As of July 31, 2024, Google will be discontinuing its Google Business Profile chat and call history feature. After July 15, 2024, users will no longer be able to initiate new chats. By the end of July 2024, the chat and call history features will be completely disabled. “We acknowledge this may be difficult news – as we continually improve our tools, we occasionally have to make difficult decisions which may impact the businesses and partners we work with.” says Google.
Rise and Fall of Google Business Profile Chat and Call History
Google Business Profile chat and call history was introduced to simplify customer engagement with businesses via Google Maps and Google Search. This feature enables businesses to provide real-time customer service, promptly address inquiries and enhance customer satisfaction by engaging directly with customers in real-time.
Starting July 15, 2024, customers will not be able to initiate new chat conversations with businesses on Google. Customers that are in your existing chat conversations will be notified about the feature phaseout. By July 31, 2024, the chat feature will be completely discontinued, and ongoing conversations will be phased out. Additionally, your call history will not be accessible through Google Business Profile anymore. However, your customers can still discover and reach out to your business via Google Search and Maps, and you will still receive calls through your Business Profile.
What Next?
To access your past Business Profile chats or call history, you can use Google Takeout to download them. Google has made this option available until August 30, 2024. For any ongoing chat conversations, you might want to explore other chat channels that works for you to continue your conversation with your customers.
Why We Care
There are many small businesses that rely on the call history to track their incoming calls, making it easier for them to connect with potential customers who found them via Google. Similarly, the chat feature provides a direct mechanism for potential customers to message a business through their Google Business Profile directly within Google Search.
If Google Business Profile chat and call history is the primary communication channel for your business, it is time to act now and diversify your customer communication strategy. This will ensure that your brand remains reliable and consistent, even when there are external changes like platform updates or service disruptions.
