At Dreamforce 2022, Slack announced new features for the communication platform to support its function as a digital HQ.

To enhance this role, Slack will get Canvas, a new space for teams to share resources that creates a “persistent layer of information” that exists alongside Slack channels.

Within a Canvas, the user can share files, links, and multimedia with a specific group or channel. Canvas can be created based on specific workloads or for specific channels of communication. Multimedia like videos can be played within a Canvas to reduce distractions, and other users can chime in with comments.

Canvas can include files, texts, and multimedia. Source: Salesforce

While this all sounds like just another file-sharing space, the company says that the real benefit of Canvas is in sharing workflows and data. Slack Canvas can pull records straight from Salesforce’s Customer 360 customer relationship management as well as third-party services. Additionally, users can import any workflow created in Slack and execute it within a Canvas. Links to other channels, messages, and profiles can be used too.

The product blog post says that future updates will allow users to present records as interactive dashboards in canvases and update them without switching apps.

Some use cases for Canvas include onboarding, marketing campaigns, tracking executive briefings, and filing incident reports, says the company.

Canvas will arrive next year.

Alongside Canvas, Slack also announced new features for Slack Huddles, a meetings tool meant for quick, informal chats. Instead of needing to send a formal meeting invite, Huddles is meant to check in on or catch up with co-workers, and can be started in any channel or direct message. New features coming to Huddles include a lightweight video function, multi-person screen sharing, and messaging threads. These features should be generally available in the coming weeks.

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