What does Heyhannah actually do?

Hannah is an AI receptionist for your business. She answers every call and message 24/7, asks the right questions about the job, and sends you the lead on WhatsApp within seconds, so you never lose an enquiry because you couldn't pick up. If you need a website, we build and run one for you as part of the package.

R1,999 a month with 100 minutes of calls included, or R23,988 a year with 150 minutes a month. Extra minutes are R6 each and Hannah never stops answering. A website is included if you need one, and busier businesses can ask us for a package with more minutes.

How does call forwarding work?

You forward your existing mobile number to your Heyhannah number by dialling a few short codes on your phone. It takes about three minutes and works on all the major South African networks; rain is the one exception, so talk to us first if you're on it. When you're available, turn forwarding off and answer calls yourself. When you're busy, turn it on and Hannah handles everything.

Does it sound like a real person?

She holds a normal conversation rather than reading a script: she answers with your business name, listens, asks follow-up questions about the job, and reads the details back to check she got them right. If she mishears something she asks again instead of guessing.

What happens during load shedding?

Heyhannah runs in the cloud, so it keeps answering calls even when your office has no power. This is one of the biggest advantages: you never miss a call due to load shedding again. WhatsApp summaries are delivered over mobile data.

Can it handle Afrikaans callers?

Ja. Hannah can run entirely in Afrikaans: she greets your callers in Afrikaans and understands them in Afrikaans, not just English with an accent. We set your language when we set your account up, and each Hannah answers in one language, so tell us which one your customers actually phone in.

How is this different from a normal answering service?

An answering service takes a message, usually charged per call and often only during business hours. Hannah answers every hour of the day and actually qualifies leads: she asks what they need, when, and how to reach them, and you get a structured WhatsApp message, not a vague callback note. A full-time receptionist doing the same job averages R7,865 a month for office hours alone (Indeed, September 2026).

What about data privacy?

Heyhannah is fully POPIA compliant. We don't collect ID numbers, bank details, or other sensitive information. Call data is stored securely and you can request deletion at any time.

How does billing work?

Pay monthly or yearly. Monthly has no contract: you're billed when you sign up and then each month, and you can cancel anytime. Yearly is paid once for 12 months and renews each year, with an email reminder well before it does. Hannah can be answering your calls within 24 hours of you finishing setup, and if you're not happy in your first 30 days, tell us and we refund your first payment in full, monthly or yearly.

Why Google might ask for a video before it lists your business

By André Bergan, 2026-09-28

If you've tried to set up or update your Google Business Profile lately and Google didn't offer you the usual postcard in the post, you're not imagining it. For a growing number of South African businesses, especially the ones with no shopfront, a van and a toolbox, Google now wants a video before it will trust the listing.

Why this is happening to you

Google has spent years trying to keep fake listings off Maps, and a business with no fixed shopfront is the hardest kind to confirm. There is no building to send a postcard to and no signage on a street for anyone to check. A video is how Google gets proof that a real business is behind the listing, so if you work out of a bakkie rather than a shop, expect to be asked.

It's not only new listings. Changing your business name, category, address or phone number on an existing profile can trigger a fresh round of verification too. If you've just had a new number assigned and you're updating your Google listing to show it, don't be surprised if a video request pops up. That's routine, not a sign something is wrong.

What the video actually needs to show

Google's own instructions, at support.google.com/business/answer/14271705, split this by business type.

If customers come to you at a shopfront: film your signage, the outside of the premises and the interior. Anything that proves you manage the place, a till, stock, paperwork with your name on it, helps.
If you're a service-area business with no shopfront, which is most trades: film something that identifies where you are, like a street sign or a landmark near your address, then the tools, equipment and vehicle you work with, then yourself doing some of the work or getting into something only the business has access to.

Either way, Google wants the same three things in one clip: where you are, what the business is, and proof that you're the one running it rather than someone who happened to find the address.

The rules that trip people up

This is the part people get wrong and have to redo.

It has to be filmed live, from your phone, inside your Business Profile. Google says plainly that pre-recorded videos aren't allowed and you can't film it now and upload it later.
It must be one unedited recording with no breaks, and at least 30 seconds long.
Keep the camera steady and make sure your signage or number plate is actually readable. A shaky ten second clip of your bakkie driving past is the kind of thing that gets sent back.

Do it properly the first time and it's done. Google says the review can take up to five business days.

If your listing gets suspended anyway

If Google suspends or disables your profile outright, rather than just asking for a video, don't create a second listing to get around it. That makes things worse. Use Google's own appeal and reinstatement tools in the Business Profile help centre instead, and expect it to take a week or two.

Why it's worth getting right

A profile that's suspended, or stuck waiting on verification, doesn't show up on Google Maps or in local search. No listing means no reviews, no map pin, and no click through to your number. Getting found on Google is the first half of getting the job. The second half is what happens when the phone actually rings, which is the part we built Hannah for. She answers every call, on site or off, and gets you the details while you're up a ladder or under a sink. If missed calls are already costing you work on top of this, the calculator will show you roughly how much.