# Turning On Notifications for Communications

## Overview

When a patient sends a message (SMS, email, or chat), Welkin can notify care team members in real time. This page explains how to configure communication-related notifications in the Designer so that the right people are alerted when patient messages arrive.

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## How Communication Notifications Work

When a patient sends a message:

1. The message arrives in the Inbox (or legacy communication center).
2. If notification rules are configured, the system sends an alert to the designated recipient(s).
3. The recipient clicks the notification to open the communication.

The Admin Portal controls where notification clicks route users – to the new Inbox or the legacy communication center. See [Admin Portal Overview](https://welkin-health-1.gitbook.io/welkin-health-docs/admin) for details.

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## Configuring Communication Notifications in the Designer

1. In the Designer, navigate to **Notifications**.
2. Click **+ Add Notification** or edit an existing one.
3. Set the **trigger** to a communication event:
   * "Incoming SMS received"
   * "Incoming email received"
   * "Incoming chat message received"
4. Define **recipients** – typically the assigned care team member or primary contact.
5. Choose **delivery channels** – in-app, email, or both.
6. Save and publish.

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## Admin Portal: Inbox Notification Routing

In the Admin Portal under **Feature Settings → Environment → Inbox Notifications**:

* **Enabled** – clicking a notification opens the new Inbox
* **Disabled** – clicking a notification opens the legacy patient-level communication center

See [Inbox](https://github.com/welkincloud-io/welkin-docs/blob/master/kb/care/inbox.md) for the full Inbox guide.

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## Publishing

Create a draft in the Designer and publish to apply notification configuration changes.


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