December 15, 2025
Google’s AI Is Phoning Businesses for Pricing and Many Aren’t Answering, Survey Reveals
Google’s AI is picking up the phone and calling local businesses to ask for pricing, and a new study shows many businesses are failing to respond.
Introduced in July 2025, Google’s AI option in Search can check pricing at the US businesses nearby. In other words, people can use AI for pricing or availability information without having to talk on the phone.
New research from Invoca found that pricing request calls placed by Google’s AI agent surged by more than 300% in November 2025 compared to the previous month. The spike highlights how quickly AI-driven interactions are moving into traditional customer service channels, and how unprepared many businesses still are.
Businesses Aren’t Picking Up the Phone
Invoca analysed pricing calls from Google’s AI between July and November 2025. During the early months, call volumes were low. That changed in October, when AI-driven pricing calls increased by 162% compared to September. In November, volumes rose again, this time by 324%.
Some sectors experienced dramatic growth, such as plumbing businesses, which saw average monthly increases of more than 650%, while veterinary services recorded growth exceeding 1,700%. These figures suggest that consumers are quickly adopting AI as a shortcut for price comparison, especially in urgent or service-driven categories.
Despite the surge, many businesses are missing these calls entirely. On average, 26% of pricing calls from Google’s AI went unanswered. This means 25% of opportunities to engage a potential customer ended before a conversation even began.
Auto repair and tyre businesses performed best, answering 79% of AI pricing calls, followed by pest control at 75%. Plumbing and veterinary businesses were among the weakest performers, answering only around two-thirds of calls.
Even when calls were answered, outcomes were often poor, as 48% of those failed to provide any pricing information to Google’s AI agent. In many cases, staff told the AI that estimates could not be given over the phone and required an in-person visit. This was especially common in home services such as plumbing and pest control.
Risk of Missing Opportunities
The consumer expects Google’s AI to return useful, comparable information. When businesses withhold prices or fail to answer, they effectively remove themselves from the decision process before the customer ever calls directly.
The study points to a growing blind spot for customer experience and contact centre teams. AI agents are now acting as intermediaries, not just tools. Businesses that fail to recognise these calls as genuine demand risk treating them as low-priority or automated noise.
Frontline staff and AI voice agents should also be prepared to respond clearly and consistently to AI callers, to encourage the customer to follow up.
