OpenAI quietly rolled out a new feature called “agent” inside ChatGPT.

And well… this changes everything.

We’re not talking about asking ChatGPT questions anymore.

We’re talking about full-on, “do this task for me” requests like:

“Find me a reliable plumber nearby, check their availability, and book them for sometime this week.”

“Please compare local dog trainers and email the best one to ask about prices and availability.”

“Research five massage therapists near me, and message the one with the best reviews.”

This is real. It’s live. And it’s happening right now on people’s phones:

If you’re running a local business that relies on being discovered online, you need to sit down and understand this.

You’re either being chosen by AI – or you’re being completely ignored by AI.

Wait, agent? What does even that mean?

Let’s keep things simple.

If you’ve never used ChatGPT or similar AI assistants before, all you need to know is that millions of UK consumers use it every day to get answers for everything.

And one of the primary use cases for many consumers is to help them choose a local business to provide a local service.

However, the new ChatGPT Agent feature has completely changed the game:

ChatGPT can now follow instructions across multiple steps (or decide on steps independently) to complete tasks.

This includes interacting with businesses, such as through forms on their website, or by completing a purchase.

Think of it like a virtual assistant with bottom-of-funnel initiative.

Instead of a user asking, “Who’s the best roofer near me?” and doing all the follow-up themselves, now they can ask:

“Find the best roofer near me, confirm they do emergency work, and send them a message to ask for a quote.”

Boom. In less than 60 seconds, ChatGPT will complete this task, allowing the consumer to relax, and the business chosen to engage with their new lead.

But here’s the kicker:

If you’re not part of the tailored content that ChatGPT pulls from, your business will NEVER even get considered.

How consumers will now use agents like this

You know how people used to Google five businesses, click through to five sites, and maybe send a form or call one of the businesses it sees on the first page?

That entire process is being replaced.

Now you can just ask something like:

“Help me book a physio in Sheffield who does evening appointments”

And ChatGPT will:

• Find the best options for them
• Check reviews and availability
• Pick one of the businesses
• Draft a message for the user
• Send it via email or contact form

All in under 60 seconds.

How does ChatGPT decide who to approach?

This is where you need to get a notebook and pen. This part is crucial(!).

ChatGPT doesn’t just guess.

It pulls from internet sources, such as:

• Your website
• Your reviews
• Your Google Business profile
• Local directories
• Your website FAQs
• Your website’s schema
• Any contact info it can find
• Social posts and mentions

In short?

AI grabs from any online signals that confirm who you are and what you offer

If your digital presence is messy, vague, or MIA, you’re not going to be picked.

And equally, if your content isn’t specific enough to the task, you’re not going to be chosen to complete that task.

What local businesses should do immediately

If you’re even half-serious about keeping up with how your customers actually behave online, here’s where to focus:

1. Clean up your NAP info

Make sure your name, address, phone number, and hours are accurate, up-to-date, and consistent literally everywhere.

That means on your website, Google Business, Bing, Yelp, in blog posts, the lot.

ChatGPT will cross-check this information. If it sees weird gaps or mismatches, it cannot reliably trust you or your business. And so, it skips you.

2. Update your FAQs and service pages

People are asking very specific questions in task prompts. Things like:

• “Do they have weekend appointments?”
• “Are they experienced with nervous dogs?”
• “What’s the cost of an initial consultation?”

If your content doesn’t answer these kinds of bottom-of-funnel questions?

🥎🥎🥎

Strike THREE! You’re out.

Put that info right on the page RIGHT NOW.

3. Make contacting you dead simple

If someone assigns ChatGPT to message you, it needs:

• A working contact form
• A clear email address
• A mobile in case there’s an issue
• Or even a booking link

Don’t hide behind clunky forms or “call us for pricing” gimmicks. Make it dead simple.

ChatGPT won’t wait. It’ll just message someone else. Probably your competitor.

4. Use schema markup

Seriously. This one’s a cheat code.

Mark up FAQs, Reviews, LocalBusiness, and Services at a minimum.

Schemas are literally designed for search and AI crawlers to help them understand how to use and understand your content.

5. Test it yourself

For now, this feature is only available to ChatGPT Pro subscription users.

This does mean that in order to see this for yourself outside of a demo, you have to pay £200 a month to OpenAI. Yikes.

However, it’s really important that you don’t pass this off as a non-issue.

OpenAI have a history of making previously premium features available to everyone via their free tier.

It is only a matter of time before “agent” becomes a basic feature for everyone.

Don’t believe me? Take it from OpenAI themselves, who added this to their announcement:

…today’s launch is just the beginning. We’ll continue to iteratively add significant improvements regularly, making it more capable and useful to more people over time.

If you do have the luxury of trying out ChatGPT Pro, I strongly suggest that you try it right now.

Open ChatGPT Pro; and ask:

“Find me [your service] near me who does same-day emergency appointments. Message them and ask what time they’re available.”

See who it picks. Does it pick you?

If you aren’t the first choice, then you need to do everything you can to become the brand that gets chosen by ChatGPT.

The bottom line 👇

This new feature isn’t a gimmick.

It’s a preview of how search, service, and sales are merging into one experience.

And most local businesses (even large brands) have absolutely ZERO idea it’s happening.

But now you do.

And the good news?

The bar is still low.

Most of your competitors aren’t showing up in these tasks yet.

If you spend an hour or two fixing your site, updating your info, and answering common customer questions, you’ll end up lightyears ahead of the rest.

Want more content?

Check out these articles we’ve wrote on AI, and how to get your brand seen:

• Why AI is a HUGE deal for local brands

• If your website only talks about you, you’re doing it wrong

I hope you now see how this moment is a defining moment in the AI space.

And if AI is going to talk to your leads?

You better make sure it’s saying your name, and not your competitors.