How to install and manage the Kudos app for Slack integration

The Kudos app for Slack makes recognition part of your team’s daily workflow by allowing employees to send, receive and engage with recognition directly in Slack. Recognition sent from Slack appears in the Slack channel where it was sent and in the Kudos Home feed in real time, helping your organization increase the visibility and impact of appreciation without asking employees to switch between platforms.

Only a Kudos admin can install and manage the Slack integration from Kudos. A Slack workspace admin is responsible for adding the Kudos app to the Slack channels where Kudos recognition will be available. Once configured, employees can send recognition with the /recognize command and engage with recognition through endorsements, comments, and reactions.

For instructions on sending and engaging with recognition in Slack, see How to use the Kudos app for Slack.

• Make recognition easier to send by bringing Kudos into a tool employees already use throughout their day.
• Encourage recognition within team, department, project, or other Slack channels where employees regularly collaborate.
• Increase engagement with recognition by allowing employees to endorse, comment on, and react without leaving Slack.
• Give employees another way to send and receive recognition while keeping Slack-initiated activity visible in the Kudos Home feed.
• Include recognition activity initiated from Slack in your Kudos reporting alongside activity from the main Kudos platform.

Installing the Slack integration from Kudos

Only a Kudos admin can install and manage the Slack integration from the Kudos platform.

1. In Kudos, go to Integrations.
2. Find Slack.
3. Select Install.
4. You’ll be redirected to Slack.
5. Under Workspace, select the Slack workspace you want to connect.
6. Select Allow to complete the connection.

Adding the Kudos app to a Slack channel

After connecting the integration, the next step is to add the Kudos app to the Slack channel(s) where employees will use it. Recognition can only be sent from channels where the Kudos app has been added.

A Slack workspace admin can add Kudos to any channel where recognition is allowed and encouraged.

1. Create or open an existing Slack channel where you want employees to use Kudos.
2. Open the channel details.
3. Add Kudos to the channel the same way you would add another member or app.
4. Search for Kudos and select the Kudos app.

Repeat these steps for each Slack channel where you want employees to send recognition.

Sending Kudos recognition from Slack

Once Kudos has been added to a channel, anyone in that channel can access the Kudos app. However, the sender must also be a Kudos member to successfully send recognition.

1. Open a Slack channel that has the Kudos app added.
2. Enter /recognize followed by the @ mention of the person you want to recognize (optional).
3. Select the Kudos /recognize command.
4. Complete the Send recognition form:
   • Confirm the recipient
   • Enter the recognition in Message
   • Select at least one quality
   • Select an available point amount if you want to include points
5. Select Send

The recognition appears in the Slack channel where it was sent and in the Kudos Home feed in real time.

Note: The Slack recognition workflow supports recipient selection, a recognition message, emojis, qualities, and available points. AI features, private recognition, scheduling, and drafts are not available when sending recognition from Slack.

If the sender is not a Kudos member

The Kudos app is available to anyone in a Slack channel where it has been added. However, if a Slack user who does not have a Kudos record attempts to send recognition using the Kudos app, an error message will appear and the recognition will not be sent.

If the recipient is not in the Slack channel

Employees can send recognition to a Kudos member even when that person is not a member of the Slack channel. 

The recognition is successfully created and appears in the Slack channel and the Kudos Home feed. The recipient receives a Kudos notification and can view the recognition in Kudos. However, the recipient does not receive a Slack notification because they cannot access the Slack channel containing the recognition.

If the recipient is not a Kudos member

Recognition cannot be sent to a Slack user who does not have a corresponding Kudos record. The user may be selectable in Slack, but when the sender selects Send, an error message appears indicating that the selected recipient is not a Kudos member and the recognition is not sent.

Adding points to recognition

Points are always optional when sending recognition in Kudos, including when recognition is sent through Slack. When sending from Slack, the point amounts available to an employee depend on their available balance and the point presets configured for your Kudos program.

The employee’s balance must be enough to use at least one configured point preset. For example, if the smallest configured preset is 5 points and the employee has 3 points left to give, they cannot add points to the recognition. They can still send the recognition without points.

Engaging with Kudos recognition in Slack

Recognition posted in Slack includes options for employees to continue the celebration from the channel where it was shared.

Employees can:

• Endorse recognition, with or without points
• Comment on recognition
• React to recognition
• Select View in Kudos to open the same recognition message in the main Kudos platform

To ensure engagement is tracked and synced to Kudos, employees must use the Kudos calls to action provided on the recognition message for endorsements, comments, and reactions.

Note: Engagement initiated from Slack syncs back to the same recognition in the Kudos Home feed. Engagement initiated from the Kudos Home feed does not sync back to the original Slack message.

Understanding the activity feed

Recognition sent from Slack:

• Appears in the Slack channel where it was sent
• Appears in the Kudos Home feed in real time
• Notifies the recipient in Kudos and in Slack (if they have access to the Slack channel)
• Slack notifications link directly to the recognition message in the original Slack channel
• Kudos notifications link directly to the recognition message in the Kudos home feed

Recognition sent from Kudos:

• Appears in the Kudos Home feed
• Does not appear in Slack
• Generates Kudos notifications only

Endorsements, reactions, and comments initiated from Slack:

• Appear on the recognition message in the Slack channel where they were added
• Sync to the same recognition message in the Kudos Home feed
• Generates notifications in Slack where applicable

Endorsements, reactions, and comments completed in Kudos:

• Appear in the Kudos Home feed
• Do not sync back to Slack
• Generate Kudos notifications only

Slack-based recognition activity is also included in Kudos reporting, including recognition sent and received, qualities, reactions, comments, endorsements, and points.

Note: All Slack reactions are converted to a heart emoji in the Kudos home feed.

Removing Kudos from a Slack channel

Removing Kudos from an individual channel prevents employees from using the app in that channel without removing the integration from the entire workspace.

1. Open the Slack channel details.
2. Find Kudos in the channel’s members or apps.
3. Open the menu beside Kudos.
4. Select Remove from channel.
5. Select Remove to confirm.

Kudos can be added back to the channel later using the same process used to add an app or member.

Removing the app from Slack

The Kudos app can also be removed directly from Slack.

1. Open the Kudos app page in Slack.
2. Open Configuration to access the app configuration in the Slack Marketplace.
3. On the Kudos® Next-Gen page, select the Configuration tab.
4. Scroll to Remove App.
5. Select Remove App.
6. Select Remove App again to confirm.

Removing the app through Slack or the Slack Marketplace removes it from Slack, but the integration may continue to appear as connected in Kudos with the Remove option. To disconnect it completely, select Remove from the Slack integration in Kudos.

Removing or reinstalling the Slack integration from Kudos

A Kudos admin can manage the integration from the Integrations page.

To disconnect the integration completely:

1. In Kudos, go to Integrations.
2. Find Slack.
3. Select Remove.

Removing the integration disconnects Kudos from Slack for all users in your organization. Associated data is deleted from the Slack workspace, and Kudos will no longer be available in Slack.

If the app has been removed from Slack but still appears connected in Kudos, open the additional options for the Slack integration and select Reinstall when you are ready to add Kudos back to Slack.

• Consider creating a dedicated Slack channel for Kudos activity and naming it accordingly. You can also add Kudos to existing channels where recognition is already encouraged.
• Add Kudos to every channel where you want /recognize to be available. Connecting the integration does not automatically make recognition available in every Slack channel.
• Encourage employees to use the Endorse, Comment, and reaction calls to action provided by Kudos. This ensures Slack activity syncs back to the Kudos Home feed.
• Remind employees that Slack-to-Kudos syncing is one-way. Activity initiated in Slack appears in Kudos, but activity initiated in Kudos does not appear back in Slack.
• Review your program’s point presets when introducing Slack recognition. Employees whose available balance is lower than the smallest preset can still recognize someone, but they cannot attach points.
• Make sure employees understand that the Slack workflow focuses specifically on recognition. Other Kudos features and functions are only available from the main Kudos platform.
• Slack recognition activity is included in Kudos reports, so admins can continue measuring recognition and engagement across the program.

Q: Who can install the Slack integration in Kudos?
A: Only a Kudos admin can install and manage the Slack integration in the Kudos platform.

Q: Does installing the integration automatically add Kudos to every Slack channel?
A: No. Kudos must be added to each channel where employees need to use the /recognize command.

Q: Who can add Kudos to Slack channels?
A: A Slack workspace admin can add the Kudos app to the channels where employees can use it.

Q: Can we use one dedicated channel for recognition?
A: Yes. You can create a dedicated channel for Kudos activity and add the Kudos app to it. You can also add Kudos to multiple existing channels where recognition is encouraged.

Q: Does activity from Slack appear in Kudos reports?
A: Yes. Slack-based recognition activity is included in Kudos reporting, including recognition sent and received, qualities, reactions, comments, endorsements, and points.

Q: Does recognition sent from Kudos appear in Slack?
A: No. Recognition and engagement initiated in the Kudos Home feed do not sync back to Slack, nor does it generate Slack notifications.

Q: Does the integration support Slack Enterprise?
A: Enterprise Slack (e-grid) support is not currently supported.

Q: What happens if the Kudos app is removed directly from Slack?
A: The app is removed from Slack, but it may still appear as connected in Kudos. Use Reinstall if you want to add it back to Slack, or select Remove in Kudos if you want to disconnect the integration completely.

Problem: The /recognize command is not available in a Slack channel

• Confirm that the Kudos app for Slack has been installed.
• Confirm the Kudos app has been added to that specific Slack channel.
• Try the command again after the app has been added.

Problem: A user gets an error when trying to send recognition

• Confirm the sender is a Kudos member. Slack users can access the app when it has been added to their channel, but they cannot successfully send recognition without a Kudos record.
• Confirm the selected recipient is also a Kudos member. If the recipient exists only in Slack, select a recipient who has a corresponding Kudos record.
• Try sending the recognition again after confirming both users are Kudos members.

Problem: A recipient does not receive a Slack notification

• Confirm the recipient has a Kudos record.
• Confirm the recipient is a member of the channel where the recognition was sent. If they are not in the channel, direct them to their Kudos notification instead.
• Remember that a user who cannot access the original Slack channel will not receive a Slack notification for that recognition.

Problem: A user cannot add points to recognition

• Check the user’s available points shown in the Send recognition window.
• Compare the balance with your program’s configured point presets.
• Confirm the user has enough points for at least the smallest available preset.
• Send the recognition without points if the available balance is too low.

Problem: Slack comments, reactions, or endorsements are not reflected in Kudos

• Confirm the interaction was made using the Kudos calls to action on the recognition message.
• Confirm you are reviewing the same recognition in the Kudos Home feed.

Problem: Recognition was removed from Kudos but is still visible in Slack

• Removing or reporting the recognition in the main Kudos platform only removes it from the Kudos wall.
• The corresponding message is not removed from the Slack channel.
• Slack messages cannot be reported to a Kudos admin for removal from Slack.
• Manage the Slack message separately within Slack where appropriate.

Problem: The app was removed from Slack but still appears connected in Kudos

• Removing the app from Slack or the Slack Marketplace does not immediately disconnect the integration in Kudos.
• Select Reinstall if you want to make the app available in Slack again.
• Select Remove from the Slack integration in Kudos if you want to disconnect it completely.

Need help setting things up? Reach out to Support or your Customer Success Manager.