Google’s Business Messages is ending: What’s next?

Read on to learn how to navigate this change and tips on adapting your engagement strategy.

In 2017, GBM was introduced as a platform for businesses to conveniently support their customers through asynchronous messaging. This feature enabled billions of Android and iOS users to message businesses directly via Google Search, Maps, and brand-owned channels.

With 90% of consumers choosing private messaging channels for brand interactions, GBM offers a convenient way to ask questions, schedule appointments, or access basic information without needing to call. Additionally, it provides a direct communication channel for companies that prefer to keep their phone numbers private.

Although Google has not explicitly stated the reason for discontinuing GBM, it is not the first time the tech giant has shut down its products.

The discontinuation of GBM might be attributed to a lower usage rate than other communication methods, or perhaps Google simply shifted its priorities towards different business communication solutions. What is clear amidst the speculation is Google's recent compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which has led to significant updates to its search engine. These updates include integrating comparison sites, directories, and brand sites into its search listing to increase the visibility of other businesses they list. This also comes with displaying reviews from different platforms like Tripadvisor and Trustpilot. 

If this trend continues, it could help offset the loss of GBM by consolidating and integrating other popular messaging platforms into business listings, such as WhatsApp Business, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram Direct Messages. This aligns with our mission at Khoros, where we are committed to supporting an omni-channel engagement hub that empowers brands to interact with their customers seamlessly across all channels through a single, unified interface.

After July 31, 2024, GBM will be discontinued, and you will no longer be able to use Google entry points or third-party channels to engage with customers through GBM. As a result, businesses must adjust their customer communication strategies and rely on alternative channels. It is important for businesses that currently use GBM to inform their customers about this change.

"If you have other chat or messaging channels available, invite your customers to continue their conversations there. If not, start exploring additional entry points to ensure seamless customer support."

— Wendy Mikkelsen, Senior Product Marketing Director - Digital Contact Center

Phasing out this tool will occur in two stages, so remember these key dates:

• July 15, 2024 — Your customers can no longer start new chat conversations with your business using the chat feature from Google entry points. This means the ‘chat/messaging’ icon will not be visible or available from this date. However, customers in existing chat conversations will still function with a notification that the chat will be phased out.

• July 31, 2024 — The chat feature will end and be completely removed from Google Business Profile (GBP). This means you will no longer receive new chat messages and can no longer see calls or chat history in GBP.

• No action is required for brands and partners using Google entry points exclusively.

• Brands using brand-managed entry points, such as URLs or web widgets, should remove or replace these by July 15, 2024.

• Google will stop creating new conversations after July 15, 2024, and the chat feature will ultimately end on July 31, 2024.

• If you want to retain chat or call logs, ensure all data from GBP is securely backed up and migrated to your new platform before July 31, 2024.

• Inform your customers about the transition and how they can continue to engage with your brand through your new chosen channels.

Remember to use a multi-channel approach to maintain effective communication across different platforms. Make sure to provide messaging access points across all channels. While the specifics might vary from brand to brand, you must understand where your customers are coming from. A few primary touchpoints include:

• Google Search results

• “Contact Us” page

• Help Center / FAQ

• Social media accounts

• Messaging and Email

• Chatbots

• Physical collateral, like brochures or direct mail

When customers look to these sources to get in contact with you, offering messaging entry points makes it easy for them to click a button and chat, scan a QR code to direct message, or fire off a quick text message to initiate a conversation — instead of placing an expensive, inconvenient call for a simple query.

Although GBM provides a convenient way to serve and support, there are several alternative messaging options to consider:

• WhatsApp Business — Also known as the world's most popular messaging app, WhatsApp allows businesses to reach over 2 billion users across more than 150 countries. With 68% of users agreeing it is the easiest way to connect with a company, WhatsApp is a truly global messaging platform. It leads the market as the foremost end-to-end encrypted messaging channel, enabling businesses and customers to exchange sensitive information without privacy concerns.

  WhatsApp is revolutionizing how businesses interact with their audiences. It offers a trusted, secure, and user-friendly communication channel that bridges the gap between companies and their customers like never before. Whether answering queries, sending notifications, or facilitating transactions, WhatsApp ensures a smooth and efficient communication experience, making it an indispensable tool for modern businesses.

• Facebook Messenger — Also known as Messenger, it has the added advantage of being part of the Facebook ecosystem — the world's largest social network, reaching over 3 billion active users. This integration means seamless connectivity and a vast audience at your fingertips, enabling businesses to engage with customers where they already spend their time. With features like instant messaging, multimedia sharing, and integrated chatbots, Messenger offers a comprehensive platform for enhancing customer interactions and driving brand loyalty.

• Instagram Direct Messaging — With over 2 billion monthly active users worldwide, Instagram is a go-to platform for mobile-first audiences where customers discover brands and shop. It's more than just a social media app — it's a powerful communication tool.

  The platform's visual nature adds a unique advantage; businesses can share images and videos to showcase products, explain services, or demonstrate how to resolve common issues. This helps resolve problems efficiently and enhances customer engagement and satisfaction by providing visually rich and interactive solutions. Whether it's a behind-the-scenes look, a product demo, or a quick tutorial, Instagram Direct Messaging brings a dynamic and personal touch to customer interactions.

• Apple Messaging for Business — This native messaging app allows businesses to reach 1.5 billion Apple devices worldwide. Customers can converse anytime with asynchronous messaging, enjoying the seamless and familiar iMessage interface.

  From booking appointments and making purchases to getting customer support, Apple Messaging offers a rich user experience that leverages the power of iOS, making customer interactions smoother and more engaging. Businesses can send dynamic content like images, videos, links, GIFs, and more, to provide an interactive and personalized customer service experience that stands out.

• SMS — Whether you're using an iOS or Android device, you can receive SMS messages as long as you have a signal — no Wi-Fi needed! While some might see it as old-fashioned, SMS is still the most efficient, reliable, and convenient private messaging channel. Its asynchronous nature means you can access all historical conversation data, which can be leveraged to tailor future messages and enable proactive notifications for a truly personalized customer experience.

• Rich communication services (RCS) — Google RCS messaging takes traditional SMS and MMS to the next level by adding multimedia capabilities, interactive elements, and advanced features similar to the popular messaging apps mentioned above. Though it’s mainly used for outbound messaging today and requires compatible devices and carrier support, most modern Android devices are already on board. Unfortunately, iOS devices aren't yet compatible, but could be in the near future. With major carriers worldwide embracing RCS, its availability is rapidly expanding.

• Web chat — Enable customers to connect directly to your website through web chat. Represented by a familiar chat icon, typically located in the bottom right corner or as a tab on the side, webchat facilitates real-time conversations between visitors and your agents or automated chatbot assistants.

  This user-friendly service provides instant access and support, allowing customers to easily ask questions, seek help, and interact with your company from your website.

To develop an updated customer engagement strategy, lean on your vendor partners to guide you through the most reasonable and appropriate channel alternatives for your business. Above, we shared multiple options to maintain direct communication with your customers. For iOS, the most obvious alternative would be Apple Messaging for Business. However, you should also consider other channels based on where your customers spend most of their time. For Android users, some customers will transition conversations to SMS, at least in the interim. However, this has disadvantages, such as the lack of rich media capabilities and interactive features.

“Offer a variety of ways for your customers to connect with your brand online and on their preferred digital channels. This might include multiple messaging options; just be sure that your teams and technology can effectively handle the added volumes and that workflows are adjusted to meet your needs.”

— Wendy Mikkelsen, Senior Product Marketing Director - Digital Contact Center

To strengthen your engagement strategy, consider the following approaches:

1. Messaging apps:

   • WhatsApp Business: Implement WhatsApp for Business to provide a rich, secure, and widely-used messaging platform. Its extensive features include automated responses, multimedia sharing, and business profiles.

   • Facebook Messenger: Leverage Facebook Messenger to reach a broader audience. Its integration capabilities and wide acceptance can be a powerful tool for customer engagement.

   • Instagram Direct Messages: Use Direct Messages to engage with your audience on a platform they already frequent, especially effective for brands with a strong visual presence.

2. Call reduction strategies:

   • Messaging: Redirect your customers to a messaging solution that integrates SMS, native in-app messaging, web chat or other popular messaging apps. This helps reduce expensive call volumes and allows customers to choose their preferred method of communication.

   • Interactive voice response (IVR) redirect to messaging: Incorporate IVR systems that guide callers to transition from phone calls to SMS or chat for quicker and more efficient resolutions.

3. Website and mobile enhancements:

   • Web chat integration: Incorporate live chat options directly on your website to provide instant or asynchronous support..

   • Chat nudges: Enable pop-up notifications at various intervals on your website that encourage users to engage via chat rather than call. You control how often and where these chat nudges are displayed.

   • In-app messaging: Connect your mobile in-app chat with your other digital channels to create a seamless experience for your loyal customers. In fact, if a customer is using your brand owned in-app chat, you might consider rewarding them by prioritizing their inquiries.

4. Multi-channel engagement systems:

   • Centralized engagement hub: Use platforms like Khoros to consolidate all customer interactions across different channels into a single interface. This will ensure a consistent experience across channels while empowering your agents with the tools they need.

   • AI and chatbots: Deploy AI-driven chatbots that can handle common queries and direct more complex issues to human agents. These can be integrated across your other messaging platforms for consistent support.

5. Customer education and communication:

   • Informative campaigns: Launch campaigns to inform your customers about the new communications channels available to them. Use emails, SMS, in-app, and social media to spread the word and maximize reach.

   • Updated your contact us information: Update your service and support “contact us” information on your website, mobile app, social pages, community forums, FAQ pages, and more to help customers transition smoothly to your preferred communication channels.

As GBM phases out, companies must adopt alternative communication tools to maintain seamless, high-quality customer interactions. While transitioning to different channels may seem daunting, it presents an opportunity to enhance and innovate your engagement strategy.

When you embrace solutions like web chat, social media, messaging apps, and other AI-powered platforms, you enable your business to remain accessible and provide excellent conversational service to customers.

Khoros Service is a solution that helps enterprise businesses scale their customer service operations quickly. It seamlessly blends synchronous and asynchronous modes of customer engagement. ​​

We are firm believers in the idea that every component, whether it is AI-powered bots or business applications, should work together to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of customer engagement strategies.

Our customer service software allows brands to serve customers on their digital channel of choice with unmatched operational insight to boost satisfaction and reduce costs. When you unify multiple channels in a single solution, you empower your agents with the ability to engage across all touchpoints, including but not limited to:

• Messaging apps like WhatsApp, Apple Messaging for Business, and Line

• Social networks like Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn and WeChat

• Review sites, like Google Play Store, iOS App Store, Yelp, and Trustpilot

• Brand-owned channels, like web chat, in-app, Email, SMS, and Voice

• Owned communities, forums, and knowledge bases