Using Requests to Drive Purchases

When Yelp users visit your business page, they may see a button with a prompt to request a quote or contact you. The message on the button varies depending on your business category, but the purpose of the tool is consistent: to connect consumers (your potential customers) with great local businesses.

People who submit requests are motivated and interested, so responding quickly to messaging requests can lead to higher conversion rates.

8 tips for managing request a quote and messages on Yelp

Seize this opportunity to connect directly with potential customers the moment they need your services. Check out 8 ways to make the most out of the request a quote and messaging tools below.

1. Receive requests.  This feature is automatically enabled on your business page to make receiving requests and messages from potential customers a breeze. If you haven’t disabled it, you can start receiving requests instantly.
2. Do some prep. To make things easier for yourself, create a few templates you can use to streamline your follow up responses. Use one for confirming your interest in taking on a request and one for politely declining a job that isn’t the right fit. When you send the actual message, make it personal by adding the Yelp user’s name and asking specific questions about the type of service they’re requesting.
3. Be personable and authentic. 79% of Yelp users are looking for a business they can visit multiple times, so aim to start a conversation that will form the basis of a customer relationship.* This means asking follow-up questions when more info is needed.  
4. Respond promptly. Your response time is displayed to Yelp users. Businesses with a response time less than a day see 4x more requests than businesses who wait longer to reply.** Yelp will send you an email or push notification when you receive a message or request, making it easy to reply quickly.
5. Flag spam messages. If you receive a request that is irrelevant or seems like spam, be sure to flag it so it doesn’t count as a missed or delayed response.
6. Mark conversations as “replied”. If you end up needing to take a conversation off Yelp (email/phone), make sure to mark the request as “replied” so you can improve your response time.
7. Follow up. After you provide a service to a customer, consider sending a thank you with a note about the other types of services you can provide in the future. “Thank you for choosing to work with us; we hope you consider using our business in the future.”
8. Make sure customers are finding you. When a user fills out a request from a business on Yelp, they’re given the option to send the same request to similar businesses. To make sure your business appears when someone requests a service from one of your competitors, call (877) 767-9357.

To review and respond to requests, visit your inbox on Yelp for Business Owners either through our app or at biz.yelp.com. If you’re interested in learning more about showcasing your business online, check out our new ebook.

Survey Methodology: Based on online surveys fielded by Yelp, 2/17. Total sample size is 953. Respondents are US Yelp Users who used “Request a Quote,” “Request an Appointment,” “Request a Consultation,” or “Contact Agent” tool in the previous 2 weeks.

*Yelp Internal Data

**Nielsen, 2016