The CATS integration automatically turns every call and text from a job candidate into a Candidate record in CATS, so your recruiting team can see which job ads and channels bring in real conversations without typing anything in by hand. CATS is an applicant tracking system that recruiting teams use to manage candidates. If a candidate calls again, CallRail finds their existing record instead of creating a duplicate, and each call appears in the Candidate's activity timeline with its outcome and details.
Before You Begin
- You need an active CATS account and permission to create an API key in CATS. An API key is a private code that lets CallRail securely connect to your CATS account.
- You need CallRail call tracking or text messaging on the phone numbers your candidates contact. Calls and texts are what trigger the integration.
- Ask your CATS administrator to create five Candidate custom fields in CATS before you connect (see Create the CallRail custom fields in CATS below). CallRail cannot create these fields for you. If they are missing, you can still connect, but attribution details are added as an activity note instead.
Set Up the CATS Integration
Create the CallRail custom fields in CATS
Custom fields are extra fields you add to a Candidate record in CATS. CallRail looks for these five fields by name. Names must match exactly, though capital letters do not matter.
| CATS custom field name | What CallRail writes to it |
|---|---|
| CallRail - Lead Source | The source of the candidate's first visit or contact (for example, Google Ads) |
| CallRail - Lead Medium | The medium of the first contact (for example, cpc) |
| CallRail - Lead Campaign | The campaign of the first contact |
| CallRail - Lead Landing Page | The first page the candidate visited on your website |
| CallRail - Call Summary | Keywords, referring page, tracking number, most recent source, medium, and campaign, call type, call duration, recording link, and call summary |
- Sign in to CATS as an administrator.
- Create each of the five fields in the table above, using the exact names shown.
Create a CATS API key
- In CATS, navigate to the API key page.
- Create a new API key and copy it.
Connect CATS in CallRail
- In CallRail, click Settings.
- Select Integrations.
- Find CATS and click Connect.
- Paste your CATS API key into the API Key field.
- Click Activate.
CallRail checks your API key and looks for the five custom fields when you activate. If you add or change the fields in CATS later, reconnect the integration so CallRail picks up the changes.
How Your Data Is Handled
Data flows from CallRail to CATS, with one exception: the Voice Agent reads (but never changes) candidate details in CATS.
Candidates
Every call and text creates or updates a Candidate in CATS.
- CallRail first searches CATS for a Candidate with the same phone number. If none is found, it searches by email address. A new Candidate is created only if neither matches.
- New Candidates receive the caller's first name, last name, phone number, and email address when CallRail has them. If a name is not available, the Candidate is named "Unknown Caller."
- CATS also runs its own duplicate check by name as a safety net. Because it uses names, it can occasionally flag a different person with the same name.
- For existing Candidates, CallRail updates only its own attribution fields. The name, phone number, and email address already in CATS are never overwritten.
Attribution (where the candidate came from)
CallRail writes the source, medium, campaign, landing page, and call details to the five custom fields. If any of the five fields is missing in CATS, CallRail does not write to the custom fields at all. It adds the same details as an "other" activity note on the Candidate instead.
Call activity
Every call is logged on the Candidate's timeline in CATS as an activity, with attribution details and call details in the notes. Text messages update the Candidate and its attribution, but they are not logged as activities.
| CallRail call outcome | CATS activity |
|---|---|
| Answered or outbound | Call talked |
| Voicemail | Call voicemail |
| Missed, abandoned, or in progress | Call missed |
Call recordings are not uploaded to CATS. The activity notes include a link to the recording and the call summary when CallRail has one.
Voice Agent
If you use a Voice Agent to answer inbound calls, it can look up the caller in CATS by phone number, then email. When it finds a match, it receives the Candidate's name, primary email, phone numbers, address, current employer, and owner. It does not receive pipeline stages, job submissions, activities, title, status, source, custom fields, or timestamps. Nothing is written to CATS by this lookup.
Limits
CATS allows 500 requests per hour for each API key. Accounts with very high call and text volume can reach this limit. When that happens, updates wait until CATS accepts requests again, and the integration stays connected.
Troubleshooting
Attribution appears as an activity note instead of in custom fields
One or more of the five CallRail custom fields is missing or named differently in CATS. In CATS, confirm all five fields exist with the exact names listed above, then reconnect the integration in CallRail.
Some updates are delayed in CATS
Your account may have reached the CATS limit of 500 requests per hour. Updates resume automatically when the limit resets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will CallRail create duplicate candidates?
CallRail matches by phone number first, then email address, and creates a new Candidate only when neither matches. CATS' name-based duplicate check adds a second safeguard.
Will CallRail overwrite candidate information in CATS?
No. On existing Candidates, CallRail updates only its own attribution fields. Names, phone numbers, and email addresses are not changed.
Can CallRail create the custom fields for me?
Not at this time. CATS does not allow other apps to create custom fields, so your CATS administrator needs to create them.
Are text messages logged in CATS?
Texts create or update the Candidate and its attribution, but only calls are logged as activities on the timeline.
Does the Voice Agent see the whole candidate record?
No. It receives only the contact details listed in the Voice Agent section above.
Does information sync from CATS back to CallRail?
No. Data flows from CallRail to CATS. The only information CallRail reads from CATS is the contact details the Voice Agent uses during a call.