Most owners worry that a new tool becomes one more job. Beside is built the other way round: it does the writing, the watching and the checking, and brings you only the decisions and the few tasks nobody else can do for you.
This article sets out who does what, how many approvals to expect, and how to hand Beside more of the work once you trust it.
Beside's part
Answers your calls and texts with your Receptionist, and texts back after a missed call.
Turns each request into a job and drafts the reply, then the follow-ups.
Drafts a reply to every Google review and keeps your Google profile up to date.
Asks your customers for a Google review after each finished job, once you turn requests on.
Builds and edits your website.
Plans your Google Ads and reviews them every day.
Checks your listings on other sites and audits how easily customers find you.
Records everything it finished under Activity, in Beside's profile. 📖 See what Beside did for you
Your part
What you do | Why it is yours |
Connect your tools | Beside only sees what you connect: your Google profile, email, calendar, job software, ads account. It takes a sign-in only you can give, in Settings → Connectors. 📖 Connect your tools to Beside |
Answer what Beside asks | Anything set to Always ask waits for your OK. See Where your requests live below. |
Call leads back | Beside never dials a customer. When a call is the right next step, it gives you the call to make, with the context. A few hours after a new request, it asks whether you reached the customer, so the job stays up to date. |
Post your Yelp replies | Yelp gives no way for Beside to post. Beside drafts each reply; you copy it and post it on Yelp. 📖 Reply to a negative review |
Fix your details on other sites | Only the business owner can edit a Yelp, BBB or directory listing. Beside tells you exactly what to change. 📖 Keep your business details the same everywhere |
Mark jobs done and paid | Only if no connected job software tells Beside. Finished jobs are what trigger review requests. 📖 Follow every lead from first contact to paid |
How many approvals to expect
Fewer than most owners fear. Across Beside businesses over a recent month, most had a handful of approvals or fewer, and even the busiest, with many tools connected, saw about five a week. Your first weeks are usually the busiest, while you connect tools and approve Beside's first plans.
These are rough figures, not a limit. The more tools you connect and the more leads you get, the more Beside has to propose, and the more you can hand over.
Hand over more with Autonomy
In Settings → Autonomy, each of four areas, Customer messages, Reviews & Google profile, Ads and Website, is set to Always ask, Always allow or Deny. Moving one area to Always allow takes its approvals off your plate. Ads never offers Always allow: every change to your ad account comes to you.
What already runs without asking
Most work starts on Always ask. A few low-risk actions start on Always allow:
Gmail or Outlook replies to people you have already been emailing with.
Replies inside existing GoHighLevel conversations.
Google review requests, once you have turned review requests on.
Follow-ups on Housecall Pro estimates, once you have set up estimate follow-up.
Website edits you ask for in chat, which are saved as a draft. Publishing them is separate.
Bookkeeping that sends nothing to a customer, like moving a job to its next step.
That is why Customer messages can read Custom even if you never changed it: some actions inside it already differ. Open the area to see and change each one.
💡 Where owners usually start:
Reviews & Google profile is often the first area moved to Always allow, once a few replies sound right. Customer messages is the one most owners watch longest, because it talks to customers in your name.
Where your requests live
In Chat. The bar above the message box reads Beside wants you to review. Select Review, open a request to see what Beside would do, then choose Approve once or Reject.
By text. Beside can text you what needs an answer, and you reply from your phone. 📖 Get your agent's updates by text
A request you have not answered does not stop Beside. It keeps doing everything it is allowed to do, and only the work that depends on that answer waits.
FAQ
Can Beside call my leads for me?
Can Beside call my leads for me?
No. Beside never places a call to a customer. Your Receptionist answers incoming calls, and when a lead needs a call back, Beside hands you the call to make with everything you need to know.
What happens if I ignore a request?
What happens if I ignore a request?
It waits in Review. Nothing that depends on it goes out, and everything else carries on. If you often leave one kind of request unanswered, that area may be worth moving to Always allow or Deny.
I am going away. What should I do?
I am going away. What should I do?
Your Receptionist keeps answering calls either way. For the rest, either answer requests by text while you are away, or move the areas you trust to Always allow and switch them back when you return.
Does Always allow cost more credits?
Does Always allow cost more credits?
No. A finished piece of work costs the same whether you approved it or Beside sent it on its own. Drafts and proposals are free either way. 📖 Understand your plan and credits
How much time does Beside take each week?
How much time does Beside take each week?
Mostly the minutes it takes to answer a few requests and make the calls Beside lines up for you. Setup takes longer in the first weeks, while you connect tools and approve the first plans.