Summary: Departments in AXP can be configured to send email notifications when a conversation has not been responded to within a set time. This is done through Escalation Rules, not the Email Address field in Department Details.
Permissions Required: Brand Admin or Location Admin
Steps to follow
Go to Settings in the left-hand navigation.
Select Departments, then click on the department you want to configure.
Scroll down to the Escalation Rules section and click Add Escalation.
Fill in the escalation rule:
Field | What to enter |
Escalation time | How long (in seconds) a conversation can go unanswered before the notification sends. For example, enter |
Message types | Which types of guest messages should trigger this rule. Leave blank to apply to all message types. |
Action type | Select Email to send an email notification. |
Email address | The email address that should receive the notification. |
5. Click Save changes.
💡 Tips: To notify multiple email addresses, it is recommended to add a separate escalation rule for each address. You can also stagger the timing — for example, notify a team inbox after 5 minutes and a manager after 15 minutes.
Common Questions
Q: What is the Email Address field in Department Details for?
A: The Email Address field that appears in the Department Details section (at the top of the department settings page) stores a single email address against the department record.
However, this field is not currently used to send any notifications or emails — it is informational only.
To actually receive email notifications for a department, use Escalation Rules as described in the steps above.
Q: Can I add more than one email address to a department?
A: To notify multiple addresses, it is recommended to add one Escalation Rule per email address. Each rule can have its own time threshold, so you can control who gets notified and when.
Q: When exactly does the escalation email send?
A: The email sends when a conversation assigned to that department has had no response for at least the number of seconds set in the Escalation time field. The timer applies to conversations where the last message was sent by a guest.
Q: What happens if I create two identical escalation rules?
A: AXP will prevent you from saving duplicate escalation rules. If a rule with the same action type, email address, time threshold, and message types already exists, you will see an error and will need to adjust one of the values before saving.
Q: Can I forward to another department instead of sending an email?
A: Yes. When creating an escalation rule, set the Action type to Forward to department and select the destination department. This will reassign the conversation to that department when the escalation time is reached.
⚠️ Warning: If a conversation is forwarded to another department via an escalation rule, that department's own escalation rules will not start immediately. They will only activate after the guest sends a new message. Until then, the forwarded conversation is treated as waiting — not as unanswered.
Still need help?
If escalation rules are not triggering as expected, contact the Alliants support team from Help & Support tab and include:
The department name and property
The escalation rule settings (time, action type, email address)
An example conversation URL (you can find this on your browser's address of the conversation) where you expected a notification but did not receive one