A common misconception about Slack is that it serves as a replacement for Google Hangouts. Although they have some overlapping feature sets, they still have distinctly different use cases and can be used in tandem.

In fact, they actually work quite well together. One example is the ability to launch a Google Hangout video call right from a Slack channel using a simple command.

This can be a great way to elevate a conversation from a text exchange to an in person discussion without having to do much planning. You can send an invite to everyone within the channel so they will have access to the Hangout call and can click a link from within Slack to join. In order to make use of this functionality you have to first install the Google+ Hangouts integration. Just follow the following steps:

1. Click the down arrow next to your Slack team name
2. From the menu select “Apps & Custom Integrations”
3. Use the search bar to find “Google+ Hangouts”
4. Select the team you would like to which you would like to add the integration
5. Click “Add Google+ Hangouts integration”
6. When in Slack just type /hangout to prompt the Hangouts bot to generate the link to the Hangout
7. Once in the Hangout enter a channel name on the right sidebar to send them the link to join