Learn how to automate leave request approvals in Slack using Pabbly Connect, Google Sheets, and AI. Step-by-step guide with detailed instructions. Eliminate manual repetitive tasks from your workflow. Discover proven automation methods with intuitive steps designed for efficiency-minded professionals.

Watch Step By Step Video Tutorial Below

1. Accessing Pabbly Connect for Integration

To start automating leave request approvals in Slack, first access Pabbly Connect by visiting the Pabbly Connect homepage. You can sign up for free or log in if you already have an account. This platform is essential for integrating various applications like Google Sheets and Slack.

Once logged in, you will see options to create a new workflow. Click on the ‘Create Workflow’ button, and give your workflow a name, such as ‘AI Agent for Leave Approval’. This sets the stage for automating the leave approval process.

2. Setting Up the Trigger with Slack

The first step in creating the automation involves setting up a trigger in Pabbly Connect. Select Slack as your trigger application and choose the event as ‘New Message’. This means that every time a new leave request message is posted in your designated Slack channel, it will initiate the workflow.

  • Choose ‘Add New Connection’ to link your Slack account with Pabbly Connect.
  • Select the channel where leave requests are submitted.
  • Click ‘Save and Send Test Request’ to capture the latest message.

After setting up the trigger, Pabbly Connect will capture the message details, including the user ID and the content of the leave request. This information will be crucial for the next steps in the automation process.

3. Fetching Employee Details from Google Sheets

Next, you need to fetch employee details stored in Google Sheets using Pabbly Connect. For this, select Google Sheets as your action application. Choose the action event as ‘Lookup Spreadsheet Row’. This allows you to retrieve specific details about the employee based on the user ID captured from Slack.

To complete this step, you will need to connect your Google Sheets account. Once connected, specify the spreadsheet name and the sheet where employee details are stored. Set the lookup column to the one containing the Slack usernames, and map the user ID from the previous step.

  • Enter the spreadsheet name (e.g., ‘Leave Details’).
  • Select the sheet name containing employee leave information.
  • Map the user ID to search for the corresponding employee.

Once these details are mapped, click on ‘Save and Send Test Request’ to retrieve the employee’s leave balance and other relevant information necessary for the AI agent.

4. Integrating the AI Agent for Approval Process

The next step is to integrate your AI agent using Pabbly Connect. Select OpenAI as your action application and choose the action event as ‘ChatGPT’. This allows you to generate approval or rejection messages based on the employee’s leave request and company policies.

Connect your OpenAI account by providing the API key. In the prompt field, specify the role of the AI, along with the leave policies and the employee details fetched from Google Sheets. This will enable the AI to analyze the leave request and make a decision.

Provide clear leave policies for the AI to follow. Map the employee details to personalize the response. Specify the desired message format (e.g., JSON).

After setting this up, click ‘Save and Send Test Request’ to test the AI’s response. The AI will generate a message indicating whether the leave request is approved or rejected, along with the reason.

5. Sending Approval or Rejection Message to Slack

The final step involves sending the AI-generated message back to the employee in Slack using Pabbly Connect. Select Slack again as your action application and choose ‘Send Channel Message’ as the event. This will allow you to post the AI’s decision directly to the Slack channel.

Map the message generated by the AI to the message field in this action step. You can also customize the bot’s name that will be sending the message in Slack. Once everything is set up, click ‘Save and Send Test Request’ to send the message.

Upon successful execution, the employee will receive a notification in Slack regarding their leave request status. This completes the automation process, ensuring that leave requests are handled efficiently and promptly.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we demonstrated how to automate leave request approvals in Slack using Pabbly Connect. By integrating Google Sheets, Slack, and an AI agent, you can streamline the process without any coding skills. This automation saves time and enhances productivity in managing leave requests.

Ensure you check out Pabbly Connect to create business automation workflows and reduce manual tasks. Pabbly Connect currently offer integration with 2,000+ applications.