Introducing Gabbee.io: AI BDR for Zoho CRM

I'm excited to share one of my latest projects: Gabbee.io, an AI BDR for Zoho that programmatically validates your leads via human-sounding phone calls. Gabbee automatically qualifies prospects using BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline) criteria, making outbound calls that sound genuinely human while capturing detailed qualification data for your Zoho CRM.

The idea behind Gabbee is straightforward: sales teams spend countless hours manually calling leads to qualify them, often with inconsistent results and poor conversion rates. Gabbee automates this entire process by making human-sounding calls that naturally qualify prospects using proven BANT methodology.

Instead of your sales team spending hours on unqualified leads, Gabbee handles the initial qualification calls and only passes through prospects who meet your specific criteria.

I built this in about 1.5 days (admittedly spread out) using my knowledge of Next.js and a code editor called Cursor. The design is powered by Tailwind CSS for quick, streamlined styling, while the voice-synthesis and call logic rely on Bland AI's API. The system integrates directly with Zoho CRM to automatically update lead qualification status and capture detailed BANT data.

Core Features

BANT Qualification Calls

Gabbee automatically calls leads and qualifies them using proven BANT methodology - assessing Budget, Authority, Need, and Timeline through natural conversation.

Zoho CRM Integration

Automatically syncs qualified leads directly to your Zoho CRM with detailed qualification data, lead scores, and conversation notes.

Human-Sounding Conversations

Gabbee uses advanced AI voice technology to make calls that sound genuinely human. Prospects can't distinguish between Gabbee and a real sales representative, ensuring higher engagement and conversion rates.

Detailed Qualification Reports

After each call, Gabbee provides comprehensive qualification reports including BANT scores, conversation transcripts, and next-step recommendations for your sales team.

Multiple AI Voices - Choose from different AI voices, each optimized for different industries and conversation styles.

Quick Background

I built this to solve a real problem I've seen in sales teams. Most BDRs spend 60-70% of their time on unqualified leads, making cold calls that rarely convert. The manual qualification process is inconsistent, time-consuming, and expensive. Gabbee's entire purpose is to automate this qualification process while maintaining the human touch that prospects expect.

When I say I built Gabbee in 1.5 days, that's not hyperbole. It was a weekend project where I figured out the main structure in Next.js, set up the data models for lead qualification, integrated Bland AI's API for the phone/voice features, and connected it to Zoho CRM. Because Next.js is so efficient for building full-stack apps, and Tailwind lets me handle layout quickly, I got the MVP up and running in record time.

How It Works in Practice

Let's say you have a lead in your Zoho CRM who downloaded your whitepaper. Instead of having your BDR spend 15 minutes calling them manually, Gabbee automatically places the qualification call. The AI introduces itself naturally and begins the BANT qualification process:

Gabbee: Hi, this is Sarah from [Your Company]. I'm calling because I noticed you downloaded our whitepaper on [topic]. I'd love to learn more about your current challenges and see if we might be a good fit to help.

Prospect: Sure, we're looking at solutions for [need].

Gabbee: That's great. What's your timeline for implementing a solution like this?

Prospect: We're hoping to have something in place by Q2.

Gabbee: Perfect. And who would be involved in the decision-making process for this type of investment?

At the end, Gabbee provides a comprehensive qualification report: "Lead qualified with BANT score 8/10. Budget confirmed, decision maker identified, need validated, timeline Q2. Recommended for immediate sales follow-up."

This automated qualification process saves your BDR team hours while ensuring consistent, thorough qualification of every lead.

Building It with Next.js, Tailwind, and Bland AI's API

Next.js

I chose Next.js because it's become a go-to framework for modern web development. Server-side rendering is built in, so the website is fast and SEO-friendly by default. It also integrates nicely with APIs and has a solid routing system, which meant I could spin up routes for user dashboards, admin settings, etc., in no time.

Tailwind CSS

Tailwind gives me a robust library of utility classes that keeps my styles consistent without forcing me to write a ton of custom CSS. I can quickly adapt button styles, layout spacing, and colors. That's particularly helpful when you're aiming to finish an MVP in a short window.

Bland AI's API

The phone-call logic and voice synthesis are powered by Bland AI's API, which I've been wanting to play with for a while.

When Gabbee initiates a call, it uses Bland AI to generate a natural-sounding voice and to handle the actual telephony portion. This includes bridging the call, transcribing the audio, and providing real-time or near-real-time conversation data. Bland AI also offers different voice profiles (male, female, different accents, etc.), so I can give users the choice. If the situation calls for a formal tone, maybe you pick a more authoritative voice. If it's a friendly call, you might go with a more casual one.

Why an AI Secretary?

You might be wondering, "Why do I need an AI secretary?" For some people, phone anxiety alone is a big enough reason. Others just don't have the time (or patience) to sit on hold, chase down an answer, or recite the same explanation to multiple customer service reps.

Speed: If you queue multiple calls, Gabbee handles them in the background. You can tackle more pressing work while it does the phone chores.
Consistency: The script never deviates unless you want it to. If you need to make the same call multiple times (like for multiple leads), you can adapt the text slightly for each call.
Documentation: You always have a transcript to reference. In business scenarios, that alone is gold—no "he said, she said."

A major focus in launching Gabbee has been smoothing out the user onboarding. As soon as you land on Gabbee.io, you can sign up using your Google account—no separate password or extra steps. I'm using WorkOS's AuthKit and Google IDP for that.

Why limit it to Google accounts? It helps reduce fraud. People tend to have fewer throwaway or spam Google accounts, so that allows me to confidently offer 50 free credits to every new user without requiring a credit card. It's a simple approach that doesn't saddle new users with financial commitments. They can test out calls, see how the AI handles different scenarios, and decide if they want more.

From a conversion standpoint, removing friction is everything. It's also a trust signal for people who are considering using this for business.

Frequent Use Cases for an AI Phone Call App

Routine Personal Calls: Need to check on a family member daily or weekly? Automate it. Gabbee can place a quick call, say, "Hi Grandma, just checking in," and let you review the transcript later.
Appointment Confirmations: Whether you're a freelancer confirming times with clients or a busy parent scheduling medical visits, letting Gabbee handle these can save you a ton of time.
Bill Disputes or Customer Service: Let's be honest: the worst calls in the world are the ones where you're on hold, then have to argue or explain the same issue multiple times. Gabbee uses your script, keeps a record, and gets straight to the point.
Lead Outreach: If you do any sort of cold-calling for sales or lead gen, you can give Gabbee a list of numbers and a script. It'll call them all. Then you can see who showed interest, who hung up, etc.
Check-Ins and Reminders: If you manage a remote team or you have a set of daily reminders for employees or contractors, Gabbee can be that voice that calls and says, "Heads up, we've got a meeting in 30 minutes."

Conversion Optimization and Finding the Right Users

Early on, I expected my biggest challenges to be things like voice quality or unexpected conversation branches. But so far, the biggest thing I've wrestled with is conversion optimization—figuring out how to convey Gabbee's value quickly and get people to the point of actually making a call.

Making the Landing Page Clear

The landing page has a simple hero section that states, "Your AI Secretary That Makes Phone Calls For You," followed by examples and short use-case blurbs. But a pretty page isn't enough. I iterated on a few headlines and bullet points to drive home how Gabbee actually helps you. For example:

"Never make another awkward phone call."
"Automate calls to your cable company, dentist, or prospects."
"Get transcripts instantly."

Targeting the Right Audience

It's not just about random traffic or racking up site hits. It's about reaching people who have real phone communication pains. That includes small business owners, freelancers, agencies that do lead-gen calls, or even people who hate phone calls in general.

I've been experimenting with social media posts, direct outreach to potential partners, and word-of-mouth. Naturally, I'm also trying to show up for key search terms like AI phone call app or AI secretary, so that if someone searches for a tool like this, they can find Gabbee. But until the domain matures, I'm focusing on personal referrals and pointing folks directly to the site.

Once someone clicks "Sign Up," I want the next steps to be dead simple:

Sign In with Google.
Grant permission (so Gabbee can authenticate you).
Receive 50 free credits immediately.
Create a call task and watch the magic happen.

Stripping it down to the bare minimum helps people get to that aha moment faster. If they can place a real call in under a minute, they're more likely to see why Gabbee matters and consider sticking around.

Dealing with Fraud and Abusive Use

One reason for requiring Google sign-in is to reduce fraud or abuse, which can happen in any service that sends out calls or messages. If someone tried to exploit free credits to spam random phone numbers, we'd have a problem. A real Google account is a stronger barrier than a random email, so it's helped keep sign-ups more genuine.

If a user does attempt something malicious, I can trace it back to a verified account and shut it down quickly. It's not bulletproof, but it's a decent balance between convenience and security—something that's critical for any "AI phone call app" that wants to survive long-term.

Roadmap and Future Plans

I'm not stopping with basic calls and transcripts. I want Gabbee to evolve into a more robust digital assistant that can handle tasks beyond just phone calls:

Web Searches and Web Scraping: Before calling, Gabbee could gather preliminary data. For example, if you're calling hotels about availability, it could scrape their public listings first, then confirm by phone.
Prospecting Tools and Lead Capture: Give Gabbee a list of potential leads and a script. It'll call them all, gather responses, and let you know who's interested. I'd also like to integrate this with CRMs so it can track the entire funnel.
Embedding Gabbee: Eventually, I want to offer a widget or API so other developers can place an "AI phone call" button in their own apps or websites. Imagine a scenario where your clients can just click "Call me with more info," and an AI secretary handles that entire flow.
Advanced Language Support: For now, Gabbee's primarily English-based, but I'd love to expand to other languages. That means ensuring the voice models and telephony coverage are robust enough to handle global calls.
Context-Driven Conversations: Right now, you provide Gabbee with instructions, and it does exactly what you say. In the future, maybe it can adapt mid-call if the person on the other end says something unexpected. Some of that is possible with the underlying AI, but it requires more rigorous conversation flow design to avoid messing up the dialogue.

Why It Matters

In the sales automation space, AI-powered lead qualification represents a massive opportunity. Traditional BDR teams spend 60-70% of their time on unqualified leads, with inconsistent results and high costs. Gabbee aims to transform this process by automating qualification while maintaining the human touch that prospects expect.

Time-Saving - Your BDR team can focus on high-value activities instead of cold calling unqualified leads.

Consistent Qualification - Every lead gets the same thorough BANT qualification process, ensuring no qualified prospects slip through the cracks.

Cost Reduction - Automate the most expensive part of your sales process while maintaining conversion rates.

Better Data - Detailed qualification reports and CRM integration provide insights that improve your entire sales funnel.

What's Next

As I continue to refine Gabbee, I'm focused on improving the BANT qualification accuracy and expanding CRM integrations beyond Zoho. The goal is to make Gabbee the standard for AI-powered lead qualification across all major CRM platforms.

Closing Thoughts

In under two days, I put together Gabbee.io as a functional AI BDR that can automate lead qualification for sales teams. By leveraging Next.js for rapid development, Tailwind for styling, and Bland AI's robust call/voice API, I got a minimal product up and running almost overnight. The integration with Zoho CRM makes it immediately useful for sales teams looking to automate their qualification process.

If you're looking to automate your lead qualification process and improve your BDR team's efficiency, head over to Gabbee.io and give it a spin. You'll get 50 free qualification calls just for signing up, and you can experience how it handles your first automated BANT qualification.

If you have suggestions or want to collaborate on sales automation features, feel free to reach out. I'm eager to make Gabbee better through real user feedback from sales teams, and I have a long list of CRM integrations and qualification features that could expand its capabilities even further.

Thanks for reading, and let me know if Gabbee helps improve your lead qualification process. It's designed to be the AI BDR you never knew you needed, but can't live without once you see the results. If you have a specific feature request for your CRM or qualification workflow, head over to the feature request page. I'd love to hear from you.

Until then, happy qualifying—without actually calling.