What is an API, in plain words, and how to send leads to an AI voice operator by API
Sado AI team · · 4 min read
In short
An API (application programming interface) is an agreed set of rules one program uses to ask another program to do something or hand over data: which address to call, what to send and what comes back. Click or Payme checkout on a website, a map on a site and Telegram bots all run on APIs. With an AI voice operator, your system sends a new lead by API, the operator calls it right away, and the call result comes back to your system.
An API in plain words
In a restaurant you don’t walk into the kitchen: you tell the waiter a dish from the menu, the waiter passes the order on and brings the food. An API is that waiter. One program never goes inside another; it asks by agreed rules and gets an answer.
- An online store to a payment system: “Open a 250,000 so‘m payment for this order.”
- A delivery service to a map service: “How many kilometres between these two addresses?”
- A Telegram bot to Telegram: “Send this person this message.”
What an API request is made of
| Part | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Address | Where the request goes | The lead intake address |
| Key | Proves who is asking | A secret API key from the portal |
| Request | What is sent | Name, phone, course, why calling is allowed |
| Response | What comes back | “Accepted” or the reason for an error |
An API works when you ask. When a system tells you about an event by itself, that’s a webhook: what is a webhook.
Example: a learning centre in Tashkent
“Bilim Plus” (name invented) runs English and maths courses. Its website sign-up form feeds the centre’s own program. Leads used to wait a day or two; now it works like this:
- A parent fills in the form: child’s name, age, course.
- The centre’s program instantly sends it to Sado by API: name, phone, course and the reason to call, “website enquiry”.
- The AI operator calls right away and books a free trial lesson.
- The call result goes back to the centre’s program, so the administrator sees who is coming and when.
Sado: Assalomu alaykum, this is Malika from Bilim Plus learning centre. You just left a request for English on our site.
Caller: Yes, for my son. He’s twelve, a beginner.
Sado: I see. First there’s a free trial lesson where we also check his level. Saturday at ten or Sunday at two?
Caller: Saturday at ten.
Sado: Okay, Saturday at ten is booked. We’ll call on Friday to remind you.
How the call sounds:
Why an AI voice operator needs an API
- Sending leads: the operator calls every lead from your system right away (outgoing calls).
- Getting results: calls, summaries and next steps come back to your program.
- Prices and stock: you update the catalogue by API, and on calls the operator quotes only catalogue prices.
- When you don’t need an API: Bitrix24 has a ready connection, you upload Excel lists in the portal yourself (Excel and Google Sheets), and our team connects amoCRM and 1C.
More for learning centres: AI operator for education. Technical details: for developers.
Checklist before you connect an API
- Give the API key only to your developer; never paste it in a chat or public code.
- Give each lead its own ID: if the same lead is sent again, no second lead is created.
- State the reason to call each person: they enquired, consented or are your customer. Uzbekistan has a personal data law.
- Set calling hours and a daily limit in the portal.
- Send one test lead first and check the call and the result.
You pay only for talked minutes: 800 so‘m a minute. Try it live or call 78 778 01 23. More answers: questions about Sado.
Questions
Do I need a developer to use an API?
Yes, connecting your own system to an API takes a developer. With Bitrix24 or Excel you don’t need one: Sado has ready routes, and our team sets them up.
What is an API key?
A secret string, like a password, that proves a request comes from your company. In Sado it is created in the portal settings and shown only once.
How is an API different from a webhook?
With an API your program asks and gets an answer. A webhook is sent by the system itself when an event happens. They are usually used together.