Google is a Ghost Town

Google is one of the largest companies on the planet. As of writing this, their share price is in the triple digits, they have a market cap of around $2 trillion, and their parent company, Alphabet, has somewhere in the neighborhood of 180,000+ full-time employees. They have seemingly infinite resources, a near-total monopoly on search engine traffic, and a name so synonymous with looking things up online that the phrase, “Just Google it,” has become a common inclusion in everyday vocabulary. To top it all off, they have a collection of user data that would put The Adjustment Bureau to shame (if you don’t get that reference, you need to watch more mediocre science fiction movies).

Knowing all of that, it’s hard to grapple with the fact that Google’s services can seem so lackluster at times. To demonstrate this, we will be examining Google’s bloated product line and obtuse support system.

Google Support

To preface: Google’s customer service seems (in our experience) largely outsourced, with call centers spread across the globe. That means you are at the mercy of whatever support staff are assigned to work with the one of hundreds of Google products or services you happen to run into trouble with. If you’re lucky, you may have a separate dedicated support staff to speak with; if you are unlucky, you may have to rely on email or online help articles.

For example, if you run into an issue with Google Ads, then you may be assigned a representative to assist on your account. They’re a real person, who can talk to you and offer input or answer questions. The quality of the assistance varies, but you can at least speak to them.

On the other hand, if you have an issue with your Google Business Profile, then you are going to encounter an entirely different approach to support. Since Google Business Profiles are such a popular feature, and they are fighting to ward off spam, Google Business’ support system seems to be overwhelmed. In fact, it can sometimes feel entirely broken. This is probably why they have disabled all over-the-phone support for Google Business Profiles that are suspended or unverified. Essentially, Google Business’ support is happy to speak with you if your account is verified and likely has no major issues, but if you require actual assistance, then you will likely be forced to deal with automated appeals and the occasional support email.

Outdated Documentation

Google is always making random tweaks and updates to their software, and putting out new products and tools. I imagine this is because Google’s developers are eager to complete projects in order to prove they deserve a place at the company. However, whatever technical writing staff they have tasked with writing and updating their various tutorials, support pages, and manuals — which are one of the primary ways their customers can figure out how their various products and features work — do not seem to be as proactive. Maybe they are understaffed and overworked,  or maybe the two departments simply don’t speak to each other enough; whatever the case, it seems like the majority of Google’s tutorial or support documents posted online are hopelessly out-of-date.

The Empty Feeling Inside

To reiterate: yes, people do work at Google. They are actually a massive company. But the way they support their products and their customers can feel a bit underwhelming at times. That is why, despite all of their financial success and reportedly thousands upon thousands of employees, working with Google can feel like trying to carry on a conversation with a brick wall.

If Google had a monopoly over the food and drinks industry, then one could imagine every restaurant being a poorly-stocked vending machine with a few incredible menu items and a lot of lackluster ones. However, despite its faults, when used correctly, Google can still be a powerful tool to propel your business forward.