How to claim your online business profiles and respond to customers at a moment’s notice

We’ve all seen that negative customer review that causes our eyes to widen and our hearts to start thumping a little faster. Maybe a retail employee had been on their phone instead of helping a customer, or a patient decided to leave a doctor’s office because an appointment time wasn’t met.

In these moments, you know you want to change a customer’s negative experience into a positive one, so you turn to your trusty brand management platform to respond. But what happens when you’re ready with a perfectly crafted review response and errors pop up alerting you that you’re not adhering to the review site’s guidelines and you can’t reply?

To avoid these types of errors, and a customer moving on to another business, it’s essential to keep all business profiles claimed, current, and to follow each review platform’s (sometimes constantly changing) guidelines. Providing real-time, one-to-one connections with customers is vital to maintaining trust and brand loyalty. In fact, 53% of customers expect their reviews to be answered within an hour, and not responding to reviews can increase your customer churn by 15%.

Following each provider’s policies can feel tedious, but don’t worry– we have some pro tips to keep your brand on track so you can quickly reply to customers in the Chatmeter platform and stay out of crisis mode! 

Staying on top of your online business profiles leads to better customer experiences.

Our platform lets you connect with several review sites to manage your listings. The ability to manage each review provider on a single platform is a guaranteed way to save some significant time and money for your team. To ensure you can meet your customers where they are in real time, we’ll dive into how to claim your Yelp, Google, and Meta Business Suite business profiles while following each review site’s nuanced guidelines.

Let’s jump in by covering some basic best practices for setting up your online business profiles:

• Your profile name needs to reflect an actual person: Guidelines on review sites require that you use the first and last name of an individual for the profile. You’ll encounter issues with the provider if you enter a company name, fake name, or initials in these spaces. Entering the name of the person that manages the profile will make getting back to your customers a piece of cake.
• Add a photo of a company representative as a profile picture: Most review sites require a clear shot of an employee on your business profile for approval. Many review sites will reject photographs of groups or far away, blurry, or stock photos. Review sites want a face that can act as a representative of the business.

Next, let’s take a look at each platform’s guidelines and how to claim your business to ensure it’s connected to Chatmeter’s platform:

Yelp Business Pages

Yelp is one of the largest providers of nearby recommendations and acts as a local business directory. These steps ensure your Business Page links to your Chatmeter account, keeping the review responses flowing so your customers remain delighted and devoted.

• Claim your business’s Yelp page to become a Yelp Business Page.
• Enter your Yelp credentials into the Chatmeter platform to answer reviews. If you use our Listings Solution, we can assist with claiming your Business Account by providing your business domain, email, and name you want the Business Account claimed.
• Choose a photo associated with the account. It is required to respond to Yelp reviews.

Google Business Profiles

As the world’s largest search provider, Google lets you take charge of your business’s appearance on Google Search and Maps. With a reach like Google’s, you don’t want to leave your customers in the dust. Ensuring your Business Profile connects to our platform through these steps is a win-win for your team and customer base.

• Claim and verify your company’s Google page to become a Google Business Profile.
• Enter your Google credentials into your Chatmeter account to answer reviews through the Chatmeter platform. If you use our Listings Solution, we can assist with claiming your Business Account by providing your business domain, email, and name you want the Business Account claimed.
• Choose a photo associated with the account. It is required to respond to Google reviews.

Meta Business Suite (Facebook)

Meta Business Suite is where you can manage all your marketing and advertising on Facebook and Instagram. While Facebook and Instagram may not be as review-based as other sites, these platforms still reach large audiences from different demographics. Facebook and Instagram are influential sites, allowing you to listen to what your customers say about your brand and customer service.

• Log in to your personal Facebook account, or create one. 
• Visit Meta Business Suite on your desktop at business.facebook.com or download and open the Meta Business Suite app on iOS or Android.
  • If you have an existing Facebook Page for your business, follow these steps to transfer it to a Meta Business account.
• Follow the steps to create a Meta Business Suite account. Please note that Chatmeter cannot assist in setting up these profiles due to Meta’s privacy policies.
• If you’d like to manage your Facebook Page and your Instagram account from Meta Business Suite, connect them in Meta Business Suite on your desktop or in the mobile app.

Apple Business Connect is another option businesses link to within the Chatmeter platform. Apple Connect is a free web-based portal from Apple which allows you to easily set up your business so customers can find it in Maps, Apple Wallet, Siri, and more. The partnership between Apple and Chatmeter provides lightning-fast updates to listings on Apple Maps. Setting up an Apple Business account and delegating Chatmeter as a partner will continue to be a vital part of managing your Apple Business account.

Staying on top of business profiles can feel like a bit of a nuisance– we get it. But at the end of the day, spending those few extra minutes following the rules and maintaining your profile will result in some awesome customer loyalty.