Want to make it easier for your leads and customers to contact you, without having an additional inbox to manage? Thryv makes it easy with the Google's Business Messages app. This will allow you to sync your Google's Business Messages to your Thryv inbox. This guide will show you how to install the app and how to use it to communicate with your customers.
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Before you install
In order to connect this app, your Google My Business listing needs to be claimed. If you have not already claimed your Google My Business listing and connected it to Thryv, Click Here for a full guide. This step must be completed first before you will be able to use Google's Business Messages
Also, a Logo is a required field for Google. Therefore, you must have your business logo uploaded in Thryv. Click Here for a full guide on how to do so.
Installation
To install the app, first navigate to the App Market, then select the Google's Business Messages app.
Once selected, click on “Get This App”
First, Thryv will need to confirm that you have access to your Google Business Profile. If you do not have access, you will not be able to continue with the install
Check the box to agree to terms and conditions and give permission for Thryv to access information from your Google account, then click Connect to Google Account.
You will be prompted to sign into your Google account. Make sure that you are signing into the same Google account used to claim your listing. If you sign into a different Google account the app will not work.
Next, grant the necessary permissions for Thryv to access your Google account. Note that all of the permissions are necessary for the app to function. Once the boxes are checked, click on Continue.
Note: This app will not function unless all boxes are checked. If you attempt to proceed without checking all boxes, you will be redirected back to this screen until all boxes are checked.
Set your auto-responses that Google Business Messenger will use. The Welcome Message will automatically be sent to customers who message you during your business hours, while the Offline Message will be sent to those who message you outside those hours. Once your auto-responses are set, click on Install to complete the process.
Note: Even if your business is listed as 24 hours or has no hours, the offline messages field is still a required field. A best practice is to copy and paste the welcome message into this field, just in case that ever changes. Otherwise, this message will never actually be sent
You will see this success screen when the install is complete. Click OK to continue. You will be redirected back to your Inbox.
How It Works
When a lead or customer contacts you through Google Business Messenger, first they will be prompted to enter their email address.
Once they do so, you will receive the message in your Thryv inbox. Thryv will either create a new client card or associate the message with an existing client, based on the email address that the client enters. When a contact in Thryv is connected to you through Google Business Messenger, they are connected to the specific client card in your CRM by way of the email address that they enter in Google when prompted.
All of your responses to this conversation will be received by the client in their Google's Business Messages conversation.
Important Note: If an existing client enters an email address that is different than the one you already have for them, do not attempt to merge the contacts. The connection with Google Business Messenger is made with the email address the client enters and the specific client card. Doing this would break the connection and the client would not be able to communicate with you through Google Business Messenger. Deleting a client would also break the sync.
Conversations on Google's Business Messages must be initiated by your customer. Due to Google’s limitations, businesses are not able to proactively send messages to customers. Once your customer messages you, the conversation will remain open for 24 hours after the time of their last message. After that, if you wish to continue the conversation, you will need to reach out to the customer through another method (text or email)
Troubleshooting
If all of the boxes to give the proper permissions are not given to the app, a pop up will appear advising that you will need to revoke access to the app and start again. Here is the guide for that process, which has to be done in your Google Account.
First, make sure you are signed into the same Google account you initially used to connect the app. Then navigate to your account settings. You can find this by clicking on the 
symbol in the top right corner of your browser, and then click on Account.
Next, click on Security in the left-hand navigation
Next, find Third-party apps with account access,” and select Manage third-party access
From here, select the app Google's Business Messages for Thryv and revoke access.
If any of the pop ups in the installation process fail to appear, you may need to disable your pop-up blocker, or any external privacy extensions you have on your browser. These extensions can affect the way Google accesses and shares information and may disrupt the installation process.
If the app fails to connect, it could be due to insufficient permissions on your Google My Business account. In order to install, the Google account you are signing into needs to be connected to the Google My Business page as an Owner. Any permission level lower than that will result in the app failing to connect. This change must be made in Google My Business directly
Uninstall
To uninstall, navigate back to the app in the App Market. Re-open the app, and the uninstall button will appear. When you uninstall, you will no longer be able to use Thryv to communicate with customers through Google Business Messenger.
Note: This will not disable Google's Business Messages on your GMB account. Your customers will still be able to send messages to your GMB and you would need to log in to that account to view and respond to them.
FAQ
How Long Will GBM Conversations Stay Active?
GBM will stay open for 24 hours of inactivity. After this period, if you wish to reach out to the customer again, you will need to do so through a different method.
I have multiple Google My Business listings for different locations, will I be able to connect all of them to Thryv?
No, Thryv is designed as a solution for a single-location business. As such, only one Google My Business listing is able to be connected to a single Thryv account. If you have multiple locations you wish to manage, you would need to purchase an additional Thryv.
Can I send Images or Documents through GBM?
No, but since a customer email is required to message you through GBM, you will still be able to send documents to your client through email as normal.
Can I send invites to client portal actions (such as, viewing an estimate, an appointment request, or an invoice) through GBM?
No. If any client portal actions are sent, those will default to the client's email address in their client card. GBM can only be used for messages.
Is there a character limit for messages through GBM?
Yes, messages longer than 3075 characters (including spaces) will not send.
What if a client mistypes their email address when prompted in Google's Business Messages?
Thryv will create a contact with the wrong email address. If this is a new contact, then you can change the email address in Thryv to correct the issue. If an existing client messages you, unfortunately there is not a way to merge the contacts or else the conversation in Google Business Messenger will be lost. There is not a way to correct this error.
Want to integrate even more platforms into one inbox? Click Here for a full guide to installing Facebook Messenger, and Click Here for a full guide to installing Instagram Messenger!
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