Proposal Comparison
Part of Agency search by project type
Comparing agencies for a multi-location business
Compare agencies on location information, local exceptions and the customer journey across a multi-location business.
Compare agencies on how they keep each location's information accurate while handling genuine local differences. Ask who approves a change, where approved facts are stored, and how errors are found and corrected. A national campaign example alone does not show the workflow will operate across your locations.
Choose locations that reveal the variation
Prepare a list of the facts customers need for each location: address or service area, contact route, hours, services and booking or enquiry destination. Mark which fields are controlled centrally and which local teams may change. Include different operating types where they exist, such as staffed shops and teams that visit customers.
Choose a small sample for candidate discussions: a routine location, one with a different service or schedule, and one whose information has been difficult to maintain. These are evaluation cases for your business to select, not tests an agency has already passed.
Sample Locations for Evaluation
- Routine LocationStandard operating hours, centralised services
- Different Service or ScheduleExtended hours, mobile team, non-standard operations
- Previously Difficult to MaintainHistory of inconsistent or outdated information
Ask candidates to trace an update
Have each agency explain how a verified change would reach the website and any relevant profiles or campaign destinations. Ask who confirms the new fact, which records are updated, what happens when a branch and head office disagree, and who checks the result.
If Google Business Profiles are included, ask candidates to explain how they would assess the actual locations against Google's published eligibility guidance. Ask them to identify what needs confirmation before profiles are included in the proposed work.
Google publishes guidance on bulk location management. Ask candidates whether that guidance is relevant to your network and the basis for their assessment.
Ask candidates to describe their proposed approach to profile management and identify what your business would need to confirm. A promise to 'fix local listings' needs a defined set of locations, a change process and an account of what depends on the business or a third-party platform.
Evaluating Agency Workflows for Multi-Location Accuracy
- Data Control
- Approved record, update owner and approval route
- Local Variation Handling
- Treatment of sample locations without invented differences
- Delivery Process
- Proposed people and process for correcting errors
- Measurement & Missing Data
- Location-level definitions and treatment of missing data
Compare the local customer path
Give candidates the same sample locations. Ask how a customer would find the correct site, see the right offer and reach the right team or booking process.
If Google Business Profile action links are proposed, ask candidates to demonstrate where each link would take a customer and how it supports the intended action for that location. Treat this as a question about profile links, not a general website layout rule.
Question / Evidence to request
- Data control
- Approved record, update owner and approval route
- Local variation
- Treatment of the sample locations without invented differences
- Delivery
- Proposed people and a process for correcting errors
- Measurement
- Location-level definitions and treatment of missing data
An agency may run campaigns well while relying on your team to maintain location details. That can work if your team accepts the role and has capacity. Equally, a profile manager may depend on another team to repair an incorrect booking destination. Make those handovers clear before comparing fees.
Shortlist agencies whose proposed workflow can handle both a routine network update and a local exception. Ask finalists to describe the initial set of locations in scope and how further locations would change the work. Leave unverified location facts for the business owner to confirm.
Customer Journey Across Local Locations
- Find the correct locationBased on address, service area or contact route
- View the right offerMatching local services and booking options
- Reach the right team or booking processAction links direct to correct destination
Agency Reliance on Internal Teams
- ProsClear ownership and capacity within your team; consistent updates if processes are followed
- ConsRisk of delays or errors if internal teams lack time or expertise; dependency on third-party platforms for corrections
