Google Removing Call History Feature on GBP?

[creekmoremarketing]

Looking into our company's GBP this morning, we are unable to view Call History on the back end of GBP. Has this feature been removed? We are trying to further attribute where calls to our company came from and removing the call history feature is making it difficult.

 

[Jim Froling]

Okay, just got confirmation that this is a feature Google got rid of. I'm going to DM you to get some details because I asked Google how the heck people turn it off and they asked for examples.

Bummer! Of all the metrics (?) that Insights provides, this was perhaps the most useful. The rest, highly suspect as you pointed out recently about the "Request for direction" on Sterling Sky's profile. It's your home. You don't have an address posted (as I recall from your post). Yet it still showed a number of "Actions" requesting directions.

In my client's cases, no one turned "off" this feature. It just disappeared about a week ago.

At first I thought it could be a YMYL thing. I first noticed it on the Insights for a dentist. Maybe it's a minimum threshold thing? But I've checked a number of other types of clients (flooring stores, restaurants, etc.). which typically get dozens of phone calls from their profile each month. This call reporting feature is simply GONE.

The one most "insightful" Insights from a GBP report... gone.

Bummer!!

 

[marketerjoe]

A coworker just reported to me that a client is complaining about their profile not showing the phone number. This is obviously because Call-tracking has been activated. However, we cannot find the section to activate or deactivate call tracking on ANY profile! It used to be between "add a picture" and "messages"

This is not normal. There have been reports before in this forum of some sections vanishing from this menu, but I've never seen it happen across all the GBPs in an agency account!

Great news... I was able to fix this phone issue for a client! After hours of research into this I finally fixed it by the good old fashioned process of trial and error. Google was no help. After submitting a support ticket to them they had no clue. Essentially Google's GBP interface and features is being buggy. For example, I was supposed to have access to the call history feature so I could turn it on or off, however I didn't. To make matters worse, call tracking was essentially on but just not accessible, so I was basically stuck in a black hole. So what I did was I completely removed the phone number from the GBP by using the "Don't show my number on my GBP" option. Once that change propagated I then went back in and re-enabled the phone number which it made me completely re-add the business phone number. After this change propagated then what do you know it gave me access to the call history section that was missing before! I was then able to click on the illusive call settings and disable call tracking!

 

[JoyHawkins]

Amazing! Thanks for sharing your workaround!

 

[Brian - TGL]

I originally had call tracking enabled for my agency, even though that option is no longer available in GBP reporting, the tracking number that was enabled by Google to originally make it work is still active. The number is still forwarded correctly, but I would assume that eventually those tracking numbers will be decommissioned.

You can double-check it by going to a GBP on a mobile device, tapping on the Call button and seeing what phone number comes up in the dialer.

Mine was incorrect.

I went into Business Profile Settings >> Advanced Settings & activated the “Don’t show” slider in the Phone number section (there is no save option I just closed the Advanced settings dialog box and it was applied):

2023-09-10_19-36-37

It took about 2 hours before I saw it removed from the profile (YMMV).

After it was removed, I simply went back to that same setting and set it back to the deactivate position:

2023-09-10_19-38-11

I then went back into the phone number section, which was now showing as blank and added the phone number back in.

After about 15 minutes, the phone number was showing on the profile again, but when I went into an incognito window and selected the call button, that original tracking number was back.

 

[Brian - TGL]

I submitted a detailed explanation and screencast showing that the dialer uses a tracking number that is not associated with my GBP from my end.

Does it make more sense for me to post this as a new thread @JoyHawkins ?

 

[marketerjoe]

I originally had call tracking enabled for my agency, even though that option is no longer available in GBP reporting, the tracking number that was enabled by Google to originally make it work is still active. The number is still forwarded correctly, but I would assume that eventually those tracking numbers will be decommissioned.

You can double-check it by going to a GBP on a mobile device, tapping on the Call button and seeing what phone number comes up in the dialer.

Mine was incorrect.

I went into Business Profile Settings >> Advanced Settings & activated the “Don’t show” slider in the Phone number section (there is no save option I just closed the Advanced settings dialog box and it was applied):

2023-09-10_19-36-37

It took about 2 hours before I saw it removed from the profile (YMMV).

After it was removed, I simply went back to that same setting and set it back to the deactivate position:

2023-09-10_19-38-11

I then went back into the phone number section, which was now showing as blank and added the phone number back in.

After about 15 minutes, the phone number was showing on the profile again, but when I went into an incognito window and selected the call button, that original tracking number was back.

The same thing happened to me originally (the Google tracking number reappeared), however what was different was I could see a call button in my GBP options and when I click that calls button I can modify call settings and turn call tracking off. Do you not see the "Calls" button as shown in the image below?

 

[Brian - TGL]

I didn't check my dashboard afterward I realized it was definitely there this time:

https://app.screencast.com/YMkC2jaJvF0lq

 

[JoyHawkins]

@Colan Nielsen noticed the other day this feature is back on a bunch of listings.