Product feature
Custom API actions: let the AI call your system in the middle of a call
A Custom API action lets an Outpero AI employee call your own web service while the caller is still on the line. You write a plain-language description of when it should fire, the agent collects any inputs it needs from the caller, sends a GET or POST, and speaks from the text your API returns.
* Time from the lead reaching Outpero to the first ring, under normal conditions. It depends on how quickly your lead source delivers the lead.
At a glance
Custom API actions: the short version
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Where it lives | Employee > Actions tab > During the call > Custom API tile |
| Who decides to call | The AI, using the description you write about when the action applies |
| Request | GET or POST, with headers, query parameters, JSON body and saved credentials |
| Limits | 10 Custom APIs per employee, 10 second timeout, one attempt, no retries |
| What comes back | The raw response text, which the AI reads and speaks from |
| Billing | Connected talk time only: Standard Rs 5/min or Premium Rs 6.8/min, plus 18% GST, no setup fee |
On a call
How custom API actions works, step by step
- 01The call is running and the caller says something that matches the description you wrote, for example asking whether a pincode is serviceable.
- 02If the action defines AI-decided parameters, the agent first asks the caller for each missing value, such as the pincode or an order number, before it fires anything.
- 03Outpero fills any {{variable}} placeholders from the lead's own data, then sends your GET or POST with the headers, query parameters and JSON body you configured.
- 04Your API answers within 10 seconds, or the attempt is treated as failed and the agent carries on the conversation without the data.
- 05The raw response text goes back to the AI, which reads it and tells the caller the answer in the language of the call.
Hear how a call goes
A sample call that uses custom API actions
A furniture store confirms a delivery. The customer asks whether the sofa can go to a relative's address instead. · Runs in Hindi with English words, shown here in English; shown here in English.
- Outpero AINamaste Mr Reddy, this is the AI assistant from Kavya Furniture. I am calling to confirm your sofa delivery for Thursday. Is this a good time?
- CallerYes, tell me. Actually, can you deliver it to my brother's house instead? He lives in Warangal.
- Outpero AII can check that for you right now. What is the pincode of your brother's address?
- CallerThe pincode is 506002.
- Outpero AIThank you, one moment while I check delivery to 506002 for your order.
- CallerOkay, I will wait.
- Outpero AIGood news. Delivery to 506002 is available, and the earliest slot is Saturday morning, with a Rs 800 outstation charge.
- CallerSaturday works. The charge is fine.
- Outpero AIUnderstood. I will note the new address request and the Saturday slot for our team, who will confirm it in writing. Thank you, Mr Reddy.
The agent called the store's delivery-check API with the pincode it collected, spoke from the returned text, and the call summary and post-call webhook recorded the address change request and the Saturday preference. Illustrative example.
An example written to show the shape of the call, not a recording or a customer result.
In the product
Set up custom API actions
- 01Open the AI employee, go to the Actions tab and, under During the call, switch on the master toggle labelled Enable API actions.
- 02Click the Custom API tile, give the action a name, and write a description that tells the AI exactly when to call it and what it is for.
- 03Enter the URL, choose GET or POST, and add headers. For an API key, pick a saved credential from Settings instead of typing the secret into the action.
- 04Add query parameters or a JSON body, using {{variable}} placeholders for lead data, and add up to 8 AI-decided parameters for values the agent must ask the caller.
- 05Press Test API to send a real request with sample values and read the response, then save the action and check it appears under During the call.
In detail
Custom API actions explained
What a Custom API action does on a call
Most voice agents can only repeat what is in their script. A Custom API action gives an Outpero AI employee a live lookup. The agent keeps the conversation going, notices the moment the caller asks something your description covers, and sends one request to your service. The reply becomes part of what it says next.
Nothing is fired on a timer. The AI decides, call by call, whether the description fits what the caller just said. A well-written description is therefore the most important setting on the whole form.
The fields on the form
| Field | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Name | A label for you and for the call's Tools & actions used panel. |
| Description | Plain language telling the AI when to call this action and what it returns. |
| URL and method | Your endpoint, called with GET or POST. |
| Headers | Literal values, or a saved credential from Settings for keys and tokens. |
| Query parameters and JSON body | Fixed values plus {{variable}} placeholders filled from the lead, such as {{name}} or any custom field. |
| AI-decided parameters | Up to 8 values the agent must collect from the caller before the request fires. |
How the response is used
Outpero does not parse your response into fields. The raw response text is handed to the AI, which reads it and answers from it. That keeps setup simple, but it puts the burden on the API: return a short sentence such as "Deliverable to 506002 by Saturday, charge Rs 800" and the agent will say exactly that.
If your system returns a large JSON object full of internal ids, the agent may read out the wrong part. Build a small wrapper endpoint that returns only what a caller should hear.
The Test API button sends a real request and shows what came back, with the same 10 second limit and a cap on how much of the body is displayed. Run it with a real order number before the employee takes live calls.
Sharing the master switch
Custom API actions and WhatsApp messages sit under one switch, Enable API actions, on the Actions tab. It must be on for either to run. Post-call webhooks are configured separately, on the Post-Call tab.
Writing a description the AI follows
- —Say when to call it: "When the caller asks whether we deliver to a pincode."
- —Say when not to call it: "Do not call unless the caller has given a six digit pincode."
- —Say what the answer means, so the agent can phrase it naturally.
- —Keep one job per action. Ten small actions are easier for the AI to choose between than one large one.
Put it to work
What teams use custom API actions for
| Use | How it helps |
|---|---|
| Serviceability and delivery checks | Ask for a pincode, call your logistics API and tell the customer whether and when an order can reach them. |
| Order and booking status | Look up an order, ticket or booking by number and have the agent read back the current status in the customer's language. |
| Eligibility and quote lookups | Send an age, amount or vehicle model to your pricing or eligibility service and speak the figure it returns. |
| Writing a record back | POST a confirmed detail, such as a preferred slot or a corrected address, to your CRM or order system while the call is still live. |
| Fetching live availability | Query your own inventory or seat-count endpoint so the agent never quotes a stale number. |
Straight answers
What custom API actions does not do
- !Only GET and POST are supported; PUT, PATCH and DELETE requests cannot be configured from the Custom API form.
- !Each request has a 10 second timeout, a single attempt and no retries, so a slow or failing endpoint means the agent continues without the answer.
- !There is no response-field mapping screen: the raw response text goes to the AI, so your API should return short, readable text or tidy JSON.
- !Each AI employee can hold 10 Custom API actions and each action can have up to 8 AI-decided parameters.
- !Redirects are not followed, and URLs pointing at private or internal network addresses are rejected by the safety check when you save.
Custom API actions: questions people ask
Can an AI voice agent call my own API during a call?
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Yes. Outpero's Custom API action lets the AI employee send a GET or POST to your endpoint mid-conversation and speak from the response. You decide the URL, headers, query parameters and body, and you write the description that tells the agent when to use it. The agent then runs the request once, with a 10 second timeout.
How does the agent know when to call the API?
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It decides from the description you write on the action. Describe the situation in plain words, such as when a caller asks about delivery to a pincode. The model compares what the caller says with that description and fires the action only when it fits. Vague descriptions cause missed or unwanted calls, so be specific.
What happens if my API is slow or returns an error?
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Each request has a 10 second timeout, a single attempt and no retries. If the endpoint is slow or fails, the agent does not get the data and continues the conversation without it. Make your endpoint fast, and test it with the Test API button, which uses the same limit, before you publish the employee.
How do I keep my API key out of the script?
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Add the key once as a saved credential in Settings, then pick it from the headers section of the action instead of typing the value in. The secret is held as a saved credential rather than written into the action. That also means you can rotate the key in one place without editing every action.
Can the action use the lead's name or order number?
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Yes, in two ways. Placeholders like {{name}} or any custom field are filled automatically from the lead's own data. For values the lead does not have, define AI-decided parameters, up to 8 per action, and the agent will ask the caller for them before the request is sent.
Is this the same as a post-call webhook?
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No. A Custom API action runs during the call, is chosen by the AI, and sends its response back into the conversation. A post-call webhook runs once after the call ends and delivers the transcript, summary and captured fields to your system. Many teams use both: a lookup mid-call, a record afterwards.
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