drop it

Let AI handle pesky customer service calls. Drop It cancels/books appointments, returns faulty orders, and cancels subscriptions

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Inspiration

We were inspired by the frustration of spending hours on hold with customer service, dealing with unhelpful representatives, and the time-consuming process of getting refunds, returns, and cancellations processed. We wanted to create a solution that could handle these tedious customer service interactions automatically, using AI to negotiate on behalf of users while they focus on more important things.

What it does

DropIt is an AI-powered customer service negotiation platform that automatically handles refunds, returns, and subscription cancellations. Users simply provide their request details (order number, screenshot, or description), and our AI agent makes the call to customer service, negotiates persistently but politely, and extracts real confirmation codes from the conversation. The platform provides real-time progress tracking, showing users exactly what's happening during the call with phase-by-phase visualization.

How we built it

We built DropIt using a modern tech stack:

  • Frontend: Next.js with React for the user interface, featuring real-time status updates and authentication
  • Backend: Express.js server with JWT authentication and real-time Vapi API polling
  • AI Integration: Vapi's voice AI for making actual phone calls to customer service
  • Real-time Updates: 2-second polling system for live call status and progress tracking
  • Smart Extraction: Regex-based algorithms to extract confirmation codes and refund amounts from call transcripts

Challenges we ran into

  • Real-time Data Integration: Initially, the system showed simulated data instead of real call progress. We had to implement proper Vapi API polling to get live updates.
  • Confirmation Code Extraction: Extracting real confirmation codes from call transcripts was challenging. We developed multiple regex patterns to handle various formats and implemented fallback systems.
  • Port Conflicts: Managing multiple servers (frontend and backend) led to port conflicts that required careful process management.
  • Error Handling: Implementing comprehensive error handling for failed calls and API timeouts while maintaining a good user experience.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Real-time Call Progress: Successfully implemented live call tracking with phase visualization (Initializing → Dialing → Connected → Negotiating → Completing)
  • Smart Confirmation Code Extraction: Built a robust system that extracts real confirmation codes from call transcripts with visual indicators for real vs. fallback codes
  • User Authentication: Implemented a complete JWT-based authentication system with user session management
  • Comprehensive Error Handling: Created a system that gracefully handles call failures and provides clear feedback to users
  • Debug Information: Added detailed debug sections so users can verify the authenticity of extracted data

What we learned

  • AI Integration Complexity: Working with voice AI APIs requires careful handling of real-time data and error states
  • User Experience Design: Real-time progress tracking significantly improves user confidence and engagement
  • Data Extraction Challenges: Extracting structured data from unstructured conversation transcripts requires multiple fallback strategies
  • Authentication Best Practices: Implementing secure JWT authentication with proper session management
  • API Polling Strategies: Balancing real-time updates with API rate limits and error handling

What's next for DropIt

  • Database Integration: Replace in-memory storage with PostgreSQL/MongoDB for persistent user data and call history
  • Real Customer Service APIs: Integrate with actual customer service systems instead of mock responses
  • Machine Learning Enhancement: Improve confirmation code extraction using ML models trained on customer service conversations
  • Multi-language Support: Expand to handle calls in different languages
  • Analytics Dashboard: Add user analytics and call success rate tracking
  • Mobile App: Develop native mobile applications for iOS and Android
  • Enterprise Features: Add team management, bulk operations, and enterprise-grade security
  • Integration Ecosystem: Build integrations with popular e-commerce platforms and service providers
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