Webhook

Webhook is a method of real-time communication where one application sends an HTTP POST request to another application whenever a specific event occurs. Webhooks enable event-driven workflows where systems automatically react to state changes without polling.

How Webhooks Work

1. Application A (event source) is configured with a webhook URL pointing to Application B (event receiver).
2. When a triggering event occurs (call started, intent matched, appointment booked), Application A sends an HTTP POST request to the webhook URL.
3. The POST body contains event details (call ID, caller, time, outcome).
4. Application B receives the request, parses the data, and executes a response action (send email, update CRM, log to database).

Webhook Use Cases in Voice Agents

• Call started: Webhook fires to CRM to load caller history and pre-populate context.
• Intent detected: Webhook fires to trigger a downstream workflow (appointment booking, knowledge base lookup).
• Call ended: Webhook fires to log call outcome, sentiment, and disposition to CRM; send confirmation email or SMS.
• Escalation: Webhook fires to create a ticket, send a Slack notification, or page a supervisor.

Webhook vs. Polling

• Polling: Application B repeatedly asks "any new events?" every N seconds. High latency, high CPU cost, high API overhead.
• Webhooks: Application A pushes events to Application B immediately. Low latency, low overhead, real-time.

Webhook Security

Webhooks must include authentication (bearer token, HMAC signature) to prevent spoofing. The webhook URL should be HTTPS-encrypted. Receiver should validate request signatures before processing.

Workforce Wave Webhooks

Workforce Wave emits webhooks for key events in voice agent calls, enabling seamless integration with Zapier, Make, or custom backend systems. Webhooks are signed and can be retried if delivery fails.