Having collaborated with QuestionPro on multiple initiatives over the years, we were entrusted with developing Instant Answers as a fully functional Slack application with an extended web-based admin panel.

The core idea was simple yet powerful: allow users to create and launch research surveys directly from Slack and receive structured, visualized insights without leaving their workspace. However, behind this simplicity was a sophisticated backend system handling audience targeting, cost calculation, credit management, real-time response tracking, and reporting.

BeeWeb was responsible for developing both the Slack application and the supporting admin panel.

We faced several challenges throughout the whole development process. Most of the prominent ones are the following:

    🔹 First-Time Slack App Development
One of the primary challenges was that this was our first time developing a Slack-based application. Slack has strict policies, unique UI constraints, and specific interaction patterns that differ significantly from traditional web platforms. Understanding and navigating Slack’s framework required deep exploration and experimentation.

    🔹 Chart Rendering Limitations in Slack
Another major challenge was visual data representation within Slack. While Slack supports structured messages, it is not inherently designed for advanced chart rendering. Displaying pie charts and bar charts dynamically within Slack posed layout inconsistencies. For example, when answer percentages were very small, chart labels overlapped and created visual clutter. Slack’s limited flexibility meant we had to engineer intelligent rendering logic to maintain clarity and readability.

    🔹 Complex Cost & Credit Logic
From a business logic perspective, the platform required accurate cost calculation based on respondent count and CPI (Cost Per Interview), as well as real-time credit tracking tied to the user’s QuestionPro account. Synchronizing Slack-based survey creation with a structured admin panel while maintaining live updates and notifications added another layer of architectural complexity.

    🔹 Dual-Environment Consistency
There were some difficulties regarding the conistency of Slack and admin panel. The Slack-based survey creation needed to mirror the admin panel and the real-time response updates had to sync across both environments.

To overcome Slack limitations, we implemented adaptive chart logic. Through extensive testing across multiple survey scenarios, we defined percentage thresholds: if an answer share fell below a specific percentage, results would render in a pie chart; if above, they would display as a bar chart. This conditional visualization ensured clarity regardless of distribution.

We designed a dual-structure system:

    🔹 Slack Layer
Users create surveys directly inside Slack by selecting audience size (e.g., 10, 50, 300 respondents), target location, and question format. Once submitted, the Slack bot provides an overview and sends real-time notifications as responses begin coming in. Survey progress updates dynamically, and final results—including charts and summaries—are automatically posted in the Slack channel.

    🔹 Web/Admin Layer
The admin panel acts as the control center. Every Slack-created survey is mirrored here. Users can view survey lists, cost breakdown per respondent, available account credits, CPI metrics, performance logs, API logs, and error reports. The admin panel also allows result downloads and configurable defaults such as location, country, question type, and number of responses.

We ensured tight synchronization between Slack interactions and backend processing, maintaining consistent business logic across both environments.

The project was executed by a focused team consisting of one Full Stack Developer and one Project Manager. The development process required deep research into Slack’s Bolt framework, API permissions, and interaction models.

We structured the system into two clearly defined environments:

    🔹 Slack Application: Built for conversational survey creation, limited to 6 answer options per question but allowing up to 9 questions per survey.

    🔹 Web/Admin Panel: Designed for extended configuration, supporting up to 20 answer options but limited to single-question forms.

Throughout development, we ran extensive edge-case testing, especially around chart rendering, cost calculation, and response synchronization. The Project Manager played a key role in aligning development with QuestionPro’s ecosystem requirements and ensuring compliance with Slack’s policies.

Technology & Architecture

    🔹 Backend: Nest.js

    🔹 Slack Integration: Bolt (Slack framework)

    🔹 Database: PostgreSQL

    🔹 Slack-Based Survey Creation
Launch targeted research directly within Slack and receive results in minutes.

    🔹 Real-Time Progress & Notifications
Live response tracking with automatic updates and channel reporting.

    🔹 Admin Dashboard & Cost Management
Credit tracking, CPI monitoring, survey logs, downloadable reports, and configurable defaults.

Instant Answers successfully launched as a powerful Slack-integrated research assistant. As a result it:

✔ Enabled research execution without leaving Slack

✔ Reduced time-to-insight from days to minutes

✔ Delivered real-time notifications and live survey progress

✔ Integrated cost and credit management into conversational workflow

✔ Created a scalable architecture for future expansion

Building a Slack app? Integrating AI into your workflow tool?

Building a Slack app? Integrating AI?

If you’re looking to develop a conversational, AI-powered product that connects seamlessly with your existing platform, whether it’s Slack, Microsoft Teams, or another ecosystem, we’ve already done it at scale. Book a free consultation with us and let’s build your next intelligent integration.