

Adding Question-Answer Pair

You can add a Question-Answer pair from Slack to the Answer Library with ease. To add a Q&A pair, follow the steps below:

1. Click the More actions icon associated with a message. Options as shown below will be displayed.

2. Select Create Q&A Pair in Answer Library. A Pop-up as shown below will be displayed.

3. Enter the question, its response, specify the tags, and collections.

Note: Tags and Collections if available, will be suggested by typing the first two characters. Responses if formatted in the slack editor will be displayed in the same format when added to Answer Library.

4. Click Submit once the details are entered. A success message will be displayed as shown below:

Note: Non-RFPIO users can add a Q&A pair to the Answer Library; if the setting is enabled in Organization Settings.

Setting Up a Project-Specific Channel 

Use case:

• It can be hard to find the information for a specific project when communications about all your projects appear in the same channel

RFPIO allows you to use a specific channel for a project for the following types of channels:

• All Private Active (with the RFPIO bot)
• All Public

Users must have Update Project Info access. 

Note: Before setting up the project-specific channel, you must have already enabled collaboration with Slack in the Organization Settings and set up the RFPIO bot as described previously. 

To set up a project-specific channel for Slack, select the project. Click Menu at the top of the page, and then click Project Settings.

Click the + next to Slack Settings to expand it. Make sure the Post channel notifications for this project toggle is enabled, and then click Use a specific channel.

Select the channel from the pull-down list or begin typing the name of the channel in the Search field. When you are finished, click Save.

Privacy Policy

By enabling this app, you agree to the RFPIO Terms of Use.