I have used Gmail for several years as a school administrator. It has many more features than I was aware of. I have taken the time to set up email groups for the various learning teams I am a part of. This has saved a lot of time.
The labels are of value when organizing gmails that I do not want to delete but want to quickly reference for future use.
I do not get email notifications because I would be overcome with messages. I do like the option of setting it up so I can get a notficaiton if a specific person or groups sends a message. I plan on setting this up.