Integrations
Integration via API and other protocols
If there is no prebuilt integration for your system, we connect it to CONTACT.WORK over whatever protocol it supports: REST and webhooks, SOAP, direct database access, SIP and AMI for telephony, SMPP for SMS, IMAP and SMTP for email, and MCP for AI agents. Data from your system shows up on the agent's screen, and calls, conversations, and call outcomes flow back.
GET /api/clients?phone=79000000015 200 · 84 ms
{ "name": "John Carter", "orders": 2, "debt": 0, "manager": "Anna" } Capabilities
What you get with API and protocols
Examples
What companies connect via API
Usually you need three things: see the customer when they call, save the call outcome, and trigger calls or messages from events in your system.
The customer on screen, matched by phone number
When a call comes in, the platform asks your system who is calling: name, orders, balance due, ticket status. If your system has REST or SOAP, we pull data through it; if not, we read it from the database or a recent export.
- Customer lookup by phone number
- Orders and statuses in the agent form
- REST, SOAP, SQL, or an export
GET /api/clients?phone=79000000015 200 · 84 ms
{ "name": "John Carter", "orders": 2, "debt": 0, "manager": "Anna" } The call outcome goes to your system
When the call ends, the platform sends your system what it needs: the call, a recording link, the outcome from the agent form, a new ticket, or a task. Instantly via webhook or in a batch every few minutes – whichever suits your system.
- Webhook right after the call
- Recording link and form outcome
- A ticket or task for the right person
POST /hooks/calls
{ "event": "call.finished", "duration": 192,
"result": "Order confirmed", "record": "…/rec/8841" } - System response: 200 OK
- CRM task created: “Ship order #1024”
Calls and messages triggered by events
Your system triggers platform actions automatically: a new order triggers a confirmation call, a late payment a reminder, a status change an SMS or a messaging app message. The platform has an API for this, and your developers can work with it too.
- Event-triggered call
- SMS and messaging apps via API
- API calls from your system
order.createdConfirmation callstartedpayment.overdueAI agent reminder3 attemptsstatus.changedSMS to customerdeliveredticket.closedSurvey in MAXsentPrebuilt integrations with CRMs and messaging apps have their own pages. This page covers connecting a system that isn't listed there.
How it works
Protocols we use
Web services
REST, SOAP, and webhooks
Most modern systems expose data through REST or SOAP and can report events with webhooks. This is the easiest route: data moves instantly, and an access key limits permissions.
- REST and JSON
- SOAP and XML
- Webhooks both ways
RESTrunningSOAPrunningwebhooksrunningRESTtestTelephony and messaging
SIP, AMI, ARI, SMPP, IMAP
We connect your PBX over SIP, read Asterisk events through AMI and ARI, and FreeSWITCH events through ESL. SMS providers connect through their API or SMPP, email through IMAP and SMTP.
- Your PBX and carriers over SIP
- AMI and ARI for Asterisk
- SMPP, IMAP, and SMTP
SIPCarrier trunk – registeredAMINew call 15550100115 → queue 501ARIAgent Anna joined the callSMPPSMS "Your order is ready" – deliveredIMAPNew email to sales@company.comDirect data access
Databases, files, and AI agents
If the system has no API, we read and write its database – PostgreSQL, MySQL, or MS SQL – or exchange files on a schedule. MCP connectors give AI agents access to data and actions.
- SQL databases and ODBC
- CSV and Excel on a schedule
- MCP for AI agents
PostgreSQLOrders and statusesonlineMS SQL · ODBCStock levelsonlineCSV via SFTPPrice listevery 15 minMCPCustomer lookup for AI agentonlineSetup
How we connect your system
- 01DiscoveryWe look at what data agents need and where call outcomes should go.
- 02Exchange methodWe pick the route: the system's API, webhooks, the database, or scheduled files.
- 03AccessYour administrator issues a key or account with only the permissions needed.
- 04DevelopmentWe build the connector and agree on which fields and events are passed.
- 05TestingWe make test calls and check the data in both systems.
- 06Go-liveWe turn the exchange on for all lines and watch the error log for the first week.
Requirements
What an API integration requires
- System
- At least one way to get data out: an API, the database, or an export
- Access
- A key or account with access to the needed data only
- Network
- The platform and your system can reach each other – over the internet or on one network
- Documentation
- API docs or a database schema, if available
- Point of contact
- The system administrator during setup and testing
- Cost
- Developer time – billed hourly on the Pro plan or from Maxi plan hours
Preparation
What to prepare for an API integration
Q&A
Frequently asked questions
Which systems can you connect via API?
Any system with a way to exchange data: REST or SOAP, webhooks, a database, or a file export. Most often these are CRMs, ERPs, accounting software, websites, and in-house systems.
What if our system has no API?
Then we work with its database directly or exchange files on a schedule. It's slower than an API, but enough for many tasks.
Can our developers work with the platform API themselves?
They can: through the API, your system starts calls and messages and receives conversation events. We help at the start and point out which methods fit your task.
What access to our system will the platform get?
Only what you grant the key or account – for example, read customers and orders and create tasks. If the platform runs on your servers, the data exchange never leaves your network.
How is an API different from an MCP connector?
An API is an exchange between systems: data comes into the agent form and goes back. An MCP connector gives an AI agent access to data and actions, so it can find what it needs and perform permitted operations without a person.
What happens if our system is down?
Calls and chats keep flowing: the agent just won't see data from your system until it's back. The platform sends call outcomes later, once your system responds again.
What if our system's API changes?
We update the connector for the new version. If you tell us about the update in advance, we do it before the switch so the exchange isn't interrupted.
Can we place calls right from our own app?
You can start and manage calls and outbound campaigns right from your corporate applications, and employees don't need to switch to another system. Large companies with their own in-house solutions often work this way.
How much does an API integration cost?
You pay only for developer time – $60 per hour on the Pro plan or from Maxi plan hours. We estimate the scope after a short review.
Glossary
Terms on this page
- API (application programming interface)
- The way programs exchange data with each other without a person in the loop. Learn more →
- Webhook
- A message a system sends another automatically when something happens. Learn more →
- REST: exchanging data between systems over HTTP
- The standard way software exchanges data over the internet. Learn more →
- SMTP and IMAP – email protocols
- Email protocols: SMTP sends messages, IMAP reads them on the server. Learn more →
- MCP (Model Context Protocol)
- An open protocol that lets AI work with the data and actions of other systems. Learn more →
- SQL (Structured Query Language)
- The language software uses to work with data in databases. Learn more →
- Connector
- A prebuilt module that links the platform with telephony, a CRM, or another system. Learn more →
- SIP (Session Initiation Protocol)
- The protocol that sets up calls in IP telephony. Learn more →
- AMI – Asterisk Manager Interface
- The channel where Asterisk reports calls and takes commands. Learn more →
- SMPP (Short Message Peer-to-Peer)
- The protocol a system uses to send SMS through a carrier. Learn more →
- CRM – customer relationship management
- Where a company keeps its customers, deals, and full communication history. Learn more →
- ERP – enterprise resource planning
- Orders, inventory, and finance in one system. Learn more →
- ARI – your own call apps in Asterisk
- The interface through which your own app controls an Asterisk call. Learn more →
- Cloud deployment (cloud)
- The platform runs on the vendor's servers, and agents connect over the internet. Learn more →
- On-premises deployment
- The system runs on the company's own servers, not in the vendor's cloud. Learn more →
- IP PBX
- A company phone system that runs over the internet and your local network. Learn more →
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