Frontly vs OfficeHQ
OfficeHQ is an Australian human-staffed virtual receptionist service. Frontly is a flat-rate AI front desk. Same problem (you keep missing calls), two different categories of solution. Here's an honest side-by-side so you can self-select.
- You handle 25+ inbound calls a day and OfficeHQ's per-call pricing is biting your budget
- You need 24/7 coverage including weekends and public holidays without after-hours surcharges
- You want every call captured as a structured booking or lead in your Frontly dashboard, ready for your team to act on the next morning
- You want unlimited concurrent calls. OfficeHQ relies on staffed agents, so peak hours queue or roll to voicemail
- You want a fixed monthly cost that doesn't move with your call volume
- You're running outbound campaigns (recall, arrears, follow-up) that aren't economic at human-receptionist rates
Coverage & Capacity
| Feature | Frontly | OfficeHQ |
|---|---|---|
| 24/7 / 365 day coverage | Yes | Business hours + after-hours add-on |
| Unlimited concurrent calls | Yes | No |
| No call queuing at peak | Yes | No |
| Natural conversational English voice on every call | Yes | Yes |
| Call answered in under 5 seconds | Yes | Subject to agent availability |
| Public holiday + weekend coverage included | Yes | Premium rate |
24/7 / 365 day coverage
Frontly
YesOfficeHQ
Business hours + after-hours add-onUnlimited concurrent calls
Frontly
YesOfficeHQ
NoNo call queuing at peak
Frontly
YesOfficeHQ
NoNatural conversational English voice on every call
Frontly
YesOfficeHQ
YesCall answered in under 5 seconds
Frontly
YesOfficeHQ
Subject to agent availabilityPublic holiday + weekend coverage included
Frontly
YesOfficeHQ
Premium rateBilling & Value
| Feature | Frontly | OfficeHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Flat monthly rate | Yes | No |
| Per-call billing | No | Yes |
| Per-minute billing | No | Yes |
| Predictable monthly cost | Yes | No |
| Onboarding included in the plan | Yes | Yes |
| No lock-in contract | Yes | Yes |
Flat monthly rate
Frontly
YesOfficeHQ
NoPer-call billing
Frontly
NoOfficeHQ
YesPer-minute billing
Frontly
NoOfficeHQ
YesPredictable monthly cost
Frontly
YesOfficeHQ
NoOnboarding included in the plan
Frontly
YesOfficeHQ
YesNo lock-in contract
Frontly
YesOfficeHQ
YesWorkflow & Intelligence
| Feature | Frontly | OfficeHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Visual workflow builder | Yes | No |
| Cross-call memory (returning callers recognised) | Yes | Agent dependent |
| Outbound campaign manager (recall / arrears / follow-up) | Yes | No |
| Real-time appointment booking into calendar | Yes | Manual |
| AI-generated call summaries | Yes | Human notes |
Visual workflow builder
Frontly
YesOfficeHQ
NoCross-call memory (returning callers recognised)
Frontly
YesOfficeHQ
Agent dependentOutbound campaign manager (recall / arrears / follow-up)
Frontly
YesOfficeHQ
NoReal-time appointment booking into calendar
Frontly
YesOfficeHQ
ManualAI-generated call summaries
Frontly
YesOfficeHQ
Human notesCapture & Delivery
| Feature | Frontly | OfficeHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Bookings captured in vendor's own dashboard | Yes | Message relay |
| Up to 200 outbound AI agents per customer | Yes | No |
| Cross-call memory of returning callers | Yes | No |
Bookings captured in vendor's own dashboard
Frontly
YesOfficeHQ
Message relayUp to 200 outbound AI agents per customer
Frontly
YesOfficeHQ
NoCross-call memory of returning callers
Frontly
YesOfficeHQ
NoCompliance & Data
| Feature | Frontly | OfficeHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Australian data hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Full call transcript on every call | Yes | Recording on request |
| Audit trail accessible in dashboard | Yes | No |
Australian data hosting
Frontly
YesOfficeHQ
YesFull call transcript on every call
Frontly
YesOfficeHQ
Recording on requestAudit trail accessible in dashboard
Frontly
YesOfficeHQ
NoDEEP DIVE
Key Differences Explained
When OfficeHQ is genuinely the better choice
OfficeHQ is a solid pick if you're a sole trader or boutique practice handling under 5 calls a day and the human touch is core to your brand (e.g. concierge real estate, premium professional services). At low volume the per-call pricing is competitive and a real human's empathy is something AI cannot fully replicate. We don't pretend otherwise.
The volume crossover point
OfficeHQ pricing scales linearly with call volume. Frontly stays flat. The crossover where Frontly becomes cheaper is typically around 15 to 25 calls per day depending on your call duration. Above that, the gap widens fast. At 80 calls a day, the cost difference can run into thousands per month.
The hybrid model many businesses run
We work with practices that keep OfficeHQ for daytime warm-touch reception and use Frontly for after-hours, weekends, and overflow. You get both: humans during business hours where empathy matters most, AI catching every call the rest of the time. Frontly's outbound campaign manager also runs in parallel for recall, arrears, and follow-up calls that aren't economic at human rates.
After-hours, weekends and public holidays without a surcharge
OfficeHQ covers business hours, with after-hours as an add-on and weekends and public holidays typically at a premium rate. Frontly answers every call around the clock, 365 days a year, including nights, weekends, and public holidays, at the same flat monthly rate with no surcharge. Because Frontly runs on unlimited concurrent calls rather than staffed agents, there is no queue at peak and every call is picked up in seconds instead of waiting on agent availability. For anyone who keeps missing calls after 5pm or over the weekend, that is exactly where the lost bookings hide.
Where AI delivers what humans cannot
Structured booking and lead capture in your Frontly dashboard, simultaneous handling of unlimited concurrent calls, outbound campaigns at scale, and a dashboard with full transcripts on every call. These aren't features OfficeHQ is missing. They're features that fundamentally require automation, not human staffing.
How Pricing Compares
Flat monthly rate. Unlimited inbound calls. Every feature included. No lock-in. Cancel any time.
OfficeHQ uses per-call billing tiers. Costs scale with your call volume. After-hours and weekend coverage are typically priced at a premium rate. Contact OfficeHQ for current rates.
INDUSTRY FIT
Is Frontly right for your industry?
AI receptionist for dental practices is a classic answering-service customer, and also the clearest case for the per-call cost difference, because appointment and recall calls are frequent, short, and highly repeatable.
AI intake reception for law firms often keeps a human service specifically for intake quality, so the honest question is whether a scripted AI intake captures the same detail. Hear it handle one and judge for yourself.
AI receptionist for real estate agencies runs on buyer enquiries that arrive outside inspection hours, which is precisely the window a per-call answering service is most expensive to cover.
AI after-hours front desk is the overlap where this comparison matters most: a human answering service takes a message overnight, whereas the point after hours is usually to decide whether anyone needs waking at all.
AI front desk for hotels loses the most to a message-taking service, because a reservation enquiry taken as a message overnight is usually booked through an online travel agent by morning, commission included.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
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