How to add Slack to ProShop ERP
Short answer
Build a Slack app that reads ProShop through its API and posts to channels, answers slash commands such as /job 12345, and offers interactive buttons for approvals. Writes go back through the API only after the clicking user is mapped to a ProShop user.
Shops that run engineering, programming and sales on Slack but keep production in ProShop end up with a split brain: the work order is in one place, the conversation about it in another. People paste work order numbers into channels and then someone else goes to look them up.
A Slack app can collapse that loop. Typing a work order number unfurls its status, a slash command pulls a routing summary, and the right channel gets the alert the moment something goes on hold.
What teams use it for
Work order unfurls
Paste a work order or part number in a channel and the app replies with stage, due date, quantity complete and any holds.
Slash command lookups
Commands like /job, /part and /po return a compact summary from ProShop for the person who asked, visible only to them.
Programming queue alerts
When a new job needs CNC programs, the programming channel gets a message with part, revision and due date, and a Take it button.
Quote won notifications
When a quote converts to a customer PO and work order, the sales and planning channels are told once, with links.
Material shortage warnings
Operations that cannot start for lack of stock post a warning to purchasing with the part and vendor on file.
ProShop ERP integration surface
- ProShop API access (GraphQL in current releases) is the main path for lookups; confirm the exact schema and rate limits for your version.
- Event capture options are webhooks if available on your tenant, ProShop email notifications parsed by a mailbox rule, or polling with a changed-since filter.
- Work orders, customer POs, purchase orders, quotes and tooling records carry the identifiers you will resolve from Slack text, so keep a consistent regex for each number format.
- ProShop deep links to records let Slack messages point back to the source of truth for anyone who needs the full screen.
How it works
- 1
Create the Slack app
Use Bolt for JavaScript or Python. Enable slash commands, interactivity, link unfurling for your ProShop domain and the events you need, with signing secret verification on every request.
- 2
Connect to ProShop
Use a read-scoped integration user for lookups. Add a separate, narrower credential for any write actions and keep both in a secrets manager.
- 3
Resolve identifiers
Parse work order, PO and part numbers from text, call the API, and return a small Block Kit message with status and a link.
- 4
Map Slack users to ProShop users
Match by email. Refuse actions when no mapping exists, and apply the ProShop role of the mapped user, not the app's.
- 5
Route alerts by channel
Store a rules table of event type to channel. Quality events go to quality, material events to purchasing, so no single channel gets noisy.
Example flows
Programmer picks up a new job
Trigger: A work order is released with an operation flagged for programming.
- The app posts to the programming channel with part, revision and due date.
- A programmer clicks Take it.
- The app writes the programmer's name into a note on the operation and edits the message to show the owner.
Result: No two people start the same program, and the owner is visible to planning.
Quick check on a PO line
Trigger: A buyer types /po 4521 in Slack.
- The app calls ProShop for PO 4521.
- It returns vendor, lines, received quantity and promised date as an ephemeral message.
- A Nudge vendor button drafts an email for the buyer to review.
Result: The buyer answers a question in seconds without leaving the conversation.
Keeping data on-prem
Slack is a hosted service, so what you can keep inside your network is the app server, its rules tables, logs and any AI component. Host the Slack app behind your firewall using Socket Mode so you do not need to open an inbound port for Slack, and keep ProShop credentials on that host. If you want free-text questions, run an open-weight model locally and give it only the query results returned for the asking user. Slack Enterprise Grid and its data residency options may matter for regulated shops, but they do not change the rule of keeping controlled technical data out of channels.
Security checklist
- Verify the Slack signing secret on every inbound request and use Socket Mode or an allow-listed endpoint.
- Return lookup results as ephemeral messages unless the data is safe for the whole channel.
- Apply the mapped user's ProShop role to every action, and log who clicked what.
- Do not post customer pricing or export-controlled data to shared channels.
Ways to get it done
No-code automation (Zapier, Make, n8n) with ProShop API or email triggers
Effort: Hours to days per flow.
Good for simple channel alerts where there is no write-back.
Custom Slack app with Bolt
Effort: Two to five weeks for a first set of commands and alerts.
Right for slash commands, unfurls and approvals with role checks.
Partner build with Netray
Effort: Scoped pilot in a few weeks.
Useful when you also want an AI assistant answering ProShop questions in Slack with a private model.
Pitfalls
- !Replying to slash commands in public channels with data that should be private.
- !Skipping the user mapping and letting everyone act with the app's permissions.
- !Alert storms from polling a field that changes constantly, such as percent complete.
- !Ignoring Slack's 3-second acknowledgement rule, so commands time out while ProShop responds.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official ProShop Slack app?
We cannot confirm one for every ProShop version, so ask ProShop. If none exists, you build a small Slack app that uses the ProShop API, or use a no-code tool for simple alerts. Either approach is a few weeks of work at most.
Can Slack users change data in ProShop?
They can, if you allow it. Start with read-only lookups and add narrow write actions such as claiming a job or adding a note. Keep the mapped user's ProShop role in force and avoid price or quantity edits from chat.
How do we avoid noisy channels?
Route by event type to purpose-built channels, only alert on state changes that need action, and send a daily digest for the rest. Review usage after a month and remove alerts nobody acts on.
Can the Slack app run inside our network?
Yes. With Socket Mode the app opens an outbound connection to Slack, so no inbound firewall rule is needed. It can sit next to your other integration services and reach ProShop over outbound HTTPS.
Can we ask the bot in plain English which jobs are late?
Yes. A model translates the question into a read query against ProShop and the app shows the matching work orders. For sensitive shops, host the model locally and keep the interaction read-only with source links included.
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