Frequently asked questions

What actually happens when someone calls my business?

Your AI receptionist picks up — on your own number, on the first ring, 24/7. It knows your hours, your services and your prices, answers the caller's questions, and books the appointment straight into your calendar. You get the whole call written up: an AI summary, a full transcript, and the recording.

Will my customers know it's AI?

If they ask, yes — it says so plainly. We don't pretend it's a person. Most callers don't ask; they get their answer and book.

What if two people call at once?

Both get answered. Up to 20 calls at the same time — there is no busy signal and no hold music. This is the part a human receptionist genuinely cannot do.

Does it speak other languages?

Yes — 30+ languages, and it switches to match the caller automatically.

Can I still answer my own phone?

Yes. Most owners forward to FrontOffice only when they don't pick up — so you take the calls you want and nothing goes unanswered when you can't. You can also run a dedicated FrontOffice number alongside your existing line.

What if it doesn't know the answer?

It says so honestly, takes the caller's details and what they wanted, and flags it for you rather than inventing an answer. A wrong answer costs you more than a callback does.

How long does setup take?

About 5 minutes online. You tell us your business details, pick a local number, and your receptionist starts answering. If you'd rather be walked through it, book a 10-minute setup call and we'll do it with you.

Do I need any technical knowledge?

No. FrontOffice is built for business owners, not developers. If you can use a smartphone, you can use FrontOffice.

Do I need a Google account to sign up?

No. You can sign in with Google, or with just your email address — we send you a 6-digit code. No password to remember either way.

Do I need a Twilio or telephony account?

No. We provision and manage the phone number for you, and it's included in your plan.

What phone number do my customers see?

A local number in your own area code, dedicated to your business.

Can I keep my existing business number?

Yes. You keep your number and forward it to FrontOffice — either always, or only when you don't pick up. Your customers keep dialling the number they already know.

What else comes with it besides the phone?

Every caller is saved as a contact with their history — that's the Records Keeper. The Follow-up Clerk chases leads that have gone quiet. The Reviews Manager watches your Google reviews daily and alerts you to new ones. Restaurants also get the Host (virtual waitlist with live wait times) and the Waiter (QR menu, AI menu chat, ordering, kitchen board).

Does it book into my real calendar?

Yes — connect Google Calendar and appointments land in it during the call, checked against your real availability.

What do I see afterwards?

A dashboard with every call: who rang, what they wanted, the summary, the transcript, the recording, and where that lead now sits in your pipeline.

Do you text my customers back when I miss a call?

Yes — but not on day one, and we'd rather say so than surprise you. US carriers require every business that texts consumers to be registered under its own name. We file that registration for you at signup; it typically clears in about two weeks, and the text-back switches on the day it does. Everything else — the receptionist answering, bookings, the dashboard — works immediately.

What do I get on day one, before that clears?

The receptionist answers every call, so far fewer calls are missed in the first place. And you get an owner alert on your own phone the moment a call is missed — that works from day one, because it's a text to you, not to your customer.

Can I reply to a customer myself?

Yes. Open the conversation in your dashboard, read the whole thread, and send your own reply.

Why is there a $29 Text-Back plan if texting is delayed?

Because the owner alert, the lead capture and the contact record all work immediately, and the text-back turns on when your registration clears. If you want something working the same hour, start with Starter — the receptionist answers from the first call.

How does pricing work?

Plans are priced by voice minutes: Starter $49 for 250 voice minutes (~115 calls); Professional $129 for 600 voice minutes (~270 calls); Business $299 for 1,500 voice minutes (~680 calls); Multi-location $599 for 3,000 voice minutes (~1,360 calls). Text-Back is $29 and has no voice minutes.

What happens if I go over my minutes?

Nothing breaks — your receptionist keeps answering, and the extra minutes are billed at your plan's rate: $0.35/min on Starter down to $0.20/min on Multi-location. The bigger plans exist because the rate gets cheaper, not because features are held back.

Is there a free trial?

Yes — your first month is free. We save your card at signup through Stripe, but $0 is charged today: the first charge lands on day 31, and we email you before it so it is never a surprise.

Why do you take a card if the first month is free?

So your receptionist doesn't stop answering the day your free month ends — service continues without a gap, and you already saw a full month of captured calls before paying anything. Your card details go to Stripe directly; they never touch our pages or our database.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes, from your dashboard. No cancellation fee and no contract. Cancel during your free month and your card is never charged at all.

Can I upgrade or downgrade later?

Any time. Changes take effect immediately and billing is prorated.

Is there a discount for paying yearly?

Yes — pay annually and you get 2 months free.

Is this TCPA compliant?

Yes, and it's built into how the product works rather than left to policy. Consent comes from the customer's own inbound call. Every message carries an opt-out instruction, and STOP is honoured immediately and permanently. HELP is handled per TCPA requirements.

What if a caller shares something sensitive, like a card number?

The AI is built to spot sensitive data and redirect the caller to a secure channel instead — it is never stored or forwarded.

What if a caller seems to be in distress?

The AI stops selling. It escalates immediately — surfacing emergency information and your direct contact, and ending the automated conversation.

Who can see my customers' data?

Only you and the team members you invite. Every business's data is isolated at the database level, and calls and recordings are scoped to the business that received them.