Apple Expands Business Connect Tools, Announces Caller ID

As traditional brick-and-mortar businesses increasingly adapt to changes brought about by e-commerce, the connection with customers in the digital space—and in the absence of physical connection—becomes all the more critical. At the same time, creating a strong online brand without having a physical location can be a challenge.

Apple Business Connect’s new features seek to help businesses overcome these challenges. Through the tool, businesses of different sizes can connect with the community of Apple users with the hopes of building their brand.

Since last year, when Apple announced Business Connect, businesses have been able to claim and manage their location/place cards through the tool. This includes adding and updating photos and logos, inviting customers to take actions like ordering food or making a reservation directly from the place card, and presenting customers with special promotions.

Now, verified businesses can create a brand and location presence across apps that customers use frequently, including Apple Maps, Wallet and Mail. For business—including those that provide a service or operate fully online—this can help create a visual brand identity, with the potential of connecting with customers at multiple touchpoints.

Businesses can also sign up to display their brand in the Mail and Phone apps. With Branded Mail, businesses can display their brand name and logo in emails to customers, so their emails stand out in the Mail app and are more easily recognisable.

Additionally, businesses can now choose to display their logo, rather than a category icon, when accepting payments through Tap to Pay on iPhone, so customers know they’re making a payment to a trusted and verified business.

Apple has also announced that business caller ID (similar to Truecaller) will be available in the future. A business’s name, logo and department will appear on the inbound call screen when they contact customers, helping to distinguish verified businesses from spam callers.

Owners of virtual, online, and service businesses can now use their existing Apple Account—or create a new Apple Account—to register for Business Connect at the self-service website from any cell phone, tablet, desktop or laptop computer. Once a business has signed up, they can begin to customise their brand for free.