Hi everyone! 👋 I'm working on a backend-only call routing system with Twilio and FastAPI, and I want to double-check my approach. Here's what I'm trying to achieve:
- Customers call a Twilio number.
- My backend decides which agent should take the call, making sure that returning customers are routed back to the same agent.
- There's no frontend or dialer involved for now; it's all about real phone calls.
Here's my current flow:
1. A customer calls the Twilio number, and Twilio sends a request to my /webhooks/voice/inbound endpoint.
2. My backend validates the X-Twilio-Signature, reads the caller's number, checks the database for existing customers, and assigns the appropriate agent (new or returning).
3. The backend then responds with TwiML that instructs Twilio to dial the agent's number.
4. For tracking purposes, call status updates are sent to /webhooks/voice/status.
I have a few doubts:
- Is it okay to skip creating agents in Twilio and just dial their phone numbers directly?
- Is this a typical approach for an MVP before moving on to Twilio Client or TaskRouter?
- What potential issues should I watch out for?
- Eventually, I plan to transition to Twilio Client (softphones) so that I can return instead of phone numbers. Any feedback from those who have done something similar would be greatly appreciated! 🙏
2 Answers
Having worked on various Twilio projects, here are a few things you should keep in mind:
1. Yes, dialing agent numbers directly using TwiML without creating them in Twilio is totally fine. It’s often known as 'clientless routing' and can work well based on your backend logic.
2. Regarding your database, make sure it’s structured properly to map customer phone numbers to their last handling agent efficiently. Normalized tables or a dedicated mapping table will help avoid sluggish performance.
3. Watch out for Twilio's API rate limits as they can affect performance. Implementing slow-start techniques and rate limiting in your backend can make a big difference.
4. Don’t forget to incorporate robust error handling for Twilio calls and status updates to keep everything tracked correctly.
5. Test your solution for scalability as call volume grows, especially since you're sticking to a backend-only approach for now.
6. Lastly, be sure your /webhooks/voice/status endpoint can handle real-time updates without overloading your database.
I don’t know much about your tools, but I’ve got a few questions for you:
1. Are you following Twilio’s guidelines for service usage?
2. Most importantly, does your code function as expected?
3. Is Twilio giving you any warnings for misuse or cutting off your service?
4. Do your costs spike unexpectedly because of potential inefficiencies?
5. Are customers experiencing issues with service quality due to your tech setup?
If the answer to 1 and 2 is 'yes,' and 3 to 5 is 'no,' then you're on the right track!
Those are some solid points! Actually, I haven’t implemented yet, but I appreciate the guidance. Also, Twilio does provide an SDK for us to connect with our backend.