Workplace chat service Slack has announced the rollout of a new feature called ‘Message Buttons,’ to give its users the ability to interact with third-party services from within the app.

Announcing the new Message Buttons feature, Slack said that the feature will basically facilitate companies in creating interactive Slack apps which are capable of performing different tasks -- like approving expense reports; booking a trip; assigning deadlines; and interacting with other enterprise tools -- without leaving the chat window.

In launching the new Message Buttons feature, Slack has revealed that it is rolling out the feature with 12 launch partners, including travel site Kayak, recruiting service Greenhouse, project-management software Trello, and expense report app Abacus, among others.

Initially, Slack is allowing developers to add up to five buttons for each attachment. However, in due course, Slack will apparently expand the Message Buttons feature to enable third-party services to perform much more complex tasks.

In reference to the new Message Buttons feature, Slack said that the rollout of the feature “signals Slack’s potential to become the one tool that every employee has open all day, every day, and the way every knowledge worker connects with their colleagues, their applications and all their workflows.”