Using Atom in Slack

Atom brings a full portal-like experience directly into Slack, so you can get answers, raise requests, track updates, and handle approvals without leaving the app you already work in.

Atomicwork uses your organization's Slack login, so there is no separate sign-in required. Open Atom in Slack and you are ready to go.

Finding Atom in Slack

Atom lives in Slack's top bar, alongside Slackbot AI and any other agents your workspace has enabled. Clicking Atom opens it in a dedicated split-pane chat view. Your channels stay visible, and your conversation with Atom opens alongside them.

If you cannot see Atom in your Slack top bar

1. Click your profile picture in Slack and go to Preferences > Navigation.

2. Under App agents & assistants, make sure the box next to Atom is checked.

If your workspace owner or admin has hidden Atom organization-wide, ask them to enable it.

You can also reach Atom in these ways:

• Direct message: Find Atom in your DM list and send a message.
• @mention: Mention Atom in any public channel it has been added to. Atom replies in-thread.

Starting a conversation with Atom

When you open Atom, you will see suggested prompts based on your role and recent activity. Click any prompt to start, or type your own question.

You can ask Atom to:

• Answer questions using your organization's knowledge base.
• Troubleshoot common issues step by step.
• Raise service requests, incidents, or time-off requests.
• Check the status of your open requests.
• Browse the service catalog to see what is available.

When Atom responds, it first shows its reasoning in a single block: which knowledge sources it is searching, which tools it is calling, and what it is finding. Then it gets to the answer, so you know how Atom reached it without scrolling through multiple steps.

For example, when you ask "What's the visitor pass policy at the Chennai office?", Atom's reasoning shows that it is searching your knowledge base for "Chennai office", checking the visitor pass policy, and pulling the relevant catalog item before giving you the final answer.

Chat history and threaded conversations

Your conversations with Atom live in Atom's Messages tab. Send Atom a message to start a conversation, and Atom replies in a thread. You can jump back into any thread to continue where you left off.

Atom retains context within each thread. For example, if you were discussing a visit to the Chennai office and raised a visitor pass request in that conversation, asking "What's the Wi-Fi password?" in the same thread prompts Atom to search specifically for Chennai office Wi-Fi details because it already knows what the conversation is about.

To start a fresh topic, send Atom a new message instead of replying in an existing thread. This keeps your conversations organized and ensures Atom applies the right context to each one.

Finding past conversations

To see your past conversations with Atom, hover over Agents & Tools in Slack's left sidebar.

Agents & Tools isn't visible by default for everyone. If you don't see it, turn it on:

1. In Slack's left navigation bar, right-click and select Customize tabs.

2. In the preferences window, which opens with Navigation selected, check Agents & Tools.

Raising a request

When you describe what you need, Atom identifies the right service catalog item and opens the appropriate form. If you have already shared relevant details in the conversation, Atom auto-fills what it can so you do not have to re-enter information.

1. Type your request in the chat, such as "I need a new mouse" or "I want to apply for leave."

2. Atom surfaces the matching form. Click it to review and fill in any remaining details.

3. Submit the form to log the request.

If formless ticket creation is turned on for your workspace, Atom can raise the request directly from your conversation instead of showing you a form.

Atom can also handle multiple requests in a single conversation. If you ask for a new mouse and a leave request in the same message, Atom works through both by pulling catalog information, making recommendations, and surfacing forms as needed.

Receiving notifications

Atom keeps you updated on everything happening with your requests through Slack notifications. You will see:

• When an agent is assigned to your request.
• Replies and updates from the service team.
• Status changes, such as in progress or resolved.
• Approval outcomes.

If you are an agent, notifications for requests assigned to you appear in Slack too.

Handling approvals

If a request requires your approval, such as a team member's leave request or a software access request, Atom sends you the approval card directly in Slack.

1. Open the approval message from Atom.

2. Review the request details.

3. Click Approve or Reject to take action.

The requester is notified immediately, and the request moves to the next step in the workflow.

To work through several approvals at once, ask Atom "What are my pending approvals?" You can approve or decline requests directly from Atom's response, without opening each request.

Tips for getting the best out of Atom in Slack

• Be specific. The more detail you provide, the better Atom can help. "My VPN stopped working after I plugged a fan into my laptop" gets a more useful response than "VPN not working."
• Use threads. Keep related questions in the same thread so Atom can use the full conversation context. When you switch topics, send Atom a new message instead of replying in an existing thread.
• Ask follow-up questions. You do not need to start over if Atom's first response does not fully solve your problem. Ask a follow-up in the same thread and Atom will refine its answer.