Configuring Call Tracking and Missed Call Text Back via Google Business Profile

About Google Business Profile Call Tracking

Google Business Profile (GBP) allows businesses to register two phone numbers. This presents an opportunity for agencies to track calls originating from GBP listings without compromising SEO best practices—moving the business’s actual phone number to the secondary slot does not negatively impact search rankings.

The CRM’s Google Business Profile integration automatically shifts your client’s main business number to the secondary slot and places a CRM tracking number in the primary slot. When you enable GBP Call Tracking, the following occurs:

• If the phone number in GBP is already a CRM tracking number from the sub-account, no changes are made, as calls are already being tracked.
• If the phone number in GBP matches the forwarding number for any CRM tracking number in the sub-account, the current number is moved to the secondary slot, and the CRM tracking number is placed in the primary slot.
• If the phone number in GBP is not the forwarding number for any CRM tracking number in the sub-account, the current number is moved to the secondary slot, the CRM tracking number is added to the primary slot, and the current number is set as the forwarding number for that CRM tracking number.

How the CRM Tracking Number Is Selected

When you connect a Google Business Profile to a location in your CRM, the platform automatically chooses a tracking number to push as the primary phone number in GBP. The selection follows this order:

1. Primary Location Number: If your location has a dedicated phone number assigned under Settings > Phone Numbers, that number is used as the default tracking number pushed to GBP.
2. First Number with Call Forwarding Enabled: If no primary number is set, the CRM selects the first available number in the sub-account that has call forwarding enabled.
3. Fallback to Any Available Number: If no call forwarding is configured, the CRM picks any available tracking number in the location.

If no number is found in the sub-account, the integration cannot proceed. You must assign or create a number before GBP integration can function.

Real-World Scenarios

Scenario 1: GBP Already Uses Your CRM Tracking Number

In this case, the business’s GBP primary number is already a CRM tracking number from the connected sub-account.

When you enable GBP Call Tracking: No changes occur in GBP, since calls are already routed to a tracked number.

Real-life outcome: A customer searches for the business on Google and taps Call. The call goes to the CRM tracking number. If the team answers, the call is logged in the CRM. If no one answers, Missed Call Text Back can automatically text the caller (if enabled in location settings).

Scenario 2: GBP Primary Number Matches a Forwarding Number

Here, GBP displays the business’s real number (e.g., a landline), and that same number is already set as the forwarding number for a CRM tracking number in the sub-account.

When you enable GBP Call Tracking: The CRM moves the current GBP number to the secondary slot and places the CRM tracking number in the primary slot.

Real-life outcome: Before enabling, GBP primary shows the real number. After enabling, GBP primary shows the CRM tracking number, and GBP secondary shows the real number. When a customer taps Call on Google, the call goes to the CRM tracking number, which forwards it to the real number. If the call is missed, Missed Call Text Back (if enabled) texts the caller from the CRM tracking number.