Communication channels

Nexthink Communication channels enable IT teams to automate communication with employees through the Microsoft Teams application.

Depending on your current licensing model, this capability may require an additional license. Contact your Nexthink representative for more information

Communication channel for Spark

Configure a communication channel to allow access to the Spark application in Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365 Copilot. This enables employees to resolve issues through an AI-driven IT agent that leverages device context and Nexthink DEX data. Spark can execute IT-approved diagnostic and remediation actions when applicable.

Refer to the Setting up and managing Spark documentation for more information on Spark configuration.

Log in to Nexthink Community to read more about Spark Microsoft Teams and M365 Copilot app security and architecture.

Communication channel for Workflows

Configure a communication channel to send notifications and ask questions to employees within workflows. This enables:

• Non-disruptive, asynchronous communication: Employees can respond when it suits them.
• User-friendly: Uses Microsoft Teams, a familiar and widely adopted platform.
• Single channel: Provides a centralized history for tracking and reference.

This capability complements existing campaign mechanisms:

• Collaboration tool messages: Best for non-urgent information or self-help workflow questions.
• Campaigns: Ideal for critical communications, surveys or urgent remediations.

Refer to the Message thinklet documentation for more information.

Prerequisites

To enable a communication channel via the Nexthink Microsoft Teams application, ensure you:

1

Collect User Principal Name (UPN)

• Use the Collector Option to gather the UPN for each user in clear text. Refer to the Configuring Collector level anonymization documentation for more information.

2

Configure Entra ID connector

• Obtain your Microsoft Entra tenant ID, which is required for configuring the application in Nexthink. Refer to the Microsoft Documentation to learn more about how to find your Microsoft Entra tenant ID.
• Configure the Microsoft Entra ID inbound connector for your Microsoft tenant. Refer to Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) connector for more information.

3

Verify permissions

• Ensure you have the necessary permissions to install custom applications in your Microsoft Teams environment. Refer to the Microsoft Documentation to learn more.
• Liaise with your Microsoft Teams Administrator to verify the installation process for custom applications in your organization.

Accessing Communication channels

1. Select the Administration module from the main menu.
2. Select Communication channels under the Integrations section.

Managing Communication channels

The table on the Communication Channels page contains the following fields:

• Name: Name of communication channel
• Channel: Type of communication channel

Hover over the communication channel to reveal icons on the right side of the selected item:

• Click Edit to open the configuration page.
• Click Delete to delete the communication channel.

If you delete the communication channel, employees will no longer be able to use the Nexthink Teams application. In this case, you must uninstall the application from all employee devices in your organization.

Creating a new communication channel

To configure the communication channel:

1. Go to Administration > Communication Channels.
2. Click New channel configuration in the top-right corner of the Communication Channels administration page.

1. Enter the configuration details in the input fields:

   • Name: Assign a unique name to the communication channel.
   • Entra ID: Select the Microsoft Entra ID connector for this configuration.
   • Tenant of the selected Entra ID: The system displays the Tenant ID associated with the selected Microsoft Entra ID connector.
   • Welcome Message: Write the message users see each time they install the application.
2. Save to create the new communication channel. Once saved, install the custom application package.

A single Microsoft Tenant ID can only be associated with one Nexthink tenant, meaning:

• Multiple Nexthink tenants—e.g., development and production—require separate Microsoft Tenant IDs to configure communication channels successfully.
• A single Nexthink tenant can include users from different Microsoft Tenant IDs under multiple communication-channel configurations. In these cases, the system automatically selects the correct channel based on each user’s UPN.

Installing application

To ensure proper user mapping between Microsoft Teams and your Nexthink tenant, set up a new communication channel in Nexthink before installing the related application package.

Once you have configured a new communication channel, install the custom application package for your organization's Microsoft Teams application:

1. Log in to Nexthink Community to download the custom Nexthink application package from Nexthink Infinity Release notes > Downloads.

   • Pick either the Nexthink Microsoft 365 App for Spark or the Nexthink Microsoft Teams App for Workflows, depending on your use case.
2. (Optional step for Spark) Customize the Nexthink Microsoft 365 App for Spark to create a consistent, organization-branded experience for your employees. This will not affect Spark's functionality. Extract the .zip package and modify the application name, description, and icons.

Replacing the logo

• In the extracted .zip package, locate the two icon files: color.png and outline.png.
• Replace them with your custom images, keeping the original dimensions:

  • color.png: 192 × 192 px
  • outline.png: 32 × 32 px

Do not rename color.png and outline.png. Spark recognizes the logo images by these file names.

Changing the display name and descriptions

• Open the manifest.json file in a text editor, for example, Visual Studio Code.
• Edit the following fields as needed:

  • name: Replaces the Spark application name displayed in Microsoft Teams or Microsoft 365.
  • short: Replaces the short description shown in application details.
  • full: Replaces the full description shown in application details.
• Save the file.

1. Install the Nexthink application package as a .zip file manually in your organization’s Microsoft Teams environment. Once all steps are completed, depending on your use case, you can:

   • Use Microsoft Teams in your message thinklets to contact employees as part of an automation flow.
   • Allow employees to use Spark in Microsoft Teams and Copilot to resolve IT incidents.

Refer to the Microsoft Manage custom apps documentation for more information.

---