Google is testing a new way to take one of the most ordinary chores out of local search: calling a business to ask what is available and how much it costs. The feature is called “Ask for Me,” and it uses AI to contact local businesses on a user’s behalf.
The test is available on desktop and mobile to users who have opted into Google’s Search Labs experiments. For now, the feature focuses on nail salons and auto shops.
How “Ask for Me” Works
The feature appears inside Google Search when an enrolled Search Labs user looks up certain local services. Examples in the source include searches such as “oil change” or “nail salons nearby.”
When the option is available, Google shows an “Ask for me” choice with a “Get started” button. From there, the user provides details about the service they want.
Those details can include auto-shop services such as “tire replacement” or “factory scheduled maintenance.” For nail salons, the examples include “french manicure,” “nail art,” and more.
The user can also enter information about the time frame. After that, Google’s AI makes calls to local businesses and sends back a summary of prices and availability.
Why Google Is Testing AI Phone Calls
The basic promise is simple: users can get information from local businesses without picking up the phone themselves. That matters because many local-service questions still depend on a direct conversation with a business.
A search result may show a business name, location, or general service category, but a user often still needs current details. Availability can depend on timing, and pricing can depend on the exact service being requested.
“Ask for Me” attempts to turn that call into a search workflow. Instead of leaving Search, dialing several businesses, explaining the request repeatedly, and keeping track of answers, the user gives Google the service details once and receives a summary.
The feature is also part of a broader direction for Google: using AI to reduce the time people spend contacting businesses. The source points to another Google feature, “Talk to a Live Rep,” which places a call to a business, waits on hold, and then calls the user once a live representative is available.
That earlier feature was designed around a different problem: hold time. “Ask for Me” is aimed more at the front end of the process, where a user wants basic service information from local businesses before deciding what to do next.
What Users Can Ask About
The initial test is narrow. Google is starting with two kinds of local businesses: nail salons and auto shops.
That limited scope makes the experience easier to understand. Both categories often involve service-specific questions, time constraints, and price differences based on what the user needs.
- Auto shops: Users can provide details such as “tire replacement” or “factory scheduled maintenance.”
- Nail salons: Users can ask about services such as “french manicure,” “nail art,” and more.
- Timing: Users can enter information about their time frame before Google’s AI calls businesses.
- Results: Google sends a summary of prices and availability after the calls are made.
The value of the feature depends on those details. The more specific the request, the more useful the returned summary can be within the limits described by Google’s test.
Search Labs Keeps Expanding
“Ask for Me” is not a general release. It is part of Search Labs, the program Google uses for experimental Search features. Users must be enrolled in Search Labs to access it.
The source also mentions another recent Search Labs feature called “Daily Listen.” That feature is described as a personalized AI-powered audio experience designed to help users stay up to date with a personalized news feed.
Together, these experiments show Google testing AI in different parts of the information journey. “Daily Listen” focuses on consuming updates. “Ask for Me” focuses on gathering practical information from local businesses.
The common thread is that Google is trying to make Search do more of the work around a user’s intent. In this case, the intent is not just to find an auto shop or nail salon. It is to learn whether a specific service is available, when it can happen, and what the pricing looks like.
What This Means For Local Search
For users, the appeal is convenience. A person searching for an “oil change” or “nail salons nearby” may not want to call several businesses just to compare availability and prices. “Ask for Me” is built around removing that manual step.
For local businesses, the feature means Google’s AI may become part of the first contact with potential customers. The source does not provide details about business controls, rollout timing, or how broadly the test may expand, so those questions remain outside what can be concluded from the article.
What is clear is that Google is testing a more active role for Search. Instead of only showing information, Search Labs is being used to test whether Google can help collect information directly, summarize it, and return it to the user.
That makes “Ask for Me” a small but notable experiment. It starts with everyday services, simple questions, and a familiar problem: people need accurate local business information, but they do not always want to make the calls required to get it.