Slack is starting to roll out a new feature that lets anyone using the service DM each other. Announced back in October, Slack Connect DMs will let Slack users privately message employees outside of their company. It’s designed for companies working with partners or clients, but you could even use it to message friends at other companies.
This new DM feature builds on Slack’s work with Connect, which started appearing last year. Slack Connect is primarily designed to let businesses collaborate together through shared channels, and cross-organizational DMs is the next big part of Connect. DMs work by sending a special link to start a conversation and may require Slack admin approval depending on how your organization has set up Slack.
Paid Slack users will be able to access Slack Connect DMs today, and the company says it plans to roll this out to all teams, including free users, soon. Slack is also working on a new way to link together multiple organizations to create a private business network. This feature will launch later this year and include unified directories, channel discovery, and shared apps.
