What engagement rates do you see from Chat in GMB?

[HoosierBuff]

I just added a 3rd party messaging tool to the GMB for a client with two auto repair locations. Thus far I'm seeing very few interactions - in fact zero thru the first week.

The "chat"/Messaging option is mobile only, and it's pretty burried on the GMB UI, so, I'm not that surprised, but, I'm wondering if anyone has experienced anything different. I'm seeing roughly 10 calls per day, but, zero chats.......

 

[dgrunited]

I just added a 3rd party messaging tool to the GMB for a client with two auto repair locations. Thus far I'm seeing very few interactions - in fact zero thru the first week.

The "chat"/Messaging option is mobile only, and it's pretty burried on the GMB UI, so, I'm not that surprised, but, I'm wondering if anyone has experienced anything different. I'm seeing roughly 10 calls per day, but, zero chats.......

What's the name of the tool that you are using?

 

[Tony Wang]

Yeah, I haven't seen much action. Only have 2-3 clients using it. I had a client in HVAC that had messaging on for the past couple years, probably only got a handful of messages a month, at most.

 

[JoyHawkins]

We have a client that gets a few messages a month (like 3-10) but he gets like 150 calls so it's a really small percentage of the total interactions.

 

[Jon Hall]

GMB messaging volume overall is low but I'd still consider holding steady with it. Google wants to beat Facebook/Whatsapp for ownership of these chat conversations and has been investing heavily in their "Business Messages" product after removing SMS features a couple years ago.

When "Chat" presents *everywhere* alongside "Call" it will no doubt compete with or complement "Call" clicks to become a more significant part of the lead/customer acquisition mix. And the benefits go beyond just the numbers: you can leverage messaging automation, capture leads 24/7, re-activate warm leads with messaging sequences, etc.

Note that your third-party provider should be able to bring all that. But BEFORE ALL ELSE they need to be well versed in how to launch a Business Messages agent that shows up on all "surfaces" available to maximize your exposure. If you can share one of your auto-repair clients, I'd be happy to test whether the CTA is everywhere it should be.

As for chat in the UI, it is becoming more prominent in the knowledge panel as Google's messaging product matures and will for sure be rolling out in local packs, place sheets, and more. On Android phones, the option to chat with a business is starting to show up when you type in the business number to call it (for call deflection)! In fact, many features of Google messaging right now are Android only but that's expected to change.

I'm heavily involved in this space. Google is moving with intention here. For example, one thing we know for certain is that the BM product team has thoroughly tested a number of CTAs and "Chat" now prevails and will be rolling out everywhere within a few months with this icon:

 

[shripadd]

For one of our Agents, we are getting an average of 10 sessions a day. And still, business message features not very well known to common users. Normal users (Visitors) don't know how the business message will help them in a self-serve manner.

So we are encouraging our clients (Who launched agents with us) to educate your customer to use the BM feature.
Also, we need to tweak the agent flow by keeping an eye on performance. If your bot is AI-enabled, then train the bot depending on unanswered queries.

 

[Jon Hall]

Good point, @shripadd! As more businesses enable GMB messaging (and they will because, well, Google wants them to), more users will see it, try it, understand it and use it.

You can imagine there's a significant subset of people out there who don't want to call your business. These are the same people who even in a semi-urgent situation--like a mold infestation or DUI--are digging up your contact form to avoid calling LOL

When they see that they can "Chat" instead of "Call" they're going to click "Chat". And eventually, some might even skip over businesses they can't chat with.