Few things frustrate a customer faster than arriving at a business that is closed. Yet hours are often updated in one place and forgotten in another: the website says one thing, the Google profile says another, and the holiday schedule lives in a manager’s head. A virtual assistant can maintain the update queue and the evidence trail, while the location owner approves the actual hours.
Name the source of truth for each location
Each location needs an approved hours record: regular hours by day, special hours for holidays, service-area boundaries if applicable, and a named owner who can approve changes. The source might be a location page, a scheduling system, or a signed operating plan. The assistant should not infer hours from an old listing or a customer’s social media comment.
Record the time zone for every location. A multi-state operator can easily publish a Pacific opening time for an Eastern location. If the business serves customers across zones, distinguish customer-facing hours from internal operating hours.
Keep temporary closures, seasonal changes, and holiday exceptions separate from regular hours. A holiday update should have an effective date and an expiration or removal date. Otherwise a special schedule becomes the permanent listing.
Run a written change request
A change request should include the location, the field being changed, the old value, the new value, the effective date, the reason, the requester, and the approver. For a holiday closure, include the date range and the customer-facing message. For a permanent change, include the source document or owner confirmation.
The assistant can verify that the request is complete and that the new value matches the approved source. If two locations share a manager, do not assume both change. If a request arrives from someone outside the approved approver list, route it rather than acting on it.
Log the request before making the change. A screenshot of the updated profile is useful, but it does not replace the approval record. The log should show what changed, who approved it, when it was published, and when it was verified.
Publish and verify the update
After the change, check the public profile in a logged-out browser or a private window. Confirm the hours, the location, the phone number, and the special-hours dates. If the platform requires review or verification, record the status and the expected timing. Do not tell customers the change is live until it is visible.
Check the website and other listings that display hours. The Google profile is often the most visible, but a customer may check the site first. Maintain a channel register: website location page, Google, Apple Maps, directory listings, and any booking platform. Update the approved channels in the same cycle.
If a change is rejected or delayed, record the reason and notify the location owner. Do not create a second profile or use an unauthorized workaround. Duplicate listings create a harder problem than a delayed update.
Handle holidays as a calendar project
Build a holiday calendar at the start of the year with the dates the business observes, the locations affected, and the approval owner. Some holidays are company-wide; others vary by region or landlord. Record the decision rather than assuming every location follows the same schedule.
Create the special-hours update before the holiday, then remove or replace it afterward. Set a reminder for both actions. A profile that still shows last month’s holiday closure in the current month is worse than no special hours at all.
For emergency closures, use a separate escalation path. The assistant can prepare the approved message and update the profile if authorized, but should not speculate about reopening time or the cause. The location owner should confirm the public statement.
Audit accuracy across locations
Run a monthly sample: pick a set of locations, compare the live profile with the approved source, and record mismatches. Include regular hours, special hours, phone, address, and the primary category. Check the website’s location page too. A single mismatch can send a customer to the wrong place.
Track change volume, time to publish, rejected changes, and repeat mismatches. A location that needs frequent corrections may have an unstable schedule or an unclear approval path. Investigate the cause instead of simply correcting the listing again.
Keep the evidence in a location folder with the date and the reviewer. If a customer complaint says the hours were wrong, the record should show what was published and what source was approved. That is more useful than a debate about who changed it.
Pilot with a small location group
Start with three locations and one holiday cycle. Assign an owner for the approved hours, an owner for publishing, and a reviewer who checks the live profile. The assistant coordinates the requests, prepares the changes, and records the evidence.
After the cycle, compare the live listings with the source and review any customer questions about hours. Fix the approval path or the calendar before expanding. The goal is not to make the assistant a profile manager; it is to make the hours reliable.
When the process works, a location owner can approve a change once and trust that the approved channels, the log, and the verification step will follow. That is a small operational win with a direct effect on customer experience.
Source
The operational guidance above is informed by the FTC advertising and marketing guidance, reviewed on October 22, 2026. It is general process guidance, not legal, tax, employment, or compliance advice. Apply requirements with the qualified owner for your business and jurisdiction.
Frequently asked questions
Can a virtual assistant update Google Business Profile directly?
Only if the business gives the assistant an approved role and the location owner authorizes the change. The assistant should not create duplicate profiles or accept platform terms on the owner’s behalf.
Who should approve holiday hours?
The location owner or operations lead with authority over that location. The assistant can prepare the calendar and evidence, but should not decide which holidays the business observes.
How often should listings be checked?
At least monthly for active locations, and immediately after any hours change, holiday, or customer complaint about a closure. High-traffic locations may need more frequent sampling.
What if the platform rejects a change?
Record the rejection, notify the owner, and follow the approved verification process. Do not create an alternate listing or ask an unauthorized person to make the change.
Next step
If this work keeps landing on your desk, review AssistantStaffing's social media virtual assistant service and the related guide on social media virtual assistant support. Bring a current procedure and two anonymized examples to a free role consultation; concrete cases make the scope, access, and review boundaries easier to define.
