Unblock Yourself Without Waiting for Slack
You're stuck and post '#blocked' in Slack. Hours pass and no one sees it. Instead, Notis sends an instant WhatsApp alert to your tech lead or manager: 'X is blocked on Y.'
Trigger
Channel Message Received
Triggered when a message is posted in a Slack channel (public, private, or multi-party IM). Does NOT match direct messages.
Action
Send message
Send a text message to a whatsapp number. note: the message will reflect on the recipient's phone number only if they have texted first.
Why this helps
Blockers sit in Slack threads and get lost. Meanwhile you're idle or thrashing on something else, and your lead doesn't know you need help.
- Blockers get faster resolution
- No waiting for someone to see Slack
- Your lead can unblock you immediately
- Less idle time and frustration
Setup
Build it in a few focused steps.
- 1Connect Slack and WhatsApp to Notis. Identify who should receive urgent blocker alerts (tech lead, manager, etc.).
- 2Create automation: 'When I post #blocked in Slack, send an urgent alert to @lead on WhatsApp.'
- 3Tag your blocker in Slack: 'Need to merge PR but CI is broken. #blocked'
- 4Notis extracts the blocker and sends an immediate WhatsApp message to your lead with context.
- 5Your lead responds on WhatsApp or jumps into Slack to unblock you.
Questions about this workflow
Won't this get annoying if there are false alarms?
Notis learns over time. Or you can ask: 'Only escalate #blocked tags from 9am-5pm' or 'If I use #critical-blocked, escalate it immediately.'
What if my lead is in a meeting?
The WhatsApp alert still comes through. They can respond when they're free, or you can text them: 'FYI alert sent on WhatsApp.'
Can multiple people get the escalation?
Yes. Ask Notis: 'Send blocker alerts to @lead and @tech-lead.' Both get notified.
When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
Supported Triggers and Actions
Notis builds workflows that link Slack to Whatsapp. A trigger fires from one place; an action lands in another.
Slack triggers
Whatsapp actions
New Channel Created Trigger
Triggered when a new channel is created in Slack.
Create message template
Create a new message template for the whatsapp business account. templates must be approved by whatsapp before they can be used. templates are required for marketing messages and messages sent outside the 24-hour window.
Channel Message Received
Triggered when a message is posted in a Slack channel (public, private, or multi-party IM). Does NOT match direct messages.
Delete message template
Delete a message template from the whatsapp business account. this permanently removes the template and it cannot be recovered. only delete templates that are no longer needed.
Direct Message Received
Triggered when a new direct message (DM) is sent to a user in Slack. Catches all DMs across all DM channels.
Get business profile
Get the business profile information for a whatsapp business phone number. this includes business details like description, address, website, and contact info.
Message Reaction Added
Triggered when a reaction is added to a message in Slack. Supports optional filtering by channel and emoji name.
Get media
Get information about uploaded media including a temporary download url. the download url is valid for 5 minutes and can be used to retrieve the actual media file. this is useful for downloading media that was sent to your whatsapp number.
Message Reaction Removed
Triggered when a reaction is removed from a message in Slack. Supports optional filtering by channel and emoji name.
Get media info
Get metadata about uploaded media without generating a download url. this is useful for checking file size, type, and hash without downloading the file. use get media if you need the actual download url.
Reaction Added Trigger
DEPRECATED: use `SLACK_MESSAGE_REACTION_ADDED` instead. Triggered when a reaction is added to a message in Slack.
Get message templates
Get all message templates for the whatsapp business account. templates are required for sending messages outside the 24-hour window and for marketing/utility messages.
Reaction Removed Trigger
DEPRECATED: use `SLACK_MESSAGE_REACTION_REMOVED` instead. Triggered when a reaction is removed from a message.
Get phone number
Get details of a specific phone number associated with a whatsapp business account.
New Bot Message Received Trigger
DEPRECATED: use `SLACK_CHANNEL_MESSAGE_RECEIVED` with `is_bot_message=true` instead. Triggered when a new bot message is posted to a Slack channel.
Get phone numbers
Get all phone numbers associated with a whatsapp business account (waba).
Connect any two apps with Notis in the middle.
Not just Slack and Whatsapp. Any combination from 985+ integrations.
When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
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