Google is rolling out the messaging functionality within the Google My Business desktop interface. This is not fully live yet, but many can see it, including myself. Previously, messaging was available through the Google My Business mobile app, but not within the Google My Business desktop interface.
What it looks like. When you login to Google My Business on your desktop browser, you may see a “messages” button on the left side navigation. If you click on it, it loads the messaging chat box tool. You can see your customers on the left, click on them to load the chat window and then respond to their chats.
Here is a screen shot:
More details. Google has been pushing messaging recently within Google My Business and Google Maps. So the addition here is welcomed and not a huge surprise. Google began offering forms of messaging within Google My Business in 2016.
Henry H. who also sees this feature is excited about the launch, so are many other local SEOs.
Why we care. Many businesses have desktop computers open and ready to use. Often it is easier and faster to type on a full size keyboard when responding to customer requests. So this should make the process of responding to customers easier for some businesses.
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Source: IAB