#What is Smart Routings?
Smart Routings is a routing API that your PBX call flows query on every inbound call. The call flow sends an HTTP request to CX-Engine, and gets back the destination the call should go to: an extension, a queue, a voicemail, an external number.
The rules themselves (opening hours, public holidays, caller region, known contacts) are managed in the CX-Engine interface. Changing your opening hours or closing for a bank holiday no longer requires editing the PBX configuration.
Smart Routings is included with CRM Middleware. It is designed for companies that do not have a CRM to drive their routing.
#How a call is routed
- A call reaches your PBX and enters a call flow (for example a 3CX Call Flow Designer application).
- The call flow sends a
GETrequest to a Smart Routings lookup endpoint, with your account and the rule to evaluate. - CX-Engine evaluates your rules at the current date and time, in your account's timezone.
- The call flow reads the JSON response and transfers the call.
Because the PBX calls the API, Smart Routings works with any PBX whose call flow can send an HTTP request. See Connect your call flow for the endpoints and examples.
#Where to find it
In the CX-Engine application, everything lives under the Routings menu:
| Menu | What you manage |
|---|---|
| Contacts | Known callers, their numbers and their dedicated destination |
| Fields | Custom fields added to routing contacts |
| Inbound rules | One rule per 3CX queue or DID, with its opening hours and exceptions |
| Rules groups | Shared schedules applied to several inbound rules at once |
| Geographic | Destinations by caller region, based on a geographic model |
| Surveys | Answers to post-call surveys recorded by your call flows |
| CTI | Origin → destination tables, queried through a secured token URL |
The menu entries you see depend on the permissions of your role.
#Concepts
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| Inbound rule | The entry point of a lookup. Linked to a PBX and to a resource: a queue number or a DID. Holds time spans and exceptions. |
| Time span | An opening slot (day of the week or specific date, start and end time) with the destination to return during that slot. |
| Exception | A full-day override on a given date (public holiday, exceptional closure) with its own destination. |
| Rules group | A template of time spans and exceptions shared by several inbound rules. Each rule keeps its own destinations. |
| Geographic list | Maps zones of a geographic model (French departments, countries…) to up to four destinations, with fallback destinations. |
| Routing contact | A known caller with their numbers, a dedicated destination and custom fields. |