Q.01
What happened to chat on a Google Business Profile?
Google's help center says the chat and call history features are no longer available in Business Profile as of July 31, 2024. Any advice that tells you to turn on profile chat is out of date.
For a while, a homeowner could send a text style message to a contractor straight from the Google listing. Google's own notice, titled as a change to Business Profile chat and call history, says those features ended on July 31, 2024.
That matters because older guides still describe turning chat on and replying to it. If you are following one of those, you are chasing a button that does not exist. Check your own profile editor for what contact options Google currently shows, since Google adjusts these tools from time to time.
The need behind chat has not gone away. A homeowner with a leaking fixture, a broken gate motor, or a dead outdoor outlet still wants a fast way to reach someone, and some of them would rather write than call. The question is where those messages land now, and whether anyone answers.
Q.02
Where do homeowner messages arrive now?
Mostly through the channels you run yourself: your phone, text messages, your website form, and email. If you advertise through Local Services Ads, texts and emails from customers can also count as leads there.
Make a short list of every way a homeowner can reach you today: the phone number on your listing, the form on your website, the email address on your contact page, and any text number you publish. Each one is a mailbox that needs an owner.
Google's Local Services Ads help pages describe a text message or email from a customer as a lead you can be charged for, so if you run those ads, messages are not free to ignore. Check your own account for how leads are handled and billed.
Think about the kind of work you do, too. A homeowner shopping for a quick repair may happily send a note first. Someone planning a large remodel will usually want to talk to a person before they trust anyone, so a message may be a doorway to a call rather than a replacement for one. Plan your replies with that in mind.
Q.03
How fast should you reply, and what should the first message say?
Reply as quickly as you can, ideally within minutes during working hours, and keep the first message short and personal. Homeowners comparing contractors often reach out to several at once and tend to respond to whoever answers first.
Your first reply should do three things: say who you are, answer the question if you can, and ask one simple next step. Skip the sales pitch. A line thanking them for writing, confirming you work in their area, and asking what they need done is plenty.
If you cannot answer right away, set an honest expectation. Tell them when you will get back to them and then do it. People forgive a delay that was announced and punish one that was not.
Never ask for sensitive details in a message, such as financial information. Move the conversation to a call or a proper estimate form once you know the job is real.
- Say your name and company in the first line
- Confirm you serve their area or say honestly that you do not
- Ask one clear question about the job
- Offer a next step such as a call or photos
- Tell them when they will hear from you if it is after hours
Q.04
How do you handle messages and calls that come in at night or on weekends?
Set an automatic or manual reply that tells the homeowner when you will respond, and make sure the promise is something you can keep. An honest timeline is better than silence.
Many Florida contractors get urgent requests after hours, from a failed air conditioner on a hot evening to a roof leak during a storm. Those people want to know someone has seen their note.
If you do not do emergency work, say that plainly and point them to the next best step. If you do, make sure a real person is watching the channel when you say you will be.
If nobody can pick up the phone while you are on a roof, a front desk tool can answer first. Summit AI Solutions offers an AI front desk that answers your business line, asks triage questions, and texts you the details, and you decide the rules for when a caller should reach a real person.
Also be careful about promising a specific arrival time for after hours requests. Weather, traffic, and a job that runs long all get in the way. It is better to say you will confirm a window in the morning and then confirm it than to name a time you might miss.
Q.05
How do you keep messages from becoming a mess?
Pick one person to own each inbox, check it on a fixed schedule, and move every real lead into your normal job tracking the same day. Messages with no process around them are just another place for leads to die.
Treat each message like a phone call. Log the name, the address, the job type, and what you promised. If you use a customer tracking tool, add the lead there so follow up does not depend on memory.
Review your sent messages once in a while. You will spot patterns, such as the same three questions coming up again and again. Those become answers on your website's FAQ.
Decide in advance who schedules the visit, who asks for photos, and who sends the estimate. If a message comes in and nobody knows those answers, the lead will stall no matter how fast the first reply was.
Q.06
What mistakes should you avoid with homeowner messages?
Avoid leaving messages unread, sending long sales pitches, and promising prices before you have seen the job. A short, honest reply that moves toward a call or a visit is what works.
The biggest mistake is publishing a contact option and forgetting about it. If messages arrive on a phone or inbox nobody checks, the homeowner assumes you are not interested.
Another mistake is quoting a number from a one line description. A fence repair, a drain problem, or a roof leak can mean very different work once someone looks at it. Ask for photos and a call instead.
Also avoid copying the same canned text to every person. Use their name and mention the thing they asked about. A reply that sounds human gets answered more often than one that sounds like a form.
Finally, keep promises small. Say you will call by a certain time only if you will, and write down every promise you make so someone can keep it.
Next step
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