Google My Business is an essential tool for small businesses on local entrepreneurs that want to increase their exposure online. Google’s tools are generally easy to use, but that doesn’t mean there are never any issues. One of the many benefits of Google My Business is that it was possible to contact customer support for assistance quickly. However, contacting Google is about to get a little trickier. Google My Business is discontinuing the toll-free number for Google My Business Help.

In a quick announcement, Google stated, “We’ve removed toll-free customer support numbers from the Google My Business homepage. If you call one of the existing numbers, you’ll be directed to the Google My Business Help Center for a more personalized and efficient help experience.”

The Google My Business Help Center lets users ask questions which will direct people to resources that could answer their question. This resource should be able to help business owners with the majority of questions they have about Google My Business. There are guides and FAQs that can address most issues that business owners have. 

The decision to remove the toll-free number is likely linked to cost-saving measures. It probably took an army of customer support specialists to deal with all of the incoming calls from the toll-free number that was on the homepage of Google My Business. Removing the toll-free number will reduce the workload of the customer support team.

Though the toll-free number is being discontinued, it doesn’t mean that Google My Business users won’t be able to talk to customer support without paying. According to Google, “You’ll still be able to request a toll-free call from a support specialist under the “Contact Us” options in the Google My Business Help Center.” You can fill out a form and ask someone at Google to call you back from this form.

This new method of contacting customer support gives Google more control over if and when a conversion happens. For example, they could determine that an issue can be resolved without customer support. They also have more control over the time of the call, since the company isn’t required to field a team of operators to be ready to work at any moment. 

The end of toll-free (on-demand) customer support could be a problem for business owners who are just getting started on the platform. Rather than rely on phone conversations with Google, business owners should consider seeking help from an outside authority. An experienced marketer can help with most questions a business owner has, and the marketer could also more nuanced advice about to achieve your online goal. 

The end of toll-free customer support for Google My Business may be a change, but it’s not something that business owners won’t be able to overcome.

For more information about updates and changes to Google, read this article on the updated Ad Editor and the new ad campaign options.