PBX CRM integration: outbound calls through your own carrier

Many companies already have a contract with a carrier or a corporate PBX — their own phone exchange — and they need PBX CRM integration. Company rules require all outgoing calls to go only through it: their own numbers, their own call records at the carrier. Without a connection, they'd have to choose between the CRM with voice bots and the corporate carrier.

The “Own telephony” section removes this choice. Managers call from the CRM, the voice bot calls your contact list, and the calls go through your PBX. To be honest: most businesses don't need their own PBX — the account's built-in telephony is simpler and usually cheaper. Below is when to choose which and how to connect.

Watch the two-minute video, and below you'll find step-by-step instructions.

Why businesses need it

• A call center with a corporate PBX: outgoing calls from managers and the bot go through the company's PBX. Incoming calls are passed to employees inside that PBX with the “External SIP” receiving type in the user card.
• A company with a PBX abroad: there's the “Other countries” access point and a single IP address for the firewall.
• Real estate and B2B companies with a strict security department: all calls go only through the corporate carrier, and call records stay with it.
• Any company with a PBX: you can return to the built-in telephony with one toggle, without deleting the settings.

How connecting your own PBX works

The page has a header with the connection status and a settings card. The main switch is “Use my own PBX for all outgoing calls”, captioned “Applies to every project of the account”. When it's on, all outgoing calls of the account go through your PBX, including voice bot calls. When it's off, the PBX details are kept, and calls go through the built-in telephony.

The “PBX connection” block has the “SIP server”, “SIP port”, “SIP proxy”, “Access point”, “SIP login” and “SIP password” fields. SIP is a way to make calls over the internet: your carrier provides these details. Below is a banner with the account's IP addresses. You need to allow them in your PBX firewall (its protection).

You'll have as many simultaneous calls as your PBX has channels, usually 1–2. This section doesn't set up incoming calls: it covers outgoing calls only. Incoming calls are handled by the built-in cloud phone system for business — the “Incoming settings” section.

How to connect your PBX via SIP

1. 1
   Get the SIP details

   From your carrier or PBX: server, port, proxy if needed, login and password for outgoing calls. If the PBX doesn't allow one login for both incoming and outgoing calls, ask for a separate account.
2. 2
   Test them in a softphone

   A phone app on your computer, for example Zoiper or MicroSIP. A test call must go through.
3. 3
   Fill in the fields

   “Telephony” → “Own telephony” → “SIP server”, “SIP port”, “SIP proxy” if needed, then “SIP login” and “SIP password”.
4. 4
   Choose the access point

   “Russia”, or “Other countries” if the PBX is abroad.
5. 5
   Allow the IP addresses

   For “Russia”, click “Copy Russia IP list (20)”; for “Other countries”, click “Copy”. Add the addresses to the PBX firewall or pass them to your administrator.
6. 6
   Save

   Turn on the toggle and click “Save changes” on the bar at the bottom. Changes take effect within 15 seconds.
7. 7
   Check the status

   “PBX connected” should appear in the header. The check takes up to 16 seconds.

Do I need my own PBX? Comparison with the built-in telephony

The built-in telephony is usually more cost-effective:

• a number in a couple of minutes with no SIP setup — in the “Phone numbers” section, a virtual phone number for business from $1.90 per month;
• the voice bot calls from several numbers in turn — that's the “Number carousel”. Numbers still get flagged as spam over time, and that's normal: they get used up like rounds in a magazine. But the carousel puts a different number on every call, so the marks appear more slowly. With your own PBX, all calls go out from a single number;
• spam checks, auto-replacement and website call tracking work on the account's numbers, and with your own PBX, auto-replacement isn't available;
• clear rates: outgoing calls from $0.0075 per minute, a minute of automated calling from $0.0415.

Your own PBX can pay off with large calling volumes: a minute of automated calling through it starts at $0.025. But you also pay for forwarding at your PBX's rate, so calculate both options. All rates are in the article about phone numbers.

Want to keep your usual number? You don't need your own PBX for that. Connect it in “Phone numbers” with the “Connect your own number” button.

Don't build chains like “cloud phone system → office PBX → managers”: every integration link is one more point of failure, and finding where a call gets lost becomes hard. Distribution, queues, schedules and call recording are already in the built-in incoming call scheme. The thought “we already bought the PBX, so we have to use it” usually costs more than letting it go.

Why the PBX is not connected: status and errors

The status in the header: “Checking connection…”, “PBX connected” or “PBX not connected”. To check again, click “Refresh status”. If the PBX doesn't accept the details, the “Could not connect the PBX” window opens with four steps. In short: test the details in a softphone, make a test call, ask your carrier for working details if it fails — and only then connect them here.

The toggle turns on by itself when you save, unless you turned it off manually: clients often enter the details and forget about it. Need the PBX turned off? Click the toggle to turn it off and save.

What number will clients see?

After saving, the “What number will your clients see?” window opens. Clients see the number from your PBX settings, and you can change it only in the PBX itself. This number must accept incoming calls during business hours — otherwise you risk getting on the carrier's blacklist.

Read also: Virtual phone number for business: prices, SIP and a bot number, AI outbound calling bot: call your contact list without wasting budget, Cloud phone system for business: set up calls and stop losing them