GOOGLE’s Call History Function: What is it and how can it help you and your business?

Hello? Is anybody home at your small business? By not answering the phone, you could be sending leads to your competitors. Here’s how using Google Call History can help you stay in touch. 

Did you know that 62 percent of inbound small business calls go unanswered? And of those 62 percent of unanswered phone calls, 85 percent of those callers will never call that business again? That is a huge missed opportunity for small businesses; one that can directly affect their bottom line. 

Call First

Today more than ever, customers have returned to calling businesses directly. With smartphones in hand, would-be customers reach out to make sure businesses are still open, check their hours or make sure an item is in stock before they venture out. Seeing a need in the marketplace, Google has introduced the new Call History function through Google Business Profiles.

Making its debut in limited areas right now, Google Call History shows who has called you and your business within the last 45 days. It details recent numbers and allows you to return calls you have missed. Unlike current VOIP (voice over internet protocol) systems, Call History set up is simple and there is no fee. By comparison, a sample VOIP system in its most basic offering from a major telcomm provider averages $42 a month or $504 a year. Set up fees can tack on an additional $300. 

How Google Call History Works

To take advantage of Google Call History, you must have a business profile set up in Google My Business. When a customer calls through the business profile, Google logs that call. The calls are then kept for 45 days.

So, Call History is limited in scope, but as most things that are in beta with Google, they will improve over time as users give feedback. As of this writing, Call History is an experimental feature from Google only available to a limited number of users in certain areas in the United States. 

Google and Small Business Marketing

We realize nothing in life is free and you get what you pay for. So why is Google offering this service? Basically, Google is trying to be the one-stop shop for small business, linking your Google ads, analytics Google My Business profile and now your phone number. 

Google’s reasonably priced or free features have become essential for small business owners to track and manage their businesses. Google wants to be first and foremost in the minds of small business owners and what makes small businesses thrive. And with the new Call History, Google wants to help businesses convert inbound calls to leads and sales. 

At BigOrange Marketing, we understand the importance of Google recognition for your business. We help our clients take advantage of Google features by optimizing reviews and consistently updating Google My Business posts. We focus our clients’ content to drive their Google rankings higher and bring more visitors to their websites. All of these strategies come together to convert contacts to leads and sales.

Want to find out more about Google’s role in small business marketing? Take a look at our short but info-packed webinar on how to make Google love you, just in time for Valentine’s day.