When most people think of Discord, they picture gamers chatting during intense matches. But over time, I’ve realized that Discord can do so much more.
It’s actually a powerful tool for team collaboration. I’ve personally used Discord to manage projects, share updates, and even host virtual meetings.
In this guide, I’ll show you how to make the most of Discord for work teams, based on what’s worked for me and the teams I’ve worked with.
Set Up Discord Alerts with WP Mail SMTP
How To Set Up Discord for Your Team
Before I get started on how to use Discord for work teams, it’s important to understand how you can create your own server. Follow the steps below to get started;
1. Creating a New Server
The first step is to create your server. Open Discord, click on the plus (+) icon in the sidebar, and then select the Create My Own option.
After that, you will be asked to provide more details about the server you want to create. I recommend selecting the For me and my friends option here.
You’ll be prompted to name your server. This can reflect your team or project name. For example, I once named mine “Team Projects Hub” to keep things clear and professional.
You can also upload a custom icon to make the server visually distinct for your team. Once done, simply click on the Create button.
Once your server is ready, you’ll need to create channels for organized communication. This is where the real magic happens.
2. Setting Up Channels
To keep conversations tidy, I recommend creating categories and channels based on your team’s structure or projects. Treat these as groups for your team.
For instance, I created categories like “#General,” “#Marketing,” and “#Development,” with channels under each for specific topics like “#social-media-planning” or “#bug-reports.”
Keeping everything compartmentalized made it much easier for everyone to find what they needed without wading through unrelated conversations.
3. Inviting Team Members
Not every team member needs access to every channel, and Discord makes it easy to assign roles and permissions. To do this, click on a channel’s settings, navigate to Permissions, and assign roles accordingly.
With your server and channels ready, it’s time to invite your team. Click on your server’s name and select Invite People. Your team members can now join through a link.
Whether you’re managing small projects or large teams, setting up a server like this creates a central hub for seamless communication and collaboration.
Best Practices for Using Discord as a Team Collaboration Tool
When I started using Discord with my team, it quickly became clear that its features are powerful, but only if you use them the right way.
1. Chat with Different Teams in Real Time
One of the best things about using Discord for team collaboration is how easy it is to set up real time communication channels, without spending a single penny.
Earlier, I talked about setting up channels like #marketing, #development, and #general. These are now the go-to spots for real time chats.
It gives everyone a clear space to share updates, ask questions, and get work done without any confusion. Here’s how they work for us:
- Dedicated Spaces for Each Team: Having specific channels allows team members to know exactly where to go to discuss their work. For example, the marketing team shares campaign updates in #marketing.
- Project-Specific Discussions: For bigger projects involving multiple teams, I create temporary channels like #product-launch or #website-redesign.
- Pinned Messages for Quick Access: One feature I use all the time is pinning important messages. In each channel, I pin links to shared documents, meeting notes, or task lists.
It’s amazing how much smoother our workflow has become since adopting this structure, and it’s something I now recommend to every team looking to improve their collaboration.
2. Screen Share with Business Teams
Screen sharing on Discord is one of the best tools for real time communication and problem-solving. When running team discussions, I’ll share my screen to walk everyone through a presentation or a project dashboard.
It helps keep everyone on the same page, and the visuals make it easier to understand the context. Explaining how our server is structured or how to use specific tools is much faster with screen sharing.
Screen sharing is also simple. Just click on any Voice Channel, and a list of options should appear. From this, you can share your screen and collaborate with your team instantly.
For teams working on visuals or layouts, I also use screen sharing to review designs in real time. We can make adjustments while everyone watches, which feels like working together in the same room.
3. Integrate Bots for Automation
When I first started using Discord for team collaboration, I quickly realized how bots could make life so much easier. They’re like having extra team members who take care of repetitive tasks.
One of the first bots I added to our server was MEE6. It’s incredibly versatile and handles a lot of things automatically. For example, I use it to assign roles when someone joins the server.
Instead of manually setting permissions, MEE6 ensures every new member is ready to go with the right access. I’ve also experimented with bots that help with scheduling.
Tools like Sesh are perfect for coordinating team meetings across time zones. You can set up a poll for available times, and the bot sends reminders before the meeting starts.
Use WP Mail SMTP’s Discord Alerts
You can also use Discord and integrate it with WordPress to save a lot of time and effort. One of the best features I’ve added to our setup is Alerts through WP Mail SMTP.
For example, if there’s an issue with a contact form submission on our site, I get an instant alert in our Discord “Website Notifications” channel. Here’s how to set this up.
Set Up Discord Alerts with WP Mail SMTP
1. Enable Discord Alerts
To set up email notifications from the WordPress dashboard and connect to Discord, navigate to WP Mail SMTP » Settings and select the Alerts option.
This will lead you to the Alerts page, where you can choose any of the available service integrations. To get started, toggle the Discord Alerts option to the ON position.
2. Set Up a Webhook in Discord
First, log in to your Discord server. Once you’re in, click on the server’s name in the top-left corner. This will open up additional settings.
From the dropdown menu, select Server Settings. In the Server Overview page, look for the Integrations option in the sidebar menu under the APPS section. Click on it to continue.
Next, click the Create Webhook button. This will create a new webhook connection for your server. Once the webhook is generated, select it to view more details.
Now, you’ll need to give your webhook a name in the Name field. This is especially helpful if you’re managing multiple webhooks.
After naming it, choose the channel where you want email alerts to appear. You can also update the webhook icon by clicking on the photo icon next to the Discord logo.
Don’t forget to click Save Changes when you’re done. Finally, copy the webhook’s URL by clicking the Copy Webhook URL button.
3. Link the Webhook to WP Mail SMTP
After setting up the webhook, go back to your WP Mail SMTP Alerts settings page. Paste the copied webhook URL into the Webhook URL field.
At this point, you can either save your settings or add more integrations if needed. Once everything is configured, you’ll start receiving notifications in your chosen Discord channel.
This process makes it super easy to keep track of email alerts directly in Discord without needing to log into your WordPress dashboard constantly.
Set Up Discord Alerts with WP Mail SMTP
FAQs on How To Use Discord for Team Collaboration
Using Discord for work teams is a popular topic of interest among our readers. Here are answers to some common queries about it:
Is Discord good for team management?
Yes, Discord is great for team management. It allows you to organize communication with channels for specific topics, manage roles and permissions for different members, and use bots to automate tasks.
Features like voice channels, screen sharing, and integrations make it versatile for managing remote or hybrid teams.
How do I share files and documents in Discord?
You can share files and documents in Discord by dragging and dropping them into a chat or channel. There’s also an upload button next to the text input field.
Discord supports most file types, but there is a size limit unless you have Nitro, which increases the limit.
Is Discord secure for business communication?
Discord provides several security features, like two-factor authentication and role-based access control, to keep your communication safe.
However, it’s important to configure permissions correctly and avoid sharing sensitive information without additional encryption measures.
How do I manage roles and permissions in a Discord server?
To manage roles and permissions, go to Server Settings and select Roles. You can create roles, assign them to team members, and customize permissions for each role.
This allows you to control who can access specific channels or perform actions like adding members or deleting messages.
How can I use WP Mail SMTP with Discord for alerts?
You can integrate WP Mail SMTP with Discord using its Discord Alerts feature. Create a webhook in your Discord server, copy the URL, and paste it into the WP Mail SMTP Alerts settings.
This setup sends email alerts directly to a designated Discord channel, helping your team stay updated on important events.
Next, Learn How to Set Up an Automated Email Workflow
If you are looking to set up an automated email workflow like the one above using WP Mail SMTP and Discord, you may find our guide on setting up alerts for “canceled” emails interesting. Follow the steps here to set up the automated workflow and stay on top of your notifications.
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