Slack doesn’t have a built-in poll command to launch polls.
To do a poll in Slack, your best option is to install a poll bot and use it to create polls.
There are several Slack polling tools, each with more or less the same features.
In this article, we’ll share to create pool using a free Slack bot Geekbot.
Geekbot is also an easy to use polling software that integrates with Slack, letting you easily run polls to gain insights from your team.
This post shows you how to use Geekbot to do a poll in Slack in 6 steps.
Note: Are you ready to start running polls in Slack? Geekbot is free for smaller teams with less than 10 users. We also offer a paid option for larger teams which you can try out free for 30 days.
1. Install Polling Slack Bot
Go to slack.com/apps and type in the search “polls Geekbot” or simply “Geekbot”
Click on Geekbot and in the opened window on the left, click “Add to Slack”:
2. Open Dashboard
Right after the installation. Geekbot will prompt you to open its dashbaord.
You can also open it from Slack by simply sending Geekbot a direct message “dashboard”:
3. Create a New Slack Poll
As you can see below, we have ready-made templates for daily standups, quick check-ins, retrospectives, team feedback, and more.
Because we’re creating a poll, we’ll need a specific type of customization, so instead of selecting a specific template, click on “Build your own” in the upper right-hand corner.
That will take you to a Custom Report screen.
Custom Reports are broken down into four key areas, where you can specify poll options, including:
- “Basic”: For the name of the poll, where it’s going to be broadcasted, and whether it’s anonymous or not.
- “Questions”: What question(s) do you want answered, and how do you want your responses (numeric, dropdown list, free response, etc.)?
- “Participants”: Who gets the poll? Is it everyone in a certain Slack channel or only specific people?
- “Schedule”: When does the poll get sent out? On a recurring schedule? Or only once?
In the three steps below, we will take a closer look at the key areas of creating a Slack poll with Geekbot.
4. Name Your Poll
You can name your poll and select where you want it broadcasted.
For example, do you want your Slack poll posted in your team’s #general channel, or is this poll for a different channel, such as your developer or user research channel?
At this stage, you can also select whether or not this is an anonymous poll.
Sometimes anonymous polls are chosen when you want your team to speak or vote without fear of repercussions.
5. Write Your Questions
Next, you’re going to write the question(s) you want your team to answer.
Note: There is no limit to how many questions you can add to your Slack poll.
When you click “Answer Type”, you’re taken to a screen where you can select between several different types of responses.
- Plain text: Users can freely type any kind of answer.
- Numeric: Users can only respond using numbers. This is great if you’re looking for percentages or easily quantifiable data.
- Pre-defined: Users can select from predefined responses or responses you’re providing.
- Random: Users receive a question at random from a list.
The image above is an example of what it looks like when you select “Pre-defined” as your response type.
With Geekbot, you can also write an intro message. This is the first Slack message your team sees, and it can be as simple as, “It’s time for our weekly poll!”
You can also type an outro message. An outro message is usually something simple such as, “Thank you for completing today’s poll.”
Bonus: With Geekbot, you can use emojis in your Intro and Outro message to make your Slack poll more engaging, emotive, and friendly. 🙂
6. Select Your Participants
With Geekbot, you can either manually add participants to your poll or sync your poll to a specific Slack channel.
If you wanted only the responses of a few team members who aren’t grouped neatly into one channel, then just add their names to the list manually. Geekbot pulls all available names from your organization’s Slack workspace.
Note: With Geekbot, there’s no maximum or minimum number of participants required to run a Slack poll.
7. Schedule Your Slack Poll
Next, it’s time to schedule your Slack poll.
You can pick the frequency of when your Slack poll is sent out, selecting from a dropdown list of options, including:
- One time only
- Weekly
- 2 Week Period
- 3 Week Period
- 4 Week Period
- First week of each month
- Last week of each month
You can also select what day(s) to send out the poll, along with what time.
When scheduling a time: it’s convenient to select the time you want (such as 9:00 in the morning) and then to have Geekbot automatically factor in each participant’s respective time zone. This way everyone gets the poll when it’s convenient for them, minimizing the interruption to their workflow.
8. Send Out Your Slack Poll
Once you’ve filled out all of the appropriate fields, you can now schedule your Slack poll to get sent out. Participants will get a DM in Slack, asking them to complete the poll. For example:
When you get your poll results, you can view them in two different ways.
First, you can view them directly in Slack. For example:
But you can also view responses as a whole from your Geekbot dashboard.
In the above image, you can see that 73% of your team filled out the poll (with five missing participants) and most team members agree that they’d appreciate freshly squeezed juices over fresh veggies and yogurt dips.
Final Thoughts: The Many Benefits of Using Geekbot
We use Geekbot to run Slack polls whenever we need them. It’s a quick and easy way to get information from your team.
Plus, there are dozens of ways teams can use Geekbot to improve their company culture.
For example, GitLab uses Geekbot to do remote work check-ins and build camaraderie. Other customers use a feature called Geekbot Sentiment (where Geekbot measures team happiness).
Also, as we’ve mentioned, many teams use Geekbot to run asynchronous remote work meetings, such as standups, retrospectives, and more.
If you’re ready to start using Geekbot, click here to start your free trial.