Webhooks Automation Module for Perfex CRM

About Webhooks Automation Module for Perfex CRM

The Webhooks Automation Module turns Perfex CRM into the trigger for the rest of your tech stack. The moment something happens inside the CRM - a lead arrives, an invoice is paid, a task changes status - the module fires an outbound HTTP request to any external service that supports webhooks, so information flows in real time without a single line of polling code. It exchanges realtime data between Perfex and every other service that speaks webhooks, which makes the possibilities for automation effectively unlimited.

Connect Perfex CRM to the services you already use

A webhook is one of the main ways apps send automated messages and information to each other. It is the same mechanism that lets Twilio route SMS and phone calls to your number, WooCommerce announce a new order in Slack, or MailChimp capture a newsletter signup from your website. This module brings that capability inside Perfex CRM, acting as an extension that enables webhooks as a tool for integrating your CRM with external services.

The module provides the framework that exposes Perfex events as webhooks. You point each webhook at the destination URL and choose how the request is made; the receiving service handles the rest. The framework facilitates the connection - the specific configuration for each external service is set up on your side, which keeps the integration flexible and under your control.

Sample webhooks with popular services

The module is well suited to wiring Perfex into automation platforms and external tools. Common setups include connecting Perfex to Zapier, syncing data with Xero, or feeding contacts into Mailwizz, each created as a standard outbound webhook.

Pairing a Perfex webhook with a Zapier “Catch Hook” trigger, for example, lets a new lead or a paid invoice kick off an automation across the apps Zapier connects to, with no middleware required.

Trigger on the events that matter

In its current version the module supports webhooks across fourteen core areas of Perfex CRM, so almost any business action can start an automation:

• Leads
• Customers - add, edit, or delete of contacts
• Invoices, including recurring
• Tasks
• Projects
• Estimates
• Proposals
• Tickets
• Payments
• Staff
• Custom Fields
• Contracts
• Calendar Events
• Expenses, including recurring

Supported events

For each function you can react to the event that fits the workflow:

• Create
• Update (not supported on Tasks)
• Delete (for Leads, the core action that runs before deletion is used instead)
• Accept, Decline, Sent (for Proposals)

Full control over every request

Each webhook is a complete HTTP request that you shape yourself, with a choice of method, headers, and the data sent with it.

Supported methods

Every webhook creation includes the standard set of HTTP methods, plus a dedicated trigger for lead status:

• GET
• POST
• PUT
• PATCH
• DELETE
• Status Change (for Leads)

Supported request headers

Thirty-two standard request headers are built in, covering everything from Authorization, Content-Type, and the full Accept family through to Cache-Control, Cookie, Origin, Referer, User-Agent, and more. On top of the built-in list, every custom header is supported as well, so authenticating against a third-party API or passing a service-specific token is straightforward. Where the underlying record allows it, related data such as phone numbers is carried through to the request.

Webhooks versus a REST API

Wondering how a webhook differs from a REST API? A webhook is a lightweight API that powers one-way data sharing triggered by events, whereas a REST API enables two-way communication between applications driven by requests. A webhook - also called a reverse API, web callback, or HTTP push API - delivers data the instant an event happens, and it is less resource-intensive because it saves you the cost of constantly polling for new data. The key distinction is that a webhook does not need to send a request to get a response, while an API does. In short, webhooks receive, while an API retrieves - which makes webhooks the more efficient choice whenever you simply need Perfex to notify another system that something happened.

Built-in tools that save time

The module includes operational tooling that makes webhooks practical to run day to day rather than just set up once.

• Webhook logs record deliveries and can be filtered, so you can find and inspect exactly the call you are looking for.
• Test webhook fires a sample request so you can confirm the destination responds before you rely on it.
• Clone webhook duplicates an existing configuration, so you can roll out a similar automation in seconds.

Delayed trigger execution

As an extra option, a webhook can be held and sent later according to a predefined time - minutes, hours, or days after the event - which is ideal for follow-up automations. Delayed trigger hook execution requires a custom cron job to be set up.

What’s new in version 2.0.0

The latest release significantly widens event coverage and adds operational tooling. New webhook events were added across:

• Credit Notes - create, update, before-delete, sent, refund created, and credits applied.
• Items / Products - item created and item updated.
• Task lifecycle - status changed, timer started, timer deleted, comment added, and checklist item created.
• Estimate lifecycle - accepted, declined, sent, and converted to invoice.
• Proposal conversion - converted to estimate and converted to invoice.
• Lead advanced - convert to customer, mark as lost, and mark as junk.
• Invoice lifecycle - status changed, mark as cancelled, sent, and copied.

This version also added webhook log filtering to quickly isolate specific deliveries and the test webhook feature for validating endpoints before going live.

Requirements and setup

The module installs and activates in a few seconds, and documentation is included to make the install and activation process straightforward. It is a module for Perfex CRM and runs on its CodeIgniter-based core; a minimum of PHP 7.4 is required, with compatibility maintained through PHP 8.2 and 8.3 and recent Perfex releases (3.2.1 and later).

A few details are worth knowing up front. The Staff function carries the caveat that a password can be decrypted using the phpass library used in the Perfex core. While most dynamic fields work in relation cases - such as a task assigned to a customer - some may not be available for orphan actions, such as a task that is not assigned to a customer. Because a webhook is an advanced, programmatic technique, a working familiarity with HTTP requests and with the service you are connecting to will help you get the most from the module.