This page takes you from installing Thorpe to your first tracked request, in about ten minutes.
Before you start
- You need permission to add apps to your Slack workspace.
- You need at least one shared Slack Connect channel with a customer.
- Create an internal channel for your support team, such as #support-triage. Thorpe posts request cards and SLA alerts there, so keep customers out of it.
Install Thorpe
- Go to app.usethorpe.com and choose Add Thorpe to your Slack workspace.
- Approve the permissions in Slack. Thorpe asks for bot permissions only. Slack permissions lists each one and why Thorpe needs it.
- Slack sends you back to Thorpe's setup. The person who installs Thorpe becomes its first admin. Everyone else on your team signs in with Sign in with Slack and joins as a member.
Run setup
Setup has three steps.
- Which channels are customer channels? Thorpe lists the channels it can see. Slack Connect channels are ticked for you. Untick any you don't want tracked, then choose Continue.
- Where should request cards go? Pick your internal triage channel, then choose Continue.
- How fast do you promise to answer? Set First response, minutes and Resolution, business hours, then choose Finish setup.
Thorpe joins the public channels you picked. When setup finishes, it says how many channels it is watching, and lists any private channels you still need to invite it to.
| Setting | Default | Change it later in |
|---|---|---|
| First response | 30 minutes | Settings > SLA policies |
| Resolution | 8 business hours | Settings > SLA policies |
| Business hours | Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00, in your time zone | Settings > SLA policies |
| Customer channels | Your Slack Connect channels | Settings > Channels |
Your first request
- Wait for someone from the customer's workspace to post a new message in a customer channel, or ask a contact there to post a test question.
- Within seconds a request card appears in your triage channel. It shows the channel, the owner, the priority and when the first reply is due.
- Reply to the customer in the thread under their message, in the customer channel. The request moves to Waiting on customer and the first-response clock stops.
- When the conversation is done, choose Close on the card.
Messages from your own teammates are never requests. Only people from the customer's Slack workspace open them.
What's next
- How Thorpe works explains requests, statuses and the SLA clock in more depth.
- SLAs and business hours shows how to give each account tier its own targets.