---
title: "Set up email channels"
slug: "set-up-email-channels"
updated: 2026-07-22T15:15:13Z
published: 2026-07-23T10:07:46Z
canonical: "help.8x8.com/set-up-email-channels"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.8x8.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Set up email channels

An **8x8 Contact Center** email channel defines an email address that your customers use to send email requests to the contact center, such as support@acmejets.com. When you configure an email channel in **8x8 Configuration Manager**, you specify the POP3 or IMAP protocols for receiving email or use modern authentication methods like [OAuth2 for users of Microsoft](/documentation/docs/content-support-oauth2-authentication-for-email-channels).

## Features

- Facilitate communication of email interactions in and out of a **8x8 Contact Center** tenant.
- Interact directly with the appropriate queues via skill-based routing rules.
- Configure existing email addresses to function as **8x8 Contact Center** channels.
- Create, edit, and delete email channels.
- Email channel's script specifies which **8x8 Contact Center** queues receive the retrieved messages

## Use dedicated contact center email channels

The email accounts used in conjunction with your **8x8 Contact Center** must be used only for that purpose. Do not log in or access your contact center's email channel from outside of **8x8 Contact Center**.

The email channel's email script specifies which **8x8 Contact Center** queues receive those retrieved messages.

Setting up an email channel involves:

1. [Configuring email channel properties](/documentation/docs/content-configure-email-channel-properties)
2. [Creating an email script](/documentation/docs/content-create-an-email-script)
3. [Assigning a script to the email channel](/documentation/docs/content-assign-scripts-to-channels)