Businesses in ChatGPT: what multi-location brands should know

What is Businesses in ChatGPT?

On November 10, OpenAI introduced Businesses in ChatGPT, a beta that lets businesses claim and manage their profile inside ChatGPT through a new tool called Business Hub.

Until now, the only way to influence what ChatGPT said about your business was indirect…publishing accurate, helpful information in the sources it reads. Business Hub gives businesses a direct way to share their information with ChatGPT and see how often it references them.

What can businesses do today?

Here is what we know about the beta to date:

• Claim a profile and earn a blue verified badge after completing verification, including an identity check through Persona.
• Update business information such as description, website, phone, email, hours, category, address and photos.
• View insights from the last 28 days, including mentions, website clicks, profile views and top discovery topics.
• Eligible U.S. ecommerce and online-service businesses can also launch a Business Agent that answers customer questions. Local businesses can’t use agents yet.
• Brands that already work with OpenAI through ChatGPT Enterprise or ChatGPT advertising can claim through their OpenAI account representative. With this managed claim process, location profiles stay locked by default.

NOTE: Local stores and restaurants can currently claim only an existing U.S. listing. Availability depends on the business’s location and type, and OpenAI has said more markets and tools are coming.

How to think about this for multi-location brands

This is a meaningful step for AI search. But the first release was built for a single business, not a brand with hundreds or thousands of locations.

Each location is claimed and verified separately, and the main brand does not claim its locations. There is no central management, bulk upload or partner feed yet. OpenAI has said it plans to build tools for organizations with more complex needs but hasn’t shared a timeline.

There is one important exception. As stated above, brands that already work with OpenAI, either as ChatGPT Enterprise customers or as ChatGPT advertisers, can claim through their OpenAI account representative instead of the self-serve flow. OpenAI refers to this as a managed claim process.

For brands on the managed claim process, individual location profiles stay locked by default. Franchisees and local managers can’t claim those locations on their own, which gives corporate teams control over how every location appears in ChatGPT. Today, it is the closest thing to enterprise-level management that OpenAI offers.

OpenAI hasn’t published details such as timing, cost or whether locations can be claimed in bulk through this process, so we recommend asking your representative directly.

Claiming also doesn’t improve visibility on its own. OpenAI states that claiming does not guarantee higher placement, and ChatGPT may still use other sources when it answers questions about your business. Accurate listings, strong reviews and helpful local content continue to shape what ChatGPT says about each location.

How this relates to Yelp

This summer, Yelp began licensing its reviews, ratings, photos and business details to OpenAI. That content now appears directly in ChatGPT answers, and diners can book reservations and join waitlists through Yelp without leaving ChatGPT.

Even as more businesses claim their ChatGPT profiles, we expect Yelp to remain the primary source of local business information in ChatGPT for the foreseeable future. Business Hub doesn’t include reviews or booking. Claiming happens one location at a time. And Yelp already covers millions of businesses with more than 330 million reviews. For most locations, what ChatGPT says will continue to reflect what’s on Yelp.

That makes a well-maintained Yelp presence a core part of generative engine optimization. As an official Yelp Knowledge Partner, SOCi lets brands manage Yelp reviews, listings and analytics alongside every other network, with no separate logins. Teams can keep Yelp content accurate and current at every location, at scale.

What this means for SOCi customers

Business Hub is a new tool from OpenAI, separate from SOCi. It doesn’t change how you manage listings, reviews or local content in SOCi today, and those remain the foundation ChatGPT relies on.

Our team is actively monitoring developments and will update customers as OpenAI releases tools built for multi-location brands.

What you can do now

• Check whether your company already works with OpenAI through ChatGPT Enterprise or ChatGPT advertising. Your IT, digital or media team may already have an OpenAI account representative. If so, ask about the managed claim process before any locations are claimed, including timing and whether locations can be claimed in bulk.
• Claim your corporate brand profile now. It’s separate from your locations and can be claimed on its own. Once verified, your brand gets the blue check, and you can update the description, website, logo and photos so ChatGPT represents your brand accurately. Plan for IT support with domain verification and an authorized representative for the identity check, and get the profile content approved before you submit. Published profiles can’t be unpublished.
• Use a shared company ChatGPT account for every claim, not an individual’s personal login. The person who claims becomes the admin who controls access.
• Name an owner for your brand’s presence in ChatGPT.
• Set a claim policy before anyone claims. Decide whether corporate or local teams will claim locations and what information they can publish. Approved profiles can’t be unpublished, so it’s worth getting this right first.
• Share that policy with franchisees and local managers, since anyone with access to a location’s phone, email or website may be able to start a claim.
• Benchmark how ChatGPT describes your brand today by asking the questions your customers ask in priority markets and saving the answers.
• Keep location data accurate across Google, Apple, Meta and Yelp.  Note: If you have SOCi Genius Local Search agent this is done for you automatically.  
• Once your corporate profile is in place, run a small pilot by claiming a few high-priority locations. Hold off on claiming every location until OpenAI releases bulk tools, unless your OpenAI representative offers a managed path.

Frequently asked questions

Should we claim all of our locations now?

For most multi-location brands, we recommend starting with your corporate brand profile, which can be claimed separately from your locations, and setting a claim policy for your locations. From there, run a small pilot with a few high-priority locations. Without bulk tools, each location must be claimed and verified one at a time. If your company works with OpenAI through ChatGPT Enterprise or advertising, ask your OpenAI representative about the managed claim process first. We will share guidance as OpenAI releases tools for larger organizations.

Will claiming our profile improve how often ChatGPT recommends us?

OpenAI says claiming doesn’t guarantee higher placement. It gives you more say in how your business is described and new insight into how ChatGPT references you.

Does this replace our listings and reviews program?

No. ChatGPT still draws on listings, reviews and other information across the web, including Google, Apple, Meta and Yelp. Those sources continue to matter.

Can franchisees claim their own locations?

It depends on how your brand claims. Through the self-serve flow, franchisees may be able to claim their own locations, so we recommend setting a clear policy now and sharing it with local teams. For brands using OpenAI’s managed claim process through an OpenAI account representative, location profiles stay locked by default and can’t be claimed without corporate approval.

What about locations outside the U.S.?

Local stores and restaurants can currently claim only existing U.S. listings. We will share updates as availability expands.

Can we set up a Business Agent for our locations?

Not yet. Business Agents are currently limited to eligible U.S. ecommerce and online-service businesses.