There is an announcement in the Google Business Help forums about a policy change happening with the Google My Business - Google Maps business verification process.
In short, you will no longer be able to call the Google Maps team and have them manually verify your business over the phone. That process will no longer be available starting next week. Google operators will decline those requests and send you to the normal verification methods.
Here is a copy of the announcement:
The Google My Business support teams will be declining requests for manual verification starting next week. Operators will redirect and educate users towards the official validation methods and will no longer have the mandate to manually validate businesses, except in extreme cases.
It is necessary, per our policies, that users request a PIN from their GMB Dashboard and verify their business by entering the verification code they receive. The bulk verification process for businesses with 10 or more of same-type locations will remain the same. Learn more about that process here.
Postcards should arrive in one to two weeks from the moment they request verification. If the postcard doesn’t arrive in 14 days, the business owner can reach out to us, and we will further investigate the issue.
Q: Why do I have to wait for 14 days?
A: It is necessary, per our policies, to verify the business using the verification code provided in the postcard. We appreciate your patience while you wait for the postcard to arrive and would like to assure you that our teams continue to work hard to speed up postcard delivery.
Q: What if the postcard does not arrive in 14 days?
A: We appreciate your patience while you wait for your postcard to arrive. In the case of exceptional delays, if your postcard does not arrive in 14 days, feel free to reach out to us, so that we can investigate the delay and help you with your issue.
Q: I didn’t have to wait like this before?
A: From time to time, Google will take a look at its policies and update them as necessary. Our policy for verifying businesses globally is that businesses must use the verification code provided in the postcard (or phone call), unless there are exceptional circumstances. This is for the security and accuracy of Maps content and our users who require correct and useful information.
So this short cut is gone, for at least the time being.
Forum discussion at Google Business Help.
Update: A Google spokesperson told me this isn't entirely true. They told me, "we aren't removing manual verification." "We just wanted to clarify to users that they should use the official channel to do this, rather than contact the support team," Google added.
