Audience: Organisations creating or managing service listings
Introduction
We've updated listings to better describe how services are delivered and where they are available.
These improvements make search results more accurate by ensuring users can find services that are genuinely available to them, regardless of whether they're delivered in person, by telephone, online or through an app.
Two new required fields have been introduced:
delivery_mode
service_area
Together, these replace the previous service_location field.
Delivery mode
Delivery mode describes how a service is provided.
A listing can have one or more delivery modes where those methods form part of the same service journey.
Available delivery modes include:
Delivery mode | Use when... |
On-site (in person) | The user attends a physical location. |
Outreach (in person) | Staff travel to the user. |
Telephone | The service is delivered over the phone. |
Video call | The service is delivered using video conferencing. |
App based | The service is delivered through a website or mobile app. |
Choosing the correct delivery mode
If every person using the service receives the same combination of delivery methods, select all that apply.
For example:
Initial telephone assessment followed by an in-person appointment.
Select:
Telephone
On-site (in person)
If users choose between different delivery methods, create separate listings instead.
For example:
Telephone counselling
Face-to-face counselling
These should be separate listings because they're different ways of accessing the service.
Service area
Service area describes where a service is available, not where your organisation is based.
A listing may cover:
one or multiple Local Authority Districts
one or multiple counties
England
Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland
the entire United Kingdom
Examples
- Digital service available nationally
Select: United Kingdom
- Face-to-face service only available in Leeds
Select: Leeds
- Service available across Leeds and Bradford
Select both areas.
Location address vs Service area
These are different things.
Location address
Where your organisation is based.
Service area
Where clients can access the service.
For example, your office may be in Birmingham while delivering telephone support across England.
In this case:
Location address = Birmingham
Service area = England
Delivery mode = Telephone
Searching for services
Search results now primarily use the service_area to decide whether a listing should appear.
If your listing is available in the user's area, it can appear in search results.
Radius filtering
Radius (travel distance) filtering now only applies to services delivered in person.
This means:
Delivery type | Radius applies? |
On-site | ✔ Yes |
Outreach | ✔ Yes |
Telephone | ✘ No |
Video call | ✘ No |
App based | ✘ No |
This allows remote services to appear wherever they are available instead of being limited by the provider's physical address.
Updating existing listings
We've already assigned a Service Area and Delivery Mode/s to existing listings where possible.
However, we would encourage all listing authors to review these changes and to ensure they are correct.
When you next edit a listing, you'll need to select:
Delivery mode
Service area
Both fields are now required.
CSV and XLSM imports
Imports have been updated to support the new fields.
You can now provide:
Delivery mode
Service Area
Although imports will continue to work using default values where necessary, we strongly recommend supplying both fields explicitly so imported listings accurately reflect your service.
Accepted import values
Delivery mode
The Delivery mode (comma-separated) column accepts one or more of the following values.
Value | Description |
on_site_in_person | The service is delivered in person at a specific location. |
outreach_in_person | The service is delivered in person by travelling to the client. |
telephonic | The service is delivered over the telephone. |
virtual_call | The service is delivered using video conferencing or similar platforms. |
app_based | The service is delivered entirely through a website, mobile application or other digital platform. |
If a service uses multiple delivery methods as part of the same service journey, separate each value with a comma.
Example
telephonic,on_site_in_person
If no Delivery mode is supplied during import, it will default to:
on_site_in_person
Service area
Service Areas can be supplied using one of the following methods.
Method | Example | Notes |
Service area code | E06000009 | Uses the official Local Authority District (LAD), county or country code. |
Service area name | Leeds, England, United Kingdom | Uses the Local Authority District, county or country name. |
Latitude and Longitude | 53.8008, -1.5491 | The corresponding Local Authority District or county will be determined automatically from the coordinates. |
If more than one method is supplied, imports use the following order of precedence:
Service area code
Service area name
Service area latitude and longitude
If no Service Area is supplied:
If a location address is provided, the corresponding Local Authority District or county will be assigned automatically.
If no location address is available, the Service Area will default to United Kingdom.
Recommended best practice
Although default values allow existing import processes to continue working, we recommend explicitly supplying both:
Delivery mode (comma-separated)
A Service Area value (code, name or coordinates)
This ensures imported listings accurately represent both how a service is delivered and where it is available.
Please check our video guide regarding the Joy Marketplace search updates
Frequently Asked Questions
Why has Service Location been removed?
The previous field tried to describe both how a service was delivered and where it was available.
Separating these into two fields provides a much more accurate representation of services.
Can I still add my organisation's address?
Yes.
Your location address is still supported and represents where your organisation is based.
Can I select more than one Delivery Mode?
Yes, provided those delivery methods form part of the same service journey.
Can I select more than one Service Area?
Yes.
If your service is available across multiple Local Authority Districts, counties or countries, simply select each applicable area.
Why isn't my virtual service showing in nearby searches?
Check that your service listing’s Service Area includes the area being searched.
Virtual, telephone and app-based services are no longer filtered by travel distance, but they must still be available in the selected Service Area.