Optimizing Bulk Phone Enrichment with Apollo API and Clay | Clay

Optimizing Bulk Phone Enrichment with Apollo API and Clay | Clay

Clay Support
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For bulk phone enrichment at 10k+ scale, consider our Bulk Enrichment feature which processes millions of records without row limits or slowdown. [1]
For optimization:
Consolidate datasets into single operations to minimize API requests and stay within rate limits [2]
Implement throttling and rate limiting to prevent API overwhelm
Process in smaller batches with parallel processing for better performance
Webhook limits: Our webhooks are limited to 50,000 submissions per webhook URL. [3] For your 10k+ volume, you may need multiple webhook endpoints or consider Bulk Enrichment which exports directly to external systems.
If you need further help optimizing your specific Apollo API setup, request human assistance by clicking "Talk to a person."
Clay Support
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Clay Support
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If you need any more help with optimizing your Apollo API setup or have other questions, I’m here to assist. Would you like to provide more details about what you’re trying to resolve or understand further?
Elric L.
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the issue is from the webhook Current Issue: I recently tested with 500 contacts and experienced the following:
83 contacts returned responses (16.6%)
417 contacts returned no response (83.4%) - likely due to timeouts before webhook delivery
Clay Support
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Our webhooks have rate limits: 10 records per second with a maximum burst of 20 records. [1] Your 83.4% timeout rate suggests you're exceeding these limits.
Solutions:
Add delays between Apollo API calls (minimum 100ms between requests) [2]
Process in smaller batches to stay within the 10/second limit
Implement proper retry logic with exponential backoff [3]
The 5-minute timeout should be sufficient - the issue is likely rate limiting, not response time.
Clay Support
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Elric L.
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for the 417 other contacts, I need to re run the API call
Clay Support
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To re-run the API calls for the 417 contacts that didn't receive responses, right-click on your Apollo API column and select "Run All Rows that haven't run or have errors". [1] This will process only the entries that weren't completed, avoiding duplicate runs on already successful searches.
If the column appears stuck or queued, click the column header, hover over "Run column," and select "Force Run All Rows" to jump-start the process.
Clay Support
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Elric L.
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how can i increase the webhook limit?
Clay Support
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The webhook rate limit of 10 records per second (with 20 record burst capacity) is per workspace and cannot be increased. [1]
However, webhook tables also have a 50,000 submission limit that persists even after deleting rows. [2] When you reach this limit, you'll need to create a new webhook to continue receiving data.
For managing the 50,000 record limit, Enterprise customers have access to auto-delete functionality, or you can split records across multiple webhook tables.
If you need further assistance with your specific setup, request human assistance by clicking "Talk to a person."
Clay Support
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Clay Support
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If you still need help with managing webhook limits or optimizing your API calls, I’m here to assist. Would you like to share more details about what you’re trying to resolve or understand further?
Kabeer A.
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Hey Elric, great setup sounds like you’re pushing Apollo’s API to its limits. For large-scale phone enrichment (10k+), the best approach is to use Apollo’s Bulk People Enrichment endpoint instead of individual match calls it handles async processing more reliably. Also, keep batches under 1,000 rows per request and space them ~30 seconds apart. A 5-min webhook timeout is short; Apollo’s callbacks can take 10–15 min when under load. I can share a Clay setup that manages batching + retries cleanly if you want.
Clay Support
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Your approach is solid. For webhook optimization in Clay, remember our rate limit is 10 records per second with 20 record burst capacity. [1]
To handle your batching strategy effectively:
Consolidate datasets into single operations to minimize API requests and stay within rate limits [2]
Implement throttling between batches
Your 30-second spacing between 1,000-row batches should work well within our webhook limits. The extended timeout recommendation makes sense for Apollo's async processing.
If you'd like to share that Clay setup for batching and retries, that would be helpful for optimizing the workflow further.