5 genius Slack apps you never knew you needed

5 genius Slack apps you never knew you needed5 genius Slack apps you never knew you neededIf you use Slack (a popular professional messaging system) for work, you may be familiar with how it works. The tool makes it possible to create specific discussion channels, chat with another team member directly or make a fun group chat with several of your bestie coworkers.But you probably didnt know that Slack also hosts a ton of awesome apps that could make your workday that much more productive.These five apps not only make using Slack more efficient, but also connect with all of the other parts of your work, too. Basically, theyre here to help you kill it at your job. We dont know how we lived without these apps, but were never going back.1. ArcIf you or another team member use Google Analytics to measure your companys success, you can have reports sent directly to your personal or shared Slack channels. How, you ask? Arc, an easy-to-download Slack app that connects to your Google Analyti cs account, will provide you with instant reports so that you wont have to leave your chat to find what youre looking for. Typing /arc will prompt the app to ask what type of data youre looking for and share it accordingly.2. DiggBotDepending on your industry (and your personal interests), you might abflug your day by scouring the news. DiggBot aggregates content from 10 million web feeds and more than 200 million tweets, then the apps human editors pick from the best and put them into personalized algorithms for you. When you connect it to Slack, you can search certain keywords (or more broadly) by typing /digg.3. MeekanYou likely have a separate scheduling system you use for hen you need to meet with colleagues, but what if you could set up meeting times within slack? Meekan takes care of that. When you add the app to Slack, not only can you schedule a time to chat with a teammate, but the app also syncs with everyones calendars and shows you times that certain people have availab le for meetings. Cool, right? Type /meekan to begin your scheduling.4. Monkey Test ItNo matter what industry youre in, your company probably has a website or product shown on a website. To ensure that your web product is as solid as possible, add Monkey Test It to your slack account. When you type /monkeytest and then the link of a website, the app will search and pick it apart to find errors like broken links, JavaScript issues and even missing photos.5. Hour StackNeed some organization in your life? Hour Stack helps you track your time on certain tasks and helps you plan out your day based on what tasks you have and how youd like to achieve them. Type /hourstackstart or /hourstop with the name of the task youre completing, and it will track how much time you spent on that. Even more so, the app will give you a visual representation of how youre currently spending your time so you can be more efficient in the future.This article first appeared on Swirled.