Email notifications are included on every plan and work out of the box. There's no SMTP server to set up and no DNS records to configure. Turn email on per queue, edit the template, and we handle the rest.

Turn on email for a queue

  1. In the admin sidebar, click Settings, then Notifications.
  2. In the Channels per queue section, switch Email on for the queue.
  3. Edit the message wording in the template list below if you want something other than the defaults.

When to use email vs. SMS

Email is the only notification channel on Free, and a useful addition on every paid plan. Use email for customers who:

  • Don't have a US mobile number (international visitors, for example).
  • Prefer a written record they can search later.
  • Are at a desk and likely to see email faster than a text.

If a customer gives you both an email and a phone number, both can be sent. Most businesses turn on SMS as the primary channel and use email as a backup.

What gets sent

Email follows the same event triggers as SMS: initial message on join, getting close, ready, queue transfer, follow-up, booking confirmation, and appointment reminder. Templates for each event live in Settings → Notifications.

Common problems

  • No email is going out. Confirm Email is switched on for that queue under Settings → Notifications → Channels per queue. The customer also needs to have an email address on their entry.
  • Email lands in spam for some customers. Spam filters vary by provider. Ask the customer to add our sender address to their contacts. We handle deliverability on our side.
  • You want a different "from" name. Email is sent from MakeTheQueue's sending infrastructure with your business name in the from line. The from address is shared, but the display name is yours.
  • Free plan with no SMS. Email is the right primary channel on Free. Upgrade to Starter when you want texts too.

Related articles