Honest Comparison
Infercall vs. the alternatives
We're not going to pretend we're unbiased. But here's an honest look so you can decide for yourself.
| Feature | Infercall | Voicemail | OfficeHQ / ReceptionHQ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Answers 24/7 including weekends | Business hours | ||
| Picks up instantly — no hold music | Often hold queue | ||
| Quotes your actual prices | |||
| Books jobs into your calendar | |||
| Filters spam before it reaches you | Charged per call | ||
| Qualifies leads (emergency vs standard) | Basic | ||
| Sends SMS confirmation to customer | |||
| Full call transcript | |||
| Setup in under 60 seconds | Days | ||
| No contracts | Varies | ||
| Never calls in sick |
The honest take
Most tradies in Australia don't use an answering service at all. They just miss the call. That's the real competition — the status quo.
You're under the sink, the phone rings, you ignore it. That was a $500 emergency job. The customer called the next bloke on Google. Done.
Voicemail doesn't help — 85% of callers won't leave one. They'll just call someone else.
Human answering services like OfficeHQ exist, but they cost $80–200/month and just take a message. By the time you call back, the job's gone.
Infercall doesn't take a message. It handles the call — quotes your prices, qualifies the job, books it into your calendar, and texts the customer a confirmation. All while you finish the job you're on.
Is it a real person? No. Can most callers tell? Honestly, most can't. The response time is under 600ms and the voice sounds natural.
When you should NOT use Infercall
- Your callers are mostly elderly and may be uncomfortable talking to AI
- You need complex negotiation on every call (e.g. commercial tendering)
- You want someone to physically be at your front desk
For everything else — trades, services, appointments, general enquiries — AI handles it faster, cheaper, and more consistently.
Competitor pricing based on publicly available information as of February 2026. Check their websites for current pricing.
Common questions
Do I need to change my phone number?
No. You set up call forwarding from your existing number to your Infercall number. Takes about 30 seconds. When you want your calls back, just turn it off.
What if the AI gets something wrong?
You get a full transcript of every call. If the AI makes a mistake, you can correct it and retrain. In practice, it handles standard trade enquiries — pricing, booking, emergency vs standard — very reliably.
Can callers tell it's AI?
Most can't. The response time is under 600ms with natural pauses and an Australian accent. We've had customers call back to compliment the 'receptionist.' Try it yourself — paste your website URL at infercall.com.
What about after-hours calls?
That's exactly where Infercall shines. It works 24/7 — nights, weekends, public holidays. No overtime, no penalty rates.
How does it compare to OfficeHQ or ReceptionHQ?
OfficeHQ and ReceptionHQ are human answering services — they take messages. Infercall handles the call: quotes prices, books jobs, qualifies leads. At $49/mo vs $80-200+/mo, it's also significantly cheaper.
Try it yourself. 60 seconds.
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