You can now highlight COVID-19 related temporary changes on your business Facebook page

Businesses making temporary changes to their usual services can now prominently display those changes on their Facebook page, thanks to new features added this week by Facebook. 

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 collection 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 to businesses being forced to close due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

In an announcement, Facebook stated:

“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.”

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.