> ## Knowledge Base Index
> Fetch the complete knowledge base index at: https://staging.chrisp.chat/sitemap.xml
> Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further.
> Pure-Markdown content can be obtained by appending a '.md' suffix to the content URLs listed in the sitemap (without the trailing slash).

# How do email notifications work?

**Crisp notifies you of pending (unread) messages from your visitors. Email notifications are not delivered to your inbox in real-time (eg: right when you receive a message); thus you may wonder why.**

**Crisp waits for 3 minutes before delivering an email notification to operators for pending messages.** You receive email notifications only for messages that don't get read before that 3 minutes delay. If the pending message gets read before that delay, no email will be delivered.

**This delay makes the system convenient for contextual use: your inbox doesn't get flooded when you are active on an app and you reply from chat**, while you can still fallback on email replies in some contexts (eg: apps are still open, but you leave your desk and rely on another computer or mobile device that don't have the Crisp app).

__The notification will be sent to one operator, following these rules by order of priority:__  
* To the assigned operator (if any, whether online or offline)  
* To one of the online operators  
* To one of the offline operators

| Email should be seen as the last resort way to get notified of pending messages from your visitors. You should use the Crisp [Web](https://app.crisp.chat/), [Desktop](https://crisp.chat/apps/) and [Mobile](https://crisp.chat/apps/) apps to get notified and reply to your visitors. However, in some contexts, emails is more convenient.

These notifications can be enabled/disabled by navigating to **Settings > Account > Notifications > Email Notifications**

![Managing Email notifications](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/7/5/f/a/75facc36d557cc00/bb9c6c59-37c8-4e4c-8974-eab416_o2oi4m.png)