Google's booking tool is gaining popularity, taking searches to the next level.

(Reuters)- Google is attracting thousands of new customers to gyms and beauty salons every month through a scheduling tool launched last year, a quiet move by the company to transition to the next generation.

The service, known as Book with Google, saves users from phone calls, online searches, and filling out forms. Google.com/maps/reserve displays available times at nearby businesses and allows users to book and pay without having to call or visit another website.

Google declined to comment on the performance of the tool, which was launched last March.

In interviews with Reuters, seven software companies that provide scheduling data to Google described the volume as significant, with up to 75 percent of bookings representing new customers.

The initial results signal Google's search strategy at a time when the company is battling tech rivals to direct consumers to stores, products, recipes, music, and more. Google wants to do more than just provide users with a list of web pages they should search themselves. The next step is to complete tasks for them and provide straightforward solutions.

Google Assistant – the company's version to compete with Apple's Siri and Amazon.com's Alexa – is a central piece of the effort. Users will be able to make reservations via voice commands to Google Assistant by the end of the year, people familiar with the matter said. This is something not yet built into Siri or Alexa.

Google says its assistant will even make calls to businesses to make reservations if a suitable option isn't available through Reserve, a feature it showcased in May at Google I/O, the company's developer conference.

By Paresh Dave