Integration · Issabel PBX · Nexus
Nexus + Issabel PBX: Phone Calls Linked to Your CRM
Nexus integrates with Issabel — the open-source PBX platform — to give your phone operations a CRM backbone. Sync call records automatically, click-to-call from any contact, attach recordings to customer profiles, and make sure every agent who picks up the phone already knows the customer's order history before saying hello.
What This Integration Does
Many ecommerce businesses still take a significant share of their orders by phone — especially in markets where customers prefer to confirm details verbally before purchasing. Without CRM integration, every phone call is an isolated event: the agent has no purchase history, no record of previous complaints, and no order context unless they ask the customer to repeat it. The Nexus–Issabel integration changes that. When a call comes in, Nexus looks up the caller's phone number and pops up their full customer profile — orders, previous conversations, AI risk signals, and notes — in the agent's Nexus interface. After the call, the record is logged automatically with duration, direction, and a link to the recording. No manual entry. No lost context.
CDR sync and call timeline
Issabel call detail records are imported into Nexus continuously and attached to matching customer profiles by phone number. Every inbound and outbound call appears on the customer's activity timeline alongside WhatsApp messages, orders, and AI-flagged events — giving you a complete interaction history across every channel.
Click-to-call from CRM
Agents can initiate any outbound call by clicking a phone number inside a Nexus contact record or order view. Issabel rings the agent's extension first, then dials the customer — so the call is logged, recorded (if configured), and tied to the correct customer profile automatically without any copy-paste or manual dialing.
Recording access and extension management
Call recordings stored on Issabel are fetched and made playable directly inside Nexus customer profiles. Supervisors can review calls for QA without touching the Issabel admin panel. Agent extensions are mapped to Nexus user accounts so every call is attributed to the correct team member in reporting.
Setup & Requirements
The Nexus–Issabel integration connects over your internal network or VPN. Nexus communicates with Issabel's REST API and AMI (Asterisk Manager Interface) to fetch CDRs, initiate calls, and retrieve recording URLs. Setup is completed in Nexus settings — no changes to your Issabel dial plan are required for basic CDR sync and click-to-call.
- Issabel server accessible from the Nexus server over a local network or site-to-site VPN — direct public internet exposure of the PBX is not recommended
- Nexus Growth or Scale plan — PBX integrations are not available on Starter
- Issabel AMI credentials (username and secret) and the Issabel REST API key configured in Nexus under Integrations → Issabel PBX
- Call recording must be enabled in Issabel if you want recordings to appear in Nexus — Nexus reads the recording paths from CDRs and fetches the files via the Issabel file API
- Map each Issabel extension to a Nexus agent account in the PBX settings page so that call attribution in reporting is accurate
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this integration work with Asterisk or FreePBX?
The native Nexus integration is built and tested against Issabel, which is itself built on Asterisk. Because Issabel exposes a standard AMI (Asterisk Manager Interface) and REST API, many Asterisk-based systems including vanilla Asterisk deployments can connect with minor configuration. FreePBX shares the same Asterisk core and is generally compatible. Contact our support team to confirm compatibility with your specific PBX version before beginning setup.
Is Issabel the only PBX Nexus supports?
Issabel is the primary supported PBX with a dedicated, tested integration. For other systems — 3CX, Avaya, Cisco UCM, or generic SIP/AMI servers — Nexus can receive call events via webhook if the PBX supports outbound HTTP notifications on call events. CDR data can also be pushed to Nexus via the REST API from any system that exports call records. Reach out to discuss your specific setup and we will advise on the best connection approach.
What is CDR sync and what data does it include?
CDR stands for Call Detail Record — the log entry your PBX creates for every call that passes through it. Nexus imports CDRs from Issabel continuously and attaches them to the matching customer profile using the caller's phone number. Each CDR includes: caller number, destination extension or DID, call duration in seconds, call direction (inbound or outbound), disposition (answered, no-answer, busy, failed), timestamp, agent extension, queue name if applicable, and a link to the call recording if one was made.
Can I listen to call recordings directly inside Nexus?
Yes. When CDR sync is active and Issabel is configured to record calls, Nexus fetches the recording file path from the CDR and makes an embedded audio player available directly from the customer's profile timeline and from the call log section. Agents and supervisors can play recordings inside Nexus without logging into the Issabel admin panel or navigating the server's file system. Recordings are streamed on demand — they are not copied to Nexus storage.
Does click-to-call work from a mobile device?
Click-to-call initiates the call through your Issabel PBX by first ringing the agent's registered extension or softphone, then dialing the customer once the agent answers. If your agents use a softphone app (such as Zoiper or Linphone) on their mobile device registered as an extension on the Issabel server, click-to-call will ring that app. The call is always routed through Issabel — it is not a direct mobile carrier call — so it is logged in the CDR and recorded according to your Issabel settings.