***

title: Overview
subtitle: How to initiate Voice AI calls from VoxEngine
-------------------------------------------------------

Outbound calling means your scenario starts the call to the destination.

## Call flow

1. Start the outbound routing rule manually (Control Panel) or via Management API `startScenarios`.
2. Read `destination` and `callerId` from `VoxEngine.customData()`.
3. Place an outbound leg (`callPSTN`, `callSIP`, `callUser`, or `callWhatsappUser`).
4. After `CallEvents.Connected`, create the connector client and bridge audio.
5. Apply barge-in, logging, and termination handlers.

```js title="Outbound Voice AI skeleton"
require(Modules.OpenAI);
require(Modules.ApplicationStorage);

VoxEngine.addEventListener(AppEvents.Started, () => {
  const { destination, callerId } = JSON.parse(VoxEngine.customData() || "{}");
  const call = VoxEngine.callPSTN(destination, callerId);

  call.addEventListener(CallEvents.Connected, async () => {
    const apiKey = (await ApplicationStorage.get("OPENAI_API_KEY")).value;
    const voiceAIClient = OpenAI.createRealtimeAPIClient({ apiKey, model: "your-realtime-model" });
    VoxEngine.sendMediaBetween(call, voiceAIClient);
  });
});
```

## Voice AI checklist for outbound scenarios

* Validate required custom data (`destination`, `callerId`) and fail fast if missing.
* Only create and bridge the connector after the callee answers.
* Add a demo timeout (`setTimeout(() => call.hangup(), ...)`) for predictable tests.
* Clear connector output on user speech start for barge-in.
* Log call failures with destination and channel.

## Destination options

* [Phone numbers](guides-outbound-call-basics-phone-numbers)
* [WhatsApp](guides-outbound-call-basics-whatsapp)
* [SIP](guides-outbound-call-basics-sip)
* [App users](guides-outbound-call-basics-app-users)

<Info title="Screenshot needed">
  - New screenshot: Running an outbound routing rule with custom JSON in Control Panel.
</Info>