Notifications

In the panel, Team › Notifications decides how and when your team hears about customers while the panel is closed: phone and computer notifications, Slack and an email backup. While the panel is open, the browser already plays a sound and shows a notification; this screen is for when it's closed.

How it works

1. A customer writes: asks for a person, starts a conversation or waits for a reply.
2. Panel open: the browser plays a sound and shows a notification; the settings on this screen aren't needed.
3. Panel closed: an instant notification goes to phones and computers, and a message to Slack.
4. Nobody opens it: an email goes out after the time you choose (5 minutes by default).

On an account that has never saved these settings, all three channels are on, the email backup goes after 5 minutes, and When a customer asks for a person and When a new conversation starts are ticked; the window alert is on (60 minutes) and the wait alert is off. You save changes with the save bar at the bottom of the page (“N unsaved changes · Discard · Save”). If no channel is on, or no situation is ticked, the screen says your team won't be alerted.

Channels

Each channel has its own on/off switch; use as many of them together as you like.

Phone and computer notifications

Recommended · Free. Get instant notifications on your phone and computer while you're away from the panel. Each agent turns them on once on their own device; on a phone, installing the panel as an app is enough.

1. On the card, press Turn on for this device; the browser asks for permission — allow it. This is the same preference as the bell button in Conversations: turning it on in one place turns it on in the other.
2. Send a test sends yourself a test notification; it should arrive within a few seconds. Turn off for this device removes the subscription on that device.
3. For your phone, Install on your phone shows the panel address to open on the phone and the steps for iPhone / iPad (Safari) and Android (Chrome). On iPhone and iPad, notifications only arrive in a panel added to the Home Screen (iOS 16.4 or later). Details: Installing the panel as an app.

Under the card you see who has turned them on (with the device type: Apple, Chrome, Firefox, Edge) and who hasn't yet. If your browser blocks notifications, allow them from the lock icon in the address bar.

• Who: if the conversation is assigned to a person, only them; otherwise everyone who can manage Conversations and isn't in the panel. The same person gets at most one notification a minute for the same conversation.
• When: in the situations you tick below; also, when a customer writes again in a conversation that was taken over, the person it's assigned to. A reminder you set yourself (Remind me) notifies you, if notifications are on for your device, even with this switch off and with the panel open.
• Content: no message text, visitor name or email; only what happened (such as “A conversation was handed to the team”) and a link that opens the conversation.

Slack

Alerts land in your team's Slack channel. With this switch on, the situations you tick below (a customer asks for a person, a new conversation) and the wait alert also go to Slack. The card's badge shows the connection status: Connected · #channel, Stopped or Not connected. You change the channel and the connection under Connections › Slack; if Slack isn't connected, the card shows a Connect Slack link, and if the connection stopped you restart it there. If you connected with the SemAgent Slack app, replies in a notification's thread go to the customer. The Slack screen picks low satisfaction ratings itself. Details: Slack notifications.

Email (backup)

If nobody sees the alert on a phone, computer or Slack, an email goes out. In the If nobody sees it selector you choose how long after: 1, 3, 5, 10, 15 or 30 minutes (5 by default).

• When it doesn't go: if someone who can manage Conversations opened the conversation in that time, the conversation was resolved or an agent wrote. For a handoff alert, it also doesn't go once the conversation is no longer waiting for a person.
• To: the assigned person or team; unassigned conversations go to the support email address (the account owner's, if it's empty). The card shows that address; Change the support email takes you to Channels › Email › Support email. Each recipient gets the email in their own language.
• The email for wait and window alerts doesn't wait for this delay: the alert itself already means “waiting”, so its email goes out right away with it.

When should we alert you?

• When a customer asks for a person (on by default): when a conversation is handed to the team.
• When a new conversation starts (on by default): when a customer's first message opens a new conversation. Settings saved before 30 October 2026 count it as on too; if you don't want it, untick it and save.
• When a customer has waited N minutes for a reply (Pro).
• N minutes before the WhatsApp or Instagram reply window closes.

Wait alert

When a customer has waited … for a reply (Pro and Enterprise): in a handed-off or taken-over conversation, if the customer waits for a reply from an agent for the time you choose, your team gets an extra alert. Time: 5, 10, 15, 30 or 60 minutes (10 by default).

• A panel notification always goes; phone and computer notifications and Slack (“customer still waiting for a reply”) too if their switches are on; and, if email is on, an email right away with the alert.
• No alerts outside working hours; once you open, the time counts from opening (Working hours).
• The wait ends when an agent writes, the conversation is closed or it's released to the AI. At most one alert goes out per waiting period.
• If it isn't in your plan, the row is locked with a Pro label; next to it you see what you'd gain and a See plans link.

The reply time target doesn't alert anyone; it is a measure for Conversations and Reports (Reply time target).

Window alert

… before the WhatsApp or Instagram reply window closes (on by default, 60 minutes): if a customer wrote on one of these channels, is waiting for a reply and the reply window is about to close, your team gets a single alert. You choose how early: 30, 60, 120 or 180 minutes.

• One alert per window: if the customer writes again, a new window opens and, if needed, a new alert goes out.
• If email is on, the email goes right away with the alert; phone and computer notifications and Slack too if their switches are on.
• Once the window closes, WhatsApp only allows approved templates (paid); on Instagram, if the human agent tag is on (it needs Meta approval), only an agent can write for at most 7 more days; otherwise nothing can be sent until the customer writes again. Details: Messaging › The reply window.

Who gets it?

Channel	Recipient
Phone and computer	If the conversation is assigned to a person, only them; otherwise everyone who can manage Conversations and isn't in the panel.
Slack	The connected Slack channel.
Email	The assigned person; with no person, the members of the assigned team who can manage the inbox; unassigned, the support email address (the account owner, if it's empty).

People who can manage Conversations are those whose role has “edit” on the Conversations row (Users & roles). Teams and the default assignment: Teams & routing.

Other alerts for your team

The card at the bottom of the screen shows where your team's other alerts are set:

• Low rating alert: Marketing › Satisfaction surveys.
• Weekly report email: Analytics › Reports.
• Slack channel and low ratings: Connections › Slack.
• Who gets the email backup: Channels › Email › Support email.

Emails for assignments made in the panel are separate as well: Teams & routing › Assignment email.

Installing the panel on your phone

The easiest way to get notifications on your phone is to install the panel as an app: the Install on your phone button on the card shows the steps. Step by step, with iPhone / iPad notes: Conversations › Installing the panel as an app.

Team alerts by SMS and WhatsApp were removed

Alerting your team by SMS and WhatsApp was removed on 30 October 2026: SMS providers, the WhatsApp Business line that sent team alerts, per-team channel choices and users' phone numbers are gone; old records aren't read. The Team alerts tab on the Messaging screen became this page (Team › Notifications); its channels are phone and computer notifications, Slack and the email backup.

Talking to your customers on WhatsApp hasn't changed: that is a customer channel and stays under Channels › Messaging. The window alert is above, among the events.

Who can change it?

The screen appears in the menu when your role's Widget settings row is open; changing the settings needs “edit” on that row. A role that can only view reads the settings but can't change them. Turn on for this device, on the other hand, is about each agent's own device. Details: Users & roles.