In large Slack workspaces or busy teams, important messages from key individuals—like managers or project leads—often get lost in the flood of notifications. Slack currently lacks a way to prioritize messages from specific people, forcing users to manually scan channels or rely on @mentions. This leads to missed messages, reduced productivity, and frustration, especially in organizations where Slack is the primary communication tool.

How It Could Work

One way to address this issue could be to introduce a native Slack feature that lets users "follow" specific individuals, ensuring their messages are highlighted or surfaced in a dedicated section, like a "Priority" tab. For example:

• A "Follow" button could appear on user profiles or next to their names in messages.
• Optional notifications could be enabled for followed users, even in muted channels.
• A consolidated "Priority" view could display messages from followed users across all channels.

This would function similarly to Twitter’s follow system or email priority filters but integrated into Slack’s interface. Users could customize settings, such as whether to include messages from threads or exclude direct messages.

Potential Benefits and Challenges

Large teams, managers, and remote workers could benefit the most, as they often need to track messages from key stakeholders. For Slack, this feature could improve user retention by addressing a common pain point. However, there are challenges to consider, such as:

• Overuse: If users follow too many people, the feature might lose its value. One way to mitigate this could be to limit follows per user or allow workspace admins to set rules (e.g., "Only follow managers").
• Privacy: Users might worry about being tracked if follow status is visible. Keeping it private, like email filters, could help avoid social pressure.

Execution and Comparison

A simple MVP could start with a basic "follow" toggle that highlights messages from followed users in channels. Later phases could introduce a "Priority" tab and notification controls. Compared to existing solutions—like Slack’s "Starred Channels" or Gmail’s Priority Inbox—this idea focuses on people rather than topics or algorithms, making it more transparent and user-driven.

While third-party bots or plugins exist, a native feature would likely be more seamless and reliable, leveraging Slack’s existing user base and brand trust.