Business Hours and Status Checks

The Places API returns current details for a business, such as its open hours, whether it is temporarily closed, and its address. A Beam agent checks a stored business record, such as a vendor or delivery stop, against the Places API before a scheduled delivery or visit and updates the record if the hours or status have changed. It only updates fields the Places API returns with high confidence. A business marked permanently closed, or one the API cannot find a confident match for, is set aside for a person to confirm before any delivery or visit is planned around it.

Nearby Location Discovery

The Places API can list businesses near a given point, such as pharmacies, grocery stores, or other services relevant to a task. A Beam agent reads a request that needs a nearby option, such as finding the closest pharmacy to a delivery address, queries the Places API for matching results within an approved distance and category, and returns the top options that meet a company's existing criteria, such as being currently open. It never picks a final option on its own. Where no result meets the criteria, or results are too far apart to judge, a person chooses from the full list instead.

Address Format Checks

The Places API can confirm whether an address a person or system entered actually corresponds to a real, findable place. A Beam agent reads an address entered into a form or record, checks it against the Places API, and standardizes the formatting, such as fixing a misspelled street name, when the match is exact and unambiguous. It never guesses at an address it cannot confirm. Addresses the API cannot find, or that return more than one equally likely match, are left as entered and flagged for a person to check with the customer directly.