Google turned off chat on business profiles. Where do cleaning clients who prefer to text go now?

By Steven Von · 2026-11-01 · 4 min read

Google removed the chat button from business profiles, and many cleaning clients would rather text than call. How to give them a texting path that works.

For a few years, a cleaning company could turn on a chat button on its Google profile. A homeowner could message from the listing without calling. Google shut that feature down in 2024, and the button is gone from every profile.

Plenty of cleaning companies never noticed. But many of the people who hire a cleaner would rather text than call. They are booking from the office, during a meeting, or after the kids are asleep. If the only option on your profile is a phone number, some of them just move to the next listing.

Here is what changed and how to give those clients a way to reach you by text again.

What exactly went away

Google's business chat let customers send a message from Search and Maps. It landed in the Google app or on your phone. When Google ended it, the chat button disappeared from profiles and old conversations were closed.

What stayed: your phone number, your website link, and booking links if you use a supported scheduler. Google's own help page on the change is short and worth a read if you used chat before.

Why it matters more for cleaners than most trades

Hiring a house cleaner is personal. People are letting someone into their home. Many want to ask a few questions in writing first: do you bring supplies, are you insured, can you work around a dog, what does a deep clean cost for a three-bedroom.

Calling feels like a commitment. A text feels like asking. If you take that easy first step away, you lose the shoppers who are still deciding.

The profile numbers show how thin most listings already are. The median cleaning company has 6 Google reviews, and 59.5% have fewer than 10. With that little to go on, a shopper wants to ask questions before they trust you.

Fix 1: make your phone number textable, and say so

Most business numbers can receive texts. Many owners simply never check. Test yours: text it from your personal phone and see if it arrives somewhere you will see it.

If it does, tell people. Add this line to your Google business description and the top of your website:

"Prefer to text? Text this number any time. We reply within the hour during business hours."

Only promise a reply time you will keep.

Fix 2: turn on text-back for missed calls

A missed call is the closest thing to the old chat button. When you are on a job with your hands in a sink, the phone rings out. A text-back that fires within a minute turns that into a conversation:

"Hi, this is Maria with Bright Home Cleaning. Sorry we missed you, we are with a client. What can we help with? You can text us right here."

The missed calls guide covers the setup, and the calculator shows what those missed calls are worth over a month.

Fix 3: put a text button on the website

On your website, add a button that opens a text message on the phone. It sits next to the call button. On a phone, a "Text us" button opens the messages app with your number filled in.

Cleaning companies with a website hold a median of 12 reviews, against 1 for those without one. A site also gives you a place to answer the common questions before anyone texts. The website essentials guide lists what it needs.

Fix 4: answer the first questions before they ask

When people can text easily, you get a lot of the same five questions. Write short, saved replies for each one so anyone on your team can answer in seconds:

• Supplies: "We bring all our own supplies and equipment. If you prefer a certain product, we are happy to use yours."
• Insurance: "Yes, we are licensed and insured. We can send a copy of our certificate."
• Pets: "Pets are fine. Just let us know if they need to be in a room while we work."
• Price: "A standard clean for a three-bedroom usually runs [your range]. A first deep clean is more. Want an exact quote? Send the number of bedrooms and bathrooms."
• Availability: "We have openings on [days] this week and next."

Put real prices in the price reply. A vague answer is the fastest way to lose a texting shopper.

Fix 5: use Google's Q&A and posts instead

Chat let people ask questions in public view of the profile. Now you can do part of that yourself. Add the common questions to your website FAQ, and write a profile post every couple of weeks that answers one. The Google Business Profile guide covers posts for cleaning companies.

What not to do

Do not paste your personal cell in the business description. Use the business line or a texting number tied to the business.

Do not leave texts sitting overnight during business days. A slow text reply feels worse than a missed call.

The short version

Chat is gone. Your texting path is not. Make the number textable, say so on the profile and website, add a missed-call text-back, and keep saved replies ready.

If you want help setting up the texting side, the free 14-day trial covers any service, no card required. Text or call (801) 666-2415.

Steven Von, Editor
Steven has spent the last several years running growth campaigns for local service businesses, house cleaning companies among them, and builds the benchmark datasets on this site from public Google listings. About the editor