How to get job requests from customers on Yelp

When consumers come to Yelp, they’re ready to spend money—83% of users hire or buy from a business they found on Yelp. They’re looking for the right business to provide them with a specific service. But sometimes, especially with more complex jobs or services, consumers call around to get more info and often don’t provide much detail in their initial outreach, which can make it hard for businesses to accurately respond while also trying to secure the job. 

Take a moving company, for example. A consumer looking for a price quote may think to mention that they have a one-bedroom apartment and that the move date is next month. For the moving company, however, there are a number of other questions that need to be answered in order to provide an accurate quote. How far are you moving? Do you have extra heavy furniture items? What floor are you currently on? Are there elevators? Do you need packing services? 

This is where Yelp’s Request-a-Quote feature comes in handy. After clicking the “Request a Quote” button on a home services business page, consumers are prompted to fill out an industry-specific questionnaire. This allows businesses to receive enough information to properly respond to the request.

How it works

When consumers land on your Yelp Page, they will see a section where they can request an action from you. “Request a Quote” is the call to action that consumers see on the pages of home services businesses, but the call to action changes based on business category. For example, if you’re a real estate agent, the call to action will be “Contact an Agent” whereas if you’re a restaurant, the call to action will be “Message the Business.” Other call to actions include:

• Request an Appointment
• Book Online
• Request a Consultation
• Request Information

Once consumers initiate the request, they are presented with a series of industry-specific questions about the job or service. For example, if a consumer has a plumbing issue, they will be asked questions like: Is this a repair or installation? How long ago did this issue begin? What appliances are affected? Has there been any flooding?

By having these questions answered at the beginning of the process, you’ll receive the most important details about the request so that you can respond efficiently and appropriately—whether that’s providing a quote right away with available appointment times or setting up a call or consultation to talk about it.

Once they submit the request, you’ll receive a message in your Yelp for Business inbox. If enabled, you’ll also receive an email notifying you that you have a message—you can respond to the request by simply replying to the email. Or if you have the Yelp for Business mobile app installed, you can set up your notifications so that you also receive an alert when you have a new message. You can then click on this notification to go directly to the message in your inbox within the app, where you can respond.

The message will contain all of the information provided by the consumer so you can prepare an informed response and initiate the next step, like providing a price estimate, sharing a project proposal, asking follow-up questions, or scheduling the service.  

Whether consumers are too shy or busy to jump on a phone call or they prefer a paper trail, many rely on being able to directly message businesses. This feature also allows you to build one-on-one consumer trust and showcase your customer service digitally. This functionality is free to set up, allowing you the opportunity to win over a lead that has taken the first step to initiate a conversation with you.

Note that when a potential customer sends you a direct request from your Yelp Page, they’re also asked if they’d like to send the same request to other related businesses. This allows consumers to receive responses from multiple businesses as they weigh their options. As a business owner, you can opt to receive some of these indirect requests too by signing up for Nearby Jobs or Yelp Ads.