How to use Callfire API for automating outreach tasks

If you’re juggling outreach—think cold calls, text blasts, or following up with leads—manual grunt work is a killer. The Callfire API promises to take the boring parts off your plate. But is it really “plug and play”? Not quite. You need a clear plan, a bit of patience, and the right expectations. This guide walks you through it: setting up, making your first automated campaign, handling the gotchas, and knowing when to skip the fancy stuff.

Whether you’re a developer, a tech-savvy marketer, or just the unlucky one who drew the short straw, this is for you.

What Can You Actually Automate with the Callfire API?

Callfire’s API lets you do most of what you can do in their dashboard, but without all the clicking:

  • Send voice calls and SMS campaigns
  • Import, manage, and segment contacts
  • Schedule blasts and track responses
  • Get campaign stats programmatically

But don’t expect magic, or “AI-powered engagement” (whatever that means). The API is solid for repetitive workflows, not for building the next unicorn. If you want to automate outreach, not reinvent it, you’re in the right place.

Step 1: Get Access to the Callfire API

Before you write a single line of code, you’ll need:

  • A paid Callfire account (the free trial is too limited for real automation)
  • Your API credentials: API key and secret

Where to find them:
After logging in, head to your account settings, look for “API Access,” and generate your key/secret pair. Save these somewhere safe. If you lose them, you’ll have to generate new ones—no recovery.

Pro tip:
Use a separate key for each integration or script. That way, if something breaks or you need to revoke access, you’re not nuking everything at once.

Step 2: Choose the Right Tooling

You can hit the Callfire API from any language—Python, Node.js, PHP, whatever. Here’s the honest breakdown:

  • Python: Easiest for scripting and quick tasks. Plenty of HTTP libraries.
  • Node.js: Good for integrating into web apps or chatbots.
  • Zapier, Make, or similar: Only for the simplest stuff. You’ll hit limits fast.

Don’t bother looking for “official” SDKs. They exist, but are often outdated or clunky. It’s usually faster to use requests (Python) or axios/fetch (JavaScript) and talk to the API directly.

Step 3: Understand the API Structure (Before You Go Wild)

The Callfire API is RESTful, with predictable but sometimes oddly named endpoints.

  • Base URL: https://api.callfire.com/v2/
  • Authentication: HTTP Basic Auth (your API key is the username, secret is the password)
  • Data format: JSON in, JSON out

Key endpoints:

  • /texts/broadcasts — for SMS campaigns
  • /calls/broadcasts — for voice campaigns
  • /contacts — importing and managing contacts
  • /texts and /calls — sending single messages or calls

Gotchas:

  • Rate limits aren’t always obvious. If you blast too hard, you’ll get throttled or temporary bans.
  • Errors are sometimes vague. “400 Bad Request” just means “something’s wrong,” not what.
  • The docs are okay, but not exhaustive. When in doubt, log the API responses.

Step 4: Import Your Contacts (The Right Way)

Before you can send anything, you need contacts in the system. Here’s how to do it:

1. Prepare your contacts

Make a CSV or JSON array with at least these fields:

  • firstName
  • lastName
  • phoneNumber

Extra fields (like custom attributes) can be added, but keep it simple at first.

2. Import via API

A sample Python POST might look like this:

python import requests from requests.auth import HTTPBasicAuth

api_key = 'YOUR_API_KEY' api_secret = 'YOUR_API_SECRET' contacts = [ {"firstName": "Jane", "lastName": "Doe", "phoneNumber": "15555550123"}, {"firstName": "John", "lastName": "Smith", "phoneNumber": "15555550124"} ]

url = "https://api.callfire.com/v2/contacts" response = requests.post(url, json={"contacts": contacts}, auth=HTTPBasicAuth(api_key, api_secret)) print(response.json())

What to watch out for:

  • Bad phone numbers will cause the whole import to fail. Validate before sending.
  • There’s a max payload size. For big lists, batch them in chunks (try 500 at a time).

Step 5: Set Up and Launch an Automated SMS Campaign

Here’s where most people get tripped up. You can’t just “send a blast”—you have to:

  1. Create a broadcast (the actual campaign)
  2. Assign contacts to it
  3. Start (launch) the campaign

1. Create the Broadcast

Example (still Python):

python broadcast_data = { "name": "Follow-up SMS Campaign", "recipients": [ {"contactId": 1234}, # Or use phoneNumber directly {"phoneNumber": "15555550123"} ], "message": "Hi {firstName}, thanks for your interest!" } url = "https://api.callfire.com/v2/texts/broadcasts" response = requests.post(url, json=broadcast_data, auth=HTTPBasicAuth(api_key, api_secret)) broadcast = response.json() broadcast_id = broadcast['id']

Pro tip:
You can use merge fields (like {firstName}) in your message, but test it with a small batch first. Formatting errors will tank your deliverability.

2. Start the Campaign

python url = f"https://api.callfire.com/v2/texts/broadcasts/{broadcast_id}/start" response = requests.post(url, auth=HTTPBasicAuth(api_key, api_secret)) print(response.status_code)

That’s it. Messages will send according to the campaign rules.

What not to do:
Don’t try to send thousands of texts in one go, especially if your account is new. You’ll hit carrier spam filters, or get flagged by Callfire. Ramp up slowly.

Step 6: Monitor Campaigns and Handle Replies

Automating outreach is pointless if you ignore the responses. You’ll want to:

  • Fetch campaign stats (/texts/broadcasts/{id}/stats)
  • Pull in replies (/texts endpoint, filter by inbound=true)
  • Handle opt-outs (unsubscribe requests are a legal requirement)

Example: Fetching replies

python url = "https://api.callfire.com/v2/texts?inbound=true" response = requests.get(url, auth=HTTPBasicAuth(api_key, api_secret)) replies = response.json()['items'] for msg in replies: print(f"From {msg['fromNumber']}: {msg['message']}")

What works:
Pulling replies and stats lets you tweak your campaign over time. If you see a lot of “STOP” messages, your targeting or copy needs work.

What to ignore:
Don’t blindly trust dashboard stats—API gives you fresher data. Also, don’t try to build a full CRM here. Callfire’s API isn’t meant for heavy contact management.

Step 7: Automate the Workflow

Once you’ve tested the basics, string it all together. Typical automation:

  1. Pull new leads from your CRM or website
  2. Clean and validate phone numbers
  3. Import to Callfire
  4. Launch a campaign
  5. Monitor replies and stats
  6. Mark leads as “responded” or “do not contact” as needed

Use task schedulers (cron, GitHub Actions, etc.) to run your scripts daily or hourly. For simple stuff, a few scripts and a spreadsheet will beat any “AI outreach suite.”

Gotcha:
APIs change, and Callfire isn’t immune. Keep an eye on their changelog, and don’t assume your scripts will run forever without tweaks.

Some Honest Advice

  • Deliverability: The more bulk you send, the more likely you’ll get flagged as spam. Warm up your numbers, use real opt-in lists, and personalize messages.
  • Compliance: Texting laws are a minefield. Always honor opt-outs, and don’t message people who didn’t ask for it. Fines are no joke.
  • Docs: The official docs are decent but not perfect. When in doubt, just inspect the API responses—sometimes that’s the only way to troubleshoot.

Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Fast

Don’t overcomplicate things. Start with a small, working script. Test, tweak, and only automate what you’ve already done manually. The Callfire API is a solid tool for making repetitive outreach less painful, but it’s not a magic button. Build only what you need, then see what’s worth polishing. Less “AI,” more getting things done.