Temporary Service Changes on Facebook Pages. Businesses making temporary changes to their usual services can now prominently display those changes on their Facebook page.

If a customer visits the Facebook page of their favorite restaurant, for example, they can quickly see if it’s still offering delivery and/or pickup service.

If a business is simply closed for the time being, with no services being offered, that can be indicated as well.

This capability is being added in response businesses being forced to close due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

In an announcement, the company states:

“To help businesses respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, we’re enabling businesses to announce temporary service changes on their Facebook Page and in searches on Facebook.

Businesses that have changed how they operate, like fitness studios offering virtual classes or restaurants offering delivery instead of dine-in service, can easily indicate those changes to customers.”

Here’s how to add temporary service changes to your Facebook page.

Updating Temporary Service Changes

Businesses can access this feature by going to Page Settings > Page Info > Hours > Select “Temporary Service Changes”.

From there, either indicate that the business is temporarily closed or choose from a selection of other options.

If applicable, businesses can indicate they’re “Open with Service Changes” such as:

• Online Services
• Delivery
• Pickup
• Other Changes

The “other changes” option should be used to indicate things such as special hours for the elderly, access to gift card purchases, or anything else that has changed in response to COVID-19.

How Temporary Service Changes Appear

Information about temporary service changes will appear on a business’s Facebook page, in the Facebook page preview, and in Facebook search results.

This information will also be used to curate a list of local resources on Facebook.

For example, in the Events section, you can find a featured list of businesses offering delivery, businesses offering online (virtual) services, and so on.

Read more: searchenginejournal