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Integration Summary

The Amazon Chime Meetings App for Slack lets you start and join Amazon Chime meetings directly from your Slack workspace channels and direct messages. With Amazon Chime Basic, users can start one-to-one audio and video calls and join group meetings as an attendee. With an upgrade to Amazon Chime Pro, Slack users can access advanced meeting features from their Slack workspace like hosting group meetings with up to 250 attendees and 16 video streams, guest access from a meeting link, conference dial-ins, and support for SIP in-room video systems. The Amazon Chime Meeting App for Slack automatically registers new users the first time they use the app so they can start using Amazon Chime without having to create or manage a new account.

Administrators of Slack workspaces can install the Amazon Chime Meetings App from the Slack App Directory and users already collaborating on Slack can start using Amazon Chime to place a video call to a Slack contact or host a group meeting without having to create an Amazon Chime profile. Users start Amazon Chime meetings with the /chime slash command or, when configured, using the Call button in Slack channels and direct messages. The Amazon Chime Meetings App installation flow also makes it easy for Slack workspace administrators to upgrade their workspace users to Amazon Chime Pro by streamlining the process to create an Amazon Chime Team account, import, and invite all their Slack workspace users.

The Amazon Chime Meetings App for Slack and Amazon Chime Basic is available at no cost to users, while Amazon Chime Pro is offered with pay-as-you-go pricing - you only are charged when a host utilizes Pro features. See more information regarding pricing here.

First time setup

The first time you use the Amazon Chime Meetings App for Slack, the app requests permissions to link your Slack account to your Amazon Chime profile. If you have not created an Amazon Chime profile before, one will be created as part of this process and will use your name and email address from your Slack profile.

1. After using the /chime slash command, clicking Join on a call block, or clicking an Amazon Chime Meetings-enabled Call button from the Slack app, you will be prompted to complete a one time setup.
   
2. Click Set me up!
3. Choose Continue to accept the terms and conditions for using the Amazon Chime service.
   
4. When prompted by Slack, select Allow to enable the Amazon Chime Meetings App to access information about your Slack profile (name and email address).
   
5. After completing these steps, your Slack account and the Amazon Chime profile with the same email address will be linked. You can now start and join Amazon Chime meetings from Slack with a single click.
   

Note:

If your Amazon Chime profile is part of an Amazon Chime Enterprise account using Active Directory or Okta SSO for sign in, you will need to sign in to Amazon Chime with your username and password before completing this process.

Starting an Amazon Chime Meeting from Slack

Using the /chime slash command

1. From any Slack channel, you can start a meeting by using the /chime slash command. This will create a new Amazon Chime meeting and post a call block into the channel.
   
2. You can optionally @mention users in the channel after the Slash command to add them directly to the Amazon Chime meeting.
   
3. An Amazon Chime meeting will be started and you and your meeting attendees will see a Join button in the Slack call block.
   
4. Click on the Join button to connect to the meeting.

Using the Slack Call button

1. Your administrator can change your workspace settings to make Amazon Chime Meetings the default calling app. When this is done, the call button in the upper right of any Slack channel can be used to start an Amazon Chime meeting.
   
2. When you initiate an Amazon Chime meeting by clicking on the Call button, you will enter the Amazon Chime meeting immediately and a Join button will be added to the thread for other attendees to use to join the meeting.
   
3. When using the Call button from a direct message, other users in the 1:1 or group message will be displayed on the Chime meeting roster.

Amazon Chime Basic Users

If you are a user that only has Basic Chime permissions you can join Amazon Chime meetings, and you can start a 1:1 meeting with another user in a 1:1 direct message using the /chime slash command or the Call button. You will be restricted from starting a meeting with more attendees and will receive a message when trying to start an Amazon Chime meeting from a direct message thread with more than 1 other user or when using the /chime slash command and at mentioning more than one other attendee.

Joining Amazon Chime Meetings in Slack

1. An Amazon Chime meeting started from the Slack app will post a call block to the Slack channel used by the meeting initiator. You can join a call by clicking Join. If you have completed the first time setup, you will immediately be added to the Amazon Chime meeting. If not, clicking Join will take you through the first time setup, when complete, return to the channel and click Join again to join the meeting.
   
2. Device preview

   Test and adjust your audio and video settings from when joining a meeting from a browser.

   

   1. Choose your video camera and whether to Blur your background and the blur strength. A preview of your video tile is provided above the meeting name and host.
      
      
   2. Choose your audio settings
      1. Computer tab displays
         1. Speaker and Microphone devices with an option to Play Test Sound to test the Speaker and view the Microphone level in the bar located in the video tile preview. If you use Firefox, the Speakers are always set to the system default.
         2. Choose if you want to use Amazon Voice Focus for background noise reduction (default on), if you want to Join muted or not (default off), and if you want to let the app Auto-adjust audio levels (default on).
      2. Phone tab displays
         1. Dial-in details — Choose your country and toll or toll-free number, dial the number and enter the Meeting ID when prompted. Optionally () a
         2. Call me is displayed if the host’s company has turned on the feature and if there is an authorized user already present in the meeting. Choose from the available countries, enter your phone number and select Dial. You will join the meeting without video and Amazon Chime will call you (206 number) and play a prompt. To join, press 5.
      3. Other tab displays
         1. A description of when you may not want to turn on your audio (e.g. you are in a conference room and using the in-room video system to join the meeting). This option disabled the Microphone and Speaker so that you do not cause echo after joining the meeting.
      4. Choose Join or Join with Video
3. A browser window will open and you will be joined to the Amazon Chime meeting.
4. Make sure to Allow the browser access your camera, microphone and screen when sharing when prompted.
   
   
   

Note:

Only Amazon Chime meetings created from the Amazon Chime Meetings App for Slack will post call blocks to Slack. Meetings started from an Amazon Chime client or using the meet@chime.aws calendar scheduling integration will call Amazon Chime clients directly, but will not post call blocks to users in Slack.

Additional information

For more information see the following resources:

• AWS Business Productivity Blog Post: Announcing Amazon Chime Meetings App for Slack
• Amazon Chime Meetings App for Slack on the Amazon Chime website
• Amazon Chime pricing
• Amazon Chime Administrator Guide:
  • Setting up the Amazon Chime Meetings App for Slack
  • How Amazon Chime Team accounts work
• Amazon Chime User Guide:
  • Using the Amazon Chime Meetings App for Slack
• Amazon Chime Meetings App in the Slack App Directory