The Problem
A supplement subscription brand with over 10,000 active subscribers was facing three critical revenue problems:
- High support call volume — agents spending hours on repetitive calls (order status, subscription questions, card updates) instead of high-value tasks
- Payment decline losses — 12–15% monthly decline rate with no automated recovery system. Failed payments were either manually called (slow, inconsistent) or lost entirely
- Cancel requests not being saved — customers calling to cancel were often just needing to pause, swap products, or get a discount — but there was no structured save flow
The brand needed a system that could handle thousands of calls monthly, recover failed payments automatically, and save cancellations — without hiring more agents.
What We Built
We designed and built a 15-assistant VAPI AI voice squad split into two systems: an inbound call center and an outbound recovery engine, all connected to a custom PHP/MySQL backend with full Konnektive CRM integration.
Inbound System — 10 Assistants
Inbound
Main Triage
Routes callers to the right department based on their need
Inbound
Support Menu
Secondary routing with detailed option handling
Inbound
Subscription Manager
Pause, cancel, swap, reschedule — all handled by AI
Inbound
Order Status
Real-time order lookup and tracking from Konnektive
Inbound
Returns & Refunds
MBG processing, refund requests, return label guidance
Inbound
Card Update
Secure card detail collection and CRM update
Inbound
Product Questions
Ingredient info, dosage, usage guidance
Inbound
Recovery Callback
Handles scheduled callbacks from missed recovery calls
Sales
New Customer Sales
Full sales flow for first-time buyers
Sales
Returning Customer
Reorder and upsell flow for existing customers
Outbound System — 5 Assistants
Outbound
General Decline
Handles standard payment failures
Outbound
Fraud Decline
Sensitive handling for fraud-flagged cards
Outbound
Insufficient Funds
Payment timing and retry conversations
Outbound
Partial Orders
Recovery for partially processed orders
Outbound
New Order Recovery
First-order decline recovery flow
The Technical Architecture
Behind all 15 assistants sits a custom PHP/MySQL backend that acts as the brain of the system:
- process_queue.php — cron-driven outbound dialing engine, timezone-aware, TCPA compliant
- vapi_status_webhook.php — processes every call end event, updates CRM, logs outcomes
- vapi_tools.php — all AI tool endpoints (customer lookup, order status, card update, cancel, reactivate)
- Konnektive API integration — real-time customer data, order management, subscription control
- DialTower SIP trunk — outbound caller ID presentation on a toll-free number
- DNC management system — suppression lists, TCPA compliance, do-not-call handling
- Reporting dashboard — Chart.js powered real-time call stats, recovery rates, agent escalations
- Call review page — audio playback, transcript view, outcome tagging
- Gorgias integration — automatic ticket creation for escalated calls
- Google Address Validation — address verification on card update calls
The Results
After a 4-week build and 2-week optimization period, the system reached full operational capacity:
10,000+
Calls handled per month
80%+
Resolution without human
3x
Recovery rate improvement
$0
Additional agent headcount
The inbound system consistently resolves 80%+ of calls without human intervention. The outbound recovery system operates on a smart 3-attempt schedule across 7 days, calling during optimal windows for each customer's timezone.
The most impactful result: Failed payments that were previously lost or manually chased are now handled automatically within hours of the decline, dramatically improving recovery rates and protecting monthly recurring revenue.
Key Technical Challenges Solved
- Duplicate subscription guard preventing double-processing of active subscribers
- 90-day MBG enforcement logic across all refund and return flows
- TTS pronunciation cleaning for product names (removing special characters)
- Timezone bug fix in dialing schedule (Pakistan → US timezone conversion)
- VAPI payload size management for large customer data responses
- DialTower SIP trunk 480 error diagnosis and resolution
- Structured outcome resolution schema for end-of-call CRM updates
- Call quality indicator system for Anthony's dashboard reporting