Google Duplex, the voice-calling AI that allows consumers to make reservations on business establishments through automated calls that connect to business hotlines maybe a cool technology, but it can be pretty annoying for owners who did not give the consent to receive such calls.
The good news is that opting out of Google Duplex is not a difficult task but it requires some necessary steps. The first thing to do is determine whether you have a Google My Business page. This is where Google opts businesses to Google Duplex.
For those who are not concerned too much about online discovery through Google search and Google Maps, not having a Google My Business page is not a problem. But for business establishments who don’t want to miss out consumer feedback and reviews, well having a Google My Business page is necessary.
For business owners who are creating a Google My Business page for the first time, opting out of Google Assistant can be done right after verifying ownership of Google My Business page.
Just log in to the dashboard and click on the “Info” option located at the left menu bar. This will show details about business ownership. Look for the “Google Assistant calls” option and simply uncheck the option to accept Google Assistant calls.
Once this option is unchecked, customers will no longer be able to connect to business hotlines make reservations or even ask for any general questions. However, this won’t stop consumers from finding information about hours of operations, reservation acceptances and other business information from Google search and Maps.
There is another way to opt out of Google Duplex and this can be done through the use of a Google Assistant device registered on Google My Business account. To do this simply issue a voice prompt commanding Google to stop calling your business.
This will block off the Google Duplex AI from making the automated calls on behalf of consumers, but it will not completely block Google, the company from contacting your business numbers for other matters. This option can be turned on again later and soon after, your business numbers will be able to receive the Google Duplex AI calls again.
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