---
title: "Send an email notification from your bot"
description: "Let your bot email up to three fixed addresses with a visitor's details and message, for lead capture or contact requests. No inbox connection needed."
canonical_url: "https://chatthing.ai/docs/power-ups/send-email"
last_updated: "2026-09-25"
---

# Send an email notification from your bot

**Available on:** Basic, Standard, Pro, Enterprise plans.

Add the **Send email** power-up so your bot can email you, or up to three addresses you choose, when a visitor wants to get in touch or leaves their details.

**Who can do this:** [team owners and admins](https://chatthing.ai/docs/account/teams#what-each-role-can-do).

> **Need a real inbox?**
>
> This power-up only sends notifications to the fixed addresses you set. To let your bot read, send and organise email in a connected Gmail, Outlook or other account, see [Connect an email inbox](https://chatthing.ai/docs/power-ups/email-inbox).

[Video: Talk to a human and Send email power-ups (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmGWMwI8fv4)

*Video walkthrough; the second part covers Send email. Recorded in 2024, so some screens have changed since.*

## Steps

1. Open your bot, go to the **Power-ups** tab and click **New power-up**.
2. Choose **Send email** and click **Create power-up**.
   ![The Send email power-up card selected in the power-up catalog](https://res.cloudinary.com/djyjvrw5u/image/upload/v1710175434/select_email_power_up_d59451f049.png)
3. Enter a **Power-up name** and a **Description** that says when to send an email, for example "Use this when the user wants to contact us or asks for a quote. Collect their name, email address and what they need first."
4. Under **Email Settings**, add between one and three addresses in **Receiving Email Address**.
5. Optionally enter an **Email Subject**. Leave it blank to let the bot write a subject based on the conversation.
6. Click **Save**.

## What happens when the bot sends an email

1. The bot asks the visitor for their email address. It only continues with a real, valid address. Placeholder addresses such as `name@example.com` are rejected.
2. The bot writes the message from the conversation.
3. Chat Thing sends it to your receiving addresses. The email says which visitor sent it and from which bot, includes the bot's message, and has a **Reply?** button that starts an email to the visitor.
   ![The notification email Chat Thing sends, showing the visitor's address, the bot name, the bot-written message and a Reply? button](https://res.cloudinary.com/djyjvrw5u/image/upload/v1710175434/email_power_up_message_f1620c6e6f.png)

The visitor's address is the one they gave in the chat. The email isn't sent from their mailbox and they don't receive a copy.

## Capture every lead up front

By default the bot only sends an email when the conversation calls for it, for example when a visitor asks to get in touch. To collect details at the start of every chat, add a rule to your bot's [prompt](https://chatthing.ai/docs/bot-settings/instructions):

"Before answering any questions, ask the user for their name, email address and the reason they're getting in touch, then send them to us with the subject 'New conversation started'."

For a structured form instead of a conversation, see the website widget's [lead form](https://chatthing.ai/docs/channels/website/lead-form).

## Send email or Connect an email inbox?

|  | **Send email** (this page) | **[Email inbox power-ups](https://chatthing.ai/docs/power-ups/email-inbox)** |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Setup | Add recipient addresses | Connect an email account |
| Recipients | Up to 3 fixed addresses | Any address the bot chooses |
| What it can do | Send notifications only | Read, send, reply to and organise email |
| Cost | Included in paid plans | Paid add-on per connected account |
| Best for | Lead capture, contact requests, simple alerts | A bot that works as an email assistant |

## Check it works

1. Chat with your bot and ask to get in touch.
2. Give a real email address and a message.
3. Check that the email arrives at each receiving address.

## Troubleshooting

### The bot keeps asking for an email address

The power-up needs a valid email address and rejects `example.com` addresses. If the visitor gave one in a different format, the bot asks again.

### No email arrived

Check the receiving addresses for typos, then your spam folder.

## Related

- [Connect an email inbox to your bot](https://chatthing.ai/docs/power-ups/email-inbox): Connect Gmail, Outlook or another email account so your bot can search, read, send, reply to and organise email with four power-ups.
- [Hand off a chat to a human](https://chatthing.ai/docs/power-ups/talk-to-a-human): Let your bot email your team with the visitor's email and the conversation when someone asks for a person, and mark the chat as escalated.
- [Turn website visitors into leads with your bot](https://chatthing.ai/docs/use-cases/sales-and-lead-capture): Set up a bot that answers buying questions, works out what visitors need, collects their details and sends each lead to your inbox, CRM or calendar.