Live for all US Google Search users. Your business may already be getting these calls.
Picture a homeowner with a leaking water heater at 9 p.m. She searches "plumber near me," taps a button that says "Have AI check pricing," fills in a short form, and goes to bed. Google's AI then phones several local plumbers, asks about price and availability, and sends her a neat summary by text or email.
The plumber who answered clearly and gave a straight price range gets the job. The one who sent the call to voicemail never even made it into her comparison.
This is not a future feature. Google announced it in July 2025, rolled it out to all US Search users, and call volume has been climbing since.
🔧 Tool of the Week: Google's "Have AI Check Pricing"
Here is how it works, based on Google's own announcement and coverage from Search Engine Journal:
A customer searches for a local service, like pet groomers or dry cleaners.
They tap "Have AI check pricing" and fill out a form: what they need, when, and whether they want updates by text or email.
Google's AI calls businesses from the normal local search results that match the request.
It collects pricing, availability, and service options, then sends back a consolidated summary.
Google says businesses stay in control through their Business Profile settings, which is where you can manage whether you receive these calls. Google has not published the exact steps in its announcement, so check the Business Profile help pages for the current setting.
The verdict: For most small service businesses, this is free lead flow if you handle it well, and lost leads if you don't. Opting out removes you from this channel, but your competitors still get the inquiries.
🧪 Real Business Example
Take a two-truck plumbing company in Columbus, Ohio. The owner is on job sites all day, and the office line rings through to voicemail around 3 p.m.
Before: AI callers hit voicemail. The plumber returns calls the next morning and finds out the customer already booked someone else.
After: he spends 30 minutes on a prep checklist. His Business Profile lists every service in plain language and has accurate hours. He writes down honest price ranges for his five most common jobs, such as water heater swaps and drain clearing, with the factors that move the price. His office line now forwards to a scheduling service that answers within a few rings, quotes those ranges, and offers open time slots. The Google summary now includes him with clear numbers and a booking time.
The example is illustrative, but the steps are exactly what the data below says matters.
📋 Step-by-Step: Get Ready in 30 Minutes
Log in to your Google Business Profile and confirm your phone number, hours, service area, and services are correct.
Rewrite your services list in plain language. "Water heater replacement" beats "Plumbing solutions."
Write down a price range for your five most common jobs, plus what makes the price go up or down (size, access, parts).
Decide who answers: you, a staff member, or an AI phone-answering service. A phone that rings out is the worst option.
Give whoever answers a one-page script: your price ranges, your open appointment slots this week, and the question "What is the best number to text you the details?"
Set a rule that any AI or price-check call gets a response or callback within 30 minutes, since customers often want a quick summary.
Test it. Call your own business from another phone and listen to what a stranger hears.
Check your Business Profile settings if you want to see or change how you receive these calls.
❓ The Dumb Question
"Can I tell if it is an AI calling?"
Not reliably. Google's announcement doesn't explain how the caller identifies itself, so don't count on it. The safe approach is to treat every "what do you charge" call as a real customer, because behind it there is one. If the person on the phone asks for pricing and you answer clearly, that answer goes straight into a comparison that a real person reads.
💰 What It'll Cost You
What | Cost |
|---|---|
Google Business Profile | Free |
Being included in AI price calls | Free |
Writing your price ranges and script | $0 and about 30 minutes |
AI phone answering service (if you want one) | Roughly $30 to $300/month depending on call volume and provider |
Missing a call | The whole job, which for a plumber may be hundreds of dollars |
The answering service range is a general market estimate, so get quotes and check what is included before you sign.
⚡ The Practical Play
Do this today: pick your single most common job and write a two-sentence answer you would be happy for a stranger to hear. For example: "Water heater replacement usually runs between $1,400 and $2,200 depending on tank size and access. I have openings Thursday morning or Friday afternoon, which works better?"
Put that on a sticky note by the phone and send it to anyone who answers calls. One clear answer is already better than what many businesses give.
📰 News That Matters
A study by call analytics company Invoca looked at pricing calls placed by Google's AI agent between July and November 2025. Call volume rose 162% in October and 324% in November over the prior month. Plumbing calls grew by more than 650% on average month over month. About 26% of the calls went unanswered, and of the calls that were answered, 48% gave no pricing information, often because staff said an in-person estimate was required.
That data is from late 2025, so volumes today are likely higher. It shows the opportunity: if half the answered calls give no price, a clear range makes you stand out immediately.
🚫 Skip This
Skip replying "we need to see the job first" when a price range is possible. Plenty of businesses cannot quote exactly, and that is fine. But a response with no number at all gives the customer nothing to compare. Give a range, name the factors, and offer a free estimate visit as the next step. You still protect yourself, and you stay in the running.
Until next issue, Kris
The Layman's AI: The only AI updates your business actually needs.