The COVID-19 pandemic has forced small businesses across the country to reevaluate their digital marketing strategy for survival. As companies attempt to close, reopen, adjust, and readjust their store hours to maintain compliance with local and state health guidance, it becomes easy for customers to fall out of the loop. As a result, data shows they’re making phone calls to businesses more than ever before.
Luckily, Google My Business’s new Call History feature can provide you with a listing of every phone call made from the “call” button on your Google business profile. What’s more, the call listing provides you with an organized view of recent and missed calls for up to 45 days and gives you the chance to track and respond to them right from your Google My Business account.
Why a Call Tracking Feature Matters Now
Data shows that inbound call volumes for businesses of all industries have been up since the pandemic began. As a result of frequent changes to businesses’ hours and capacities, customers are making phone calls more than ever to ask questions and confirm that your business is open. Returning or answering phone calls from customers is one of the easiest ways to keep business thriving. At the end of the day, this makes your company look more professional. Unfortunately, small businesses are notorious for missing phone calls. Utilizing the new Google My Business Call History feature can help prevent your customers from calling another company instead.
How The New Feature Works in Google My Business
If you already have a Google My Business profile, the Call History feature is simple to turn on. Simply sign in to Google My Business on your computer, click Home, and find the “Preview Call History” card. Next, click Try it Out, and then Turn on My Call History.
Once the feature is on, each call from a customer that clicks the “call” button on your business listing page will appear in a Calls tab in Google My Business. The call will go through to you through a unique forwarding number and begin with the message “Call from Google.” In addition, you can explore the Calls tab to see which calls were recent, which were missed, and more.
The new feature is currently in beta testing, which means it is available to select businesses in the US. Read more about Google My Business’s Call History feature and the Google forwarding number here.