What is Google Reserve?

Reserve with Google aims to connect Google users with businesses through prominent Google products (Search, Maps, etc.). Users can make bookings, appointments, and reservations to a service offered by a merchant (business) and provide payment (where required) directly through Google....and now, you can manage it all right from the comfort of Thryv Business Center!

Source: Google Reserve

Article Contents

• Before You Activate
• Activate Reserve with Google
• Disconnect

Before you activate

Before you submit your request to Google to activate Reserve with Google, you'll need to make sure your services are set up according to their specifications.

Create a service in Thryv Business Center that you want to include in Google Reserve. Google has specific criteria that must be met in order to have your service potentially listed:

• The merchant's business must have a physical location with an address that matches one in the Google Maps database, or be a service area business that is part of the Google Guaranteed or Google Screened Programs
• Its services must be bookable as defined by the standard service definition or its waitlist queue must be joinable as defined by the waitlist service definition
  • Note that if you are adding services in Thryv Business Center as outlined above, you will be compliant with this requirement

Certain industries have additional criteria. For details on supported and unsupported services, use these links:

• Wellness and fitness services
• Spa and beauty services
• Financial services

The following services are not supported unless functionality is explicitly identified in the industry-specific policy pages:

• Services that are membership-based, subscription based, or have recurring billing
• Services that require insurance, or have unique legal requirements, such as dentists, healthcare, childcare, or adult entertainment, or regulated goods or services such as medicine.
• Services that take appointments for law firms or other legal services.
• Services that are "on demand", "mobile-based", or "in-home" such as mobile haircuts, cleaners, or locksmiths, if the business offering the service is not part of the Google Guaranteed or Google Screened programs.
• Services that require additional steps in the booking flow, such as the need to fill out a waiver to complete the booking, or contact merchants directly to complete the booking.
• Services that require custom fields related to the user. This includes any fields beyond first name, last name, email address, and phone number. User addresses can also be requested by businesses that are part of the Google Guaranteed or Google Screened programs.

In order to make sure your business is compliant, ensure that your services are set up this way in Thryv Business Center

• The service must take place at your business location.
• The service must have a fee listed.
• The service must be configured to "auto-accept". Meaning, the booking is scheduled once the client submits the request.

Your Booking Options should be displayed as the following:

Activate Reserve with Google

Once the above step is complete, you can begin the opt-in process.

Note: If you have already opted into Google Reserve using another software, you will have to opt-out in order to use Thryv.

To get started, navigate to Online Presence>Reserve with Google

On the following screen, click on Start Now to get started

Next, enter your Business Name, Category (the same used for Google), address and phone number. This information is for the specific application for reserve with Google. It is vital that the information matches exactly with what you have on Google currently or your application will be rejected by Google. Once complete, click on Save and Continue

If online booking is not already enabled

It is required for online booking to be enabled on your account to use Reserve with Google. If it is not already enabled, use the toggle to enable it, and click on Save and Continue. 

(If online booking is already active on your account, this screen will be skipped)

Confirm that all of your information is correct, then click Submit to Google

You will see a success screen, and when Google approves your request you will be notified by email. In the meantime, you can return to this page and check on View Status to see the progress on your application. Remember, Google completely controls this application process and approval.

A banner with the status of your application with Google will display at the top of the screen. Your services will also be displayed as shown below. Services that are already eligible will be in the top list. If there are ineligible services, you will be shown an orange exclamation point, and a button to edit the service in order to make sure it's eligible. Clicking on the service from this screen will take you to your Settings, where you can configure them to meet the criteria set by Google.

While editing one of these services, a banner will display at the top of the service settings letting you know what needs to be changed in order to make it eligible for Reserve with Google.

Once approved, the banner at the top will update. You will also receive a notification email when this happens.

If you need to come back and change this information to better match your Google Business Profile, click on the tri-dots>Settings and the same screen as above will appear to edit your business information.

Disconnect

If you wish to stop using Reserve with Google, return to Online Presence>Reserve with Google and click on the tri-dots, then Opt out.

In the window that appears, click on Opt Out to confirm.

Once this is complete, your services will be removed from Reserve with Google. If you wish to reconnect, return to this screen and click on Opt In. You will need to repeat the same steps as above to restore the connection.

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