Google's new "Talk to a Live Representative" feature is aptly named, if not a bit wordy. It does indeed aim to help you talk to a live representative by dealing with automated call screens on your behalf—no more wading through endless menus, or screaming "REPRESENTATIVE" until you hear a real human on the other end.
Here's how it works: When searching for a participating business on Google, you'll see the new "Talk to a Live Representative" card, explaining how Google will call the business for you and wait until there's a live rep to help you out. You can hit the Request a call button, then fill out a short questionnaire about the reason for your call.
As an example, let's say you need to call United Airlines. You can see from the search page that the wait time is usually 50–60 times at this time. You can then choose from the following reasons for your call:
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Update an existing booking
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Luggage issue
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Cancelled flight
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Other issue
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Missed my flight
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Delayed flight
Then, you provide your phone number, and hit Request the call. You can go about your day, and when there's a live representative ready to help with your issue, Google will call you back.
Which businesses are participating in Talk to a Live Representative?
According to Google, these are the businesses you can expect to see the Talk to a Live Representative option for in a search:
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Airlines: Alaska Airlines, Delta Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines
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Telecommunications: Assurance Wireless, Boost Mobile, Charter Communications, Cricket Wireless, Samsung
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Retail: Best Buy, Costco, Gamestop, The Home Depot, Walmart
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Services: ADT, DHL, Fedex, Grubhub, Instacart, Securus Technologies, Stubhub, UPS, Waste Management, Zelle
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Insurance: Esurance, State Farm
How to set up Talk to a Live Representative
This feature doesn't work by default, since it's current in testing at Search Labs. However, it's available for anyone who uses Chrome or the Google app on iOS or Android.
To start, open the Google app or Chrome, then choose the Search Labs icon (the beaker). Talk to a Live Representative should be at the top of the list, as of this piece. Tap Turn on, and you're set. If you want to see how the feature works without needing to search for a company yourself, hit Try an example.
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