Question 1

Is an AI receptionist better than a virtual receptionist?

Accepted Answer

For most Australian businesses, yes. AI receptionists like Frontly capture every booking and lead in a structured dashboard, run outbound campaigns at scale, and cost 60-80% less than human virtual receptionist services. Virtual receptionists are still good for low-volume practices that specifically want a human voice.

Question 2

Can an AI really handle complex calls?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Frontly is configured for your specific business with custom workflows, escalation rules, and qualifying questions. For situations the AI is not configured for, it captures the message and SMS-alerts your team for callback.

Question 3

How much cheaper is Frontly than a virtual receptionist service?

Accepted Answer

Virtual receptionist services typically run $200 to $800 a month plus per-minute fees, and weekend or after-hours coverage costs extra. Frontly is a flat monthly rate from $149/mo with unlimited calls and no per-minute charges, which works out 60-80% cheaper for most businesses. See https://www.frontly.com.au/pricing for current plans.

Question 4

Can a virtual receptionist service run outbound campaigns?

Accepted Answer

No. Human services only answer the calls that come in. Frontly also runs outbound campaigns from the same plan, with up to 200 AI agents per customer, so you can send open home reminders, new listing alerts, and automated follow-up calls that a call centre cannot.

Question 5

Does Frontly cover weekends and public holidays?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Frontly answers 24/7/365 at the same flat rate, weekends and public holidays included. Virtual receptionist coverage is limited and usually bills weekend or after-hours cover as an extra, so with Frontly an after-hours enquiry is captured rather than sent to voicemail.

Question 6

Where do my bookings and leads go with Frontly?

Accepted Answer

Every booking and lead lands in your Frontly dashboard as a structured record with the qualifying answers and the full transcript, not a handwritten message pad. Each record can trigger email and SMS notifications so the right person is alerted the moment it comes in.

Question 7

Can Frontly handle a sudden spike in calls?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Frontly handles unlimited concurrent calls, so a rush of enquiries when a new listing goes live is answered in parallel with no hold times and no missed calls. A virtual receptionist service routes to whoever is free, so peak-time callers wait on hold or drop to voicemail, and scaling up costs more.

Frontly vs Virtual Receptionist Services

Availability & Speed

Capture & Delivery

Outbound Capability

Cost & Scalability

Key Differences Explained

Instant Response vs Queue Times

Structured Capture vs Message Pads

Outbound Campaigns at Scale vs Inbound Only

Flat-Rate Pricing vs Per-Minute Billing

24/7 Coverage Including Weekends and Holidays

How Pricing Compares

Is Frontly right for your industry?

Also See

Frequently Asked Questions

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Feature	Frontly	Virtual Receptionist Services
24/7/365 Coverage	Yes	Limited
Instant Answer (no hold time)	Yes	No
Unlimited Concurrent Calls	Yes	No
Weekend & Holiday Coverage	Yes	Extra cost
No Missed Calls During Peak	Yes	No

Feature	Frontly	Virtual Receptionist Services
Bookings captured in vendor's own dashboard	Yes	No
Cross-call memory of returning callers	Yes	No
Lead qualification with structured fields	Yes	Basic
Caller intent detection	Yes	Basic
Full transcripts on every call	Yes	No
Email + SMS notifications as workflow tools	Yes	No

Feature	Frontly	Virtual Receptionist Services
Outbound Campaign Calling	Yes	No
Open Home Reminders	Yes	No
New Listing Alerts	Yes	No
Automated Follow-Up Calls	Yes	No

Feature	Frontly	Virtual Receptionist Services
Flat-Rate Pricing	Yes	No
No Per-Minute Charges	Yes	No
Scales Without Additional Cost	Yes	No
No Staff Training Required	Yes	No
No Turnover or Recruitment	Yes	No