Key takeaways
- Google can now call local businesses for searchers to ask about prices and availability. In Search, people tap Have AI check pricing, fill in a short form, and get quotes back by email (Google Search Help).
- Google says the pricing feature is U.S.-only, in English, for signed-in users over 18. It covers services such as auto repair, hair salons, pet groomers, wellness centers and driving schools, and Google says more are coming.
- The caller says it’s from Google, that it’s an automated service, and that the call is recorded (Business Profile Help).
- Whatever your staff says on that call can end up in front of the customer as your quote, by email or text (Google).
- Give these calls the same clear answer you’d give a walk-in customer. Train your team with a short script, and know where the opt-out settings are in case you need them.
Your front desk is now writing your quote.
When a customer asks Google to “check pricing” on an oil change, a haircut or a dog grooming, the AI can call several nearby businesses, ask the same questions, and send the customer a side-by-side summary. Whoever picked up your phone gave the answer the customer sees. If that person was rushed or vague, or didn’t know the price, that’s what the customer reads.
This post covers what Google has actually announced, what the calls sound like, how to train your team, and where the opt-out settings are. It applies whether you have one location and one phone or a hundred locations and a call center.
Key points
- This isn’t a prank or a scam. Google documents these calls on its own help pages.
- The call is about one customer’s real request, so treat it like a lead.
- A clear, honest answer, even a price range, is better than “you’d have to come in.”
- Opting out is possible, but Google says responding helps customers find you.
What Google announced
This feature has been rolling out in stages for about a year. Here’s the timeline, using Google’s own words where we can.
- November 2025: Let Google Call (products). Google launched agentic calling for shoppers in the U.S. People search for a product “near me” and choose Let Google Call. Google then phones nearby stores to ask whether they have the item, how much it costs and whether there are any promos. Google says it’s “powered by our Duplex technology, with a big Gemini model upgrade.” It started with toys, health and beauty, and electronics (Google Shopping blog, Nov 13, 2025; TechCrunch; how-to guide).
- May 19, 2026: Google I/O (services). Google said that “for select categories like home repair, beauty or pet care, you can ask Google to call businesses on your behalf,” and that these capabilities “will roll out to everyone in the U.S. this summer” (Google Search I/O 2026).
- Now: Have AI check pricing. Google’s help page tells searchers to search for a service, tap Have AI check pricing, add details about what they need and when, and submit. “Google will call multiple service providers near you,” may share the customer’s name with those businesses, and emails the customer the quotes (Google Search Help).
Who can use it
According to Google’s help page:
- It’s available in English to signed-in users over 18 in the U.S., on mobile and desktop.
- Example services include auto repair, hair salons, pet groomers, wellness centers and driving schools.
- Google says it’s “working on quickly expanding” to more services.
Where it applies
Google’s Business Profile documentation says these automated customer calls work in every U.S. state except Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana and Nebraska. Texas is included (Business Profile Help).
What the call sounds like
Google says calls come from designated numbers and that the caller will tell you it’s Google and why it’s calling. Two examples Google gives (Business Profile Help):
- “Hi! I’m calling from Google Maps to update your business hours. This is an automated service, so this call is recorded to help improve Google services...”
- “Hi! We’re helping people find restaurants. This is an automated service from Google, and this call is recorded to help improve Google services...”
Expect a similar opening for a pricing call, followed by questions about one customer’s request: the service, the timing, and what it costs.
What Google says it will never do
- Ask for payment, credit card information or account passwords (Google).
- Ask you to sign up for a service, pay money or give personal info (Google).
If a caller asks for money to keep you on Google, Google says it isn’t Google. Hang up and don’t press any buttons.
What happens to your answer
This is the part most owners miss. Google’s documentation describes two kinds of automated calls, and both can affect what customers see.
Calls for a customer. When a customer asks Google to check price or availability, “the customer receives an email or SMS text that includes your business’s product details or service quote” (Google). Your spoken answer becomes the written quote.
Calls to confirm your details. Google also calls to check things like your hours or whether you offer a service. Information you give can be added to your Business Profile. Google says those updates are reviewed and marked “Pending,” and the review can take up to 5 business days (Google).
A couple of things to keep straight:
- The pricing feature gathers quotes. The customer still decides who to contact.
- Google’s documentation also describes separate automated calls that book appointments for customers. So don’t tell your staff that Google never books. Teach them to listen for what the caller is actually asking for.
Why it matters, whatever your size
- Solo shops and small teams. Whoever picks up the phone is your sales team. A clear price range beats “it depends.”
- Multi-location businesses. Each location can give a different answer to the same question. The AI will compare them, and so will the customer.
- Franchises and enterprise. Central pricing rules only help if the front desk knows them. A short, shared script keeps every location consistent.
This is also an AI-visibility question. We’ve written about how AI tools decide which local businesses to recommend. Clear, specific, consistent information is what gets you named. Agentic calls take the same idea to the phone.
How to handle the calls: a 5-step plan
- Tell your team the calls are coming. One huddle is enough: “Google may call on behalf of a customer. It will say it’s automated and recorded. It’s a real lead.”
- Write down your answers. List your most-asked services with a starting price or range, what changes the price, typical lead time, and your hours. Tape it next to the phone.
- Give the same answer to everyone. If you wouldn’t quote it to a walk-in, don’t quote it to the AI. If you would, say it clearly.
- Check your Business Profile. Make sure your hours, services and phone number are right so the AI isn’t calling about outdated details. Our local SEO service keeps this in shape.
- Watch for Pending updates and customer follow-ups. Review any changes Google posts on your behalf, and be ready when a customer calls back saying “Google said you quoted...”
Sample front-desk script
Adapt this for your business. Keep it short.
Google: “Hi, this is an automated service from Google, and this call is recorded. I’m calling for a customer who’d like a price on a full synthetic oil change for a 2019 sedan this Saturday...”
Staff: “Thanks for calling [Business Name]. A full synthetic oil change for most sedans runs [$X to $Y], depending on oil capacity and filter. We have openings Saturday between [times].”
Google: “Is there anything else the customer should know?”
Staff: “The final price is confirmed when we see the vehicle. The customer can book at [phone / website]. We’re open [hours].”
Do
- Give a range and say what moves the price.
- Mention your real availability and how to book.
- Say your business name clearly.
Don’t
- Give a price you won’t honor.
- Hang up because “it’s a robot.” It’s calling for a real customer.
- Share payment details, passwords or account info. Google says it will never ask for them.
Our own advice, not Google’s: treat the caller like a real customer, because a real customer is on the other end of the quote.
Where the opt-out is
Most businesses should take these calls. But if your pricing truly can’t be quoted by phone, or the calls overwhelm a small team, you have options (Google):
- On the call: say “Please stop calling my business” or “Please remove my business from your list.”
- In Business Profile: go to your profile, then More Business Profile settings > Advanced settings. Under ”Google automated calls and text messages” there are three toggles:
- Bookings and inquiries from customers
- Keep your profile up to date
- Post to your profile on your behalf
- Verification required: you must have a verified Business Profile to opt out in settings.
- After opting out, you may still sometimes get manual calls from Google to confirm your information.
Google’s own position is that keeping your information accurate and responding “can encourage customers to visit your business and buy your products and services.” Think hard before you switch off the first toggle.
How this fits Agentic Lead Growth
At Digital Ingenuity we call this shift Agentic Lead Growth: more and more of your leads will be screened by an AI agent before a person ever contacts you. We started discussing it internally about a year ago and wrote it up publicly this week. Google calling businesses for quotes is one of the clearest examples so far.
The response isn’t complicated. Make your answers clear, consistent and easy to repeat, whether the person asking is a human, an AI receptionist on your side, or Google’s AI on the customer’s side. Then make sure the reviews and profile customers check next back that answer up. That’s where reputation management comes in.
Want help getting your answers ready?
If you’d like a second set of eyes on your Business Profile, your phone script or how your business shows up when AI does the asking, get in touch. We’ll take a look and tell you what we see.
