AEO guide 08
Decide on purpose whether Google may call your business for customers, and give staff a short script if you allow it. Keep your booking platform and listings current, because AI assistants book through partners such as OpenTable, Resy, Booksy, Square, and Yelp.
← All answer engine optimization guidanceCheck call settings
Brief your staff
Connect booking tools
Review profile updates
Recheck each quarter
Why this matters
Google Search can place automated calls to local businesses to ask about price and availability for a customer. At Google I/O in May 2026, Google said calling for home repair, beauty, and pet care businesses would roll out to all U.S. users over the summer. Each call announces that it's automated, and Google says the answers can be used to update your Google Business Profile.
Bookings are moving the same way. Google says its AI Mode can find availability and send people to the booking provider's own link to finish, through partners such as OpenTable, Resy, Tock, and Booksy. ChatGPT takes restaurant reservations through OpenTable, Resy, and Yelp, and Amazon has announced Alexa+ integrations with Yelp, Angi, and Square. If your business isn't on a platform an assistant can use, it may suggest someone who is.
Responsible practices
In your Google Business Profile, go to More > Business Profile settings > Advanced settings > "Google automated calls and text messages." It has three toggles: "Bookings and inquiries from customers," "Keep your profile up to date," and "Post to your profile on your behalf." You must verify your business before you can change them. Google lists Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, and Nebraska as U.S. states where these calls don't apply.
If someone reliably answers your phone, leaving bookings and inquiries on can bring customers who might not have called. If calls go to a technician in the middle of a job, a rushed wrong answer can reach a customer and your profile. Turn off only the toggles you don't want. You can also tell a caller "Please remove my business from your list," and reply STOP to texts.
Google says answers from automated calls can become profile updates, shown as Pending for up to five business days. Check your profile after a call and correct anything that's wrong. This matters most for prices and hours, which customers act on.
Google has named OpenTable, Resy, Tock, and Booksy as AI Mode booking partners. Yelp says its reservations, waitlist, and service quotes work inside ChatGPT, and Amazon says Square will handle salon and spa booking through Alexa+. Choose a platform for your customers and costs first; AI access is one factor, not the only one.
For many assistants, your Yelp, Angi, or Square profile is the listing they read. Yelp tells businesses to keep their pages claimed and current. Match services, hours, service area, and quote settings to your website and Business Profile.
Automated callers ask about price and availability, not about other customers. Staff should never give out customer names, addresses, payment details, or health information to any caller, AI or human. Health, legal, and other licensed businesses should have a written phone policy; check with a qualified adviser.
Worked example
Hypothetical example: a pet grooming shop leaves Google's automated calls turned on. The owner keeps this script by the phone so whoever answers gives the same accurate answers. Replace the bracketed parts with your own confirmed details.
A script keeps answers consistent, and consistent answers keep your profile accurate.
Calls and bookings
Open Business Profile Advanced settings and write down how each automated call and text toggle is set today.
Decide which toggles to keep on, and tell every person who answers the phone.
Print a one-page call script with confirmed prices, your booking link, and a do-not-share list.
Check your Business Profile each week for Pending updates, and correct anything wrong.
Confirm the booking link on Google, Yelp, and Apple Business opens your real booking page.
Connect your booking platform to your Business Profile and confirm the booking link, services, and prices match.
Check that website booking and quote forms use labeled fields and real buttons, and work without hover menus or pop-ups.
Keep services, hours, and quote settings on Yelp, Angi, or Square in line with your website.
Avoid these mistakes
AI assistants decide what to show, change often, and can give different answers to different people, so mentions, citations, and recommendations are not guaranteed.
Questions business owners ask
Google says each automated call identifies itself as automated at the start. If you're unsure who is calling, answer general questions about price and availability only, and never share anything about a customer.
Yes. The setting has three separate toggles, so you can keep booking inquiries and turn off profile updates, or the reverse. You can also ask a caller to remove your business from its list and reply STOP to texts.
Only through partner platforms. OpenAI says ChatGPT reservations come through OpenTable, Resy, and Yelp, and Amazon has announced Alexa+ integrations with Yelp, Angi, and Square. We found no way for a local business to sign up with OpenAI directly, so being current on those partners is the practical route.
It can. Browser agents try to use forms the way a person would. Google's guidance for agent-friendly sites recommends labeled fields, real buttons, and stable layouts, which also make the form easier for customers.
Primary guidance
Prepare for AI agents