Which Slack Option Should I Use: User or Bot?

ZenSync can notify your team in Slack whenever a Zendesk ticket is escalated to Jira. You can choose whether those alerts come from a Slack user account or a Slack bot.

This article explains the difference and helps you decide what’s best for your team.

Option 1: Use a Slack User Account

With this method, alerts will be posted by a real Slack user (typically someone on your team).

Pros:

• Easy to set up if your team prefers messages from a known team member
  
• Can tag users and post to private channels (with the right permissions)
  

Cons:

• If that user leaves or changes permissions, alerts may break
  
• Less clear that the message is automated
  

What We Need From You:

• The user’s OAuth token or legacy token
  
• Channel or user IDs for delivery
  

Option 2: Use a Slack Bot

We set up a dedicated Slack bot that posts alerts as an automation agent (e.g., “ZenSync Bot”).

Pros:

• More professional and consistent
  
• Clearly signals the message is automated
  
• Easier to manage across teams and channels
  
• Doesn’t depend on a human user
  

Cons:

• Slightly more setup (requires creating a Slack App if you don’t have one)
  

What We Need From You:

• Slack App Client ID
  
• Client Secret
  
• Bot OAuth Token
  
• Channel(s) you’d like the bot to post in
  

If you’re unsure which to choose, we recommend the Slack Bot for reliability and long-term use.