Yelp Introduces Push Notifications In Its New App For Business Owners

Described by Yelp as its “gift to business owners,” the company has released a new app for iOS and Android that allows SMBs to manage their profiles on the go. Considering the great importance of online reputations, Yelp’s new app should come as a welcome tool to both business owners and marketers.

The new app, called “Yelp for Business Owners,” is available to iOS and Android users in all countries and languages in which Yelp currently operates. In the past, business owners struggled with a clumsy experience when accessing their account information on a smartphone as the company didn’t provide a mobile optimized version. Yelp’s new app should make it much easier to use, with a wide range of useful features and the removal of the former “pinch and zoom” experience that so many marketers and business owners encountered when accessing their accounts.

“Businesses rely more and more on digital interactions to keep their finger on the pulse of their business,” wrote Yelp in its app release announcement. “As one of the largest venues for consumer opinion, Yelp is excited to announce a new (and much more portable) way for business owners to connect with their customers. As of today, business owners can download the new Yelp for Business Owners app for iOS or Android, designed to make it easier for business owners to engage with their customers and manage their Yelp reputation on the go. We’re excited to deliver a way for businesses to get real-time mobile notifications of new Yelp messages and reviews, and facilitate faster response times to consumers.”

Yelp’s announcement certainly speaks to the increasing expectation from consumers for fast response times from businesses, and small and medium-sized business owners can benefit greatly from using the enhanced functionality of the Yelp for Business Owners app.

The two primary uses for the new Yelp app are tracking account activity and interacting directly with users and reviews. Yelp provided the following explanation of the functionality of the new app:

• Receive convenient, real-time push notifications of reviews and messages on Yelp
• View Yelp Business Page activity including the number of user views and customer leads they have generated over the past 30 days
• Respond to reviews by sending a private message or posting a public comment
• Respond to customer inquiries from the Message the Business feature
• View reports on ad clicks from Yelp users (advertisers only)

In the future, Yelp plans to allow business owners to use its app to update and change profile information, post photos and create offers and promotions. According to the company, the launch version offers only the most immediate and basic functionality, but more will be added soon. Perhaps the most valuable feature of the app for business owners is push notifications of reviews and messages, which will allow them to respond to reviews, either privately or publicly, in real-time. Considering the fact many small business owners aren’t sitting in front of a computer for most of the day, being able to manage their Yelp reviews and messages on the go should assist them in being timely with their responses, thereby benefiting their online reputation.