The Business Directory app in Shift consolidates the world's leading corporate registries, local search engines, and consumer review platforms into a single, streamlined interface. Whether you are conducting market research, looking up vendor contact details, or cross-referencing business credentials, you can navigate multiple databases without cluttering your browser tab layout.
Step 1: Navigate to the Business Directory App
Launch Shift on your computer.
Locate and click the Business Directory icon on your sidebar layout to open the consolidated dashboard.
Note: If you do not see the Business Directory icon inside your current layout, you can quickly integrate it into your workspace by following our guide: How to Add an App in Shift.
Supported Directory Platforms
The Business Directory app aggregates multiple data providers. Select the platform from the application interface that best matches your lookup requirements:
411 info: Best for business category searches, real estate lookups, and reverse phone number tracing.
Yellow Pages: Ideal for finding localized consumer services, medical clinics, auto repair, and local grocery stores by region.
Yelp: Optimized for restaurant discovery, crowdsourced customer reviews, photos, and local service ratings.
Angi: Specialized for locating verified home improvement, contracting, and residential maintenance professionals.
Better Business Bureau (BBB): Best for vetting corporate reliability, viewing official business accreditation, and checking customer complaint histories.
Foursquare: Focused on lifestyle discovery, tracking trending hotspots, food, nightlife, and retail shopping locations.
Manta: Excellent for small-to-medium business data exploration, filterable by city, state, country, or zip code.
Chamber of Commerce: Optimized for local B2B networking, commercial registries, and verified regional business listings.
Hotfrog: A global corporate engine tailored for discovering localized small businesses and niche product vendors.
Step-by-Step Usage Instructions
1. Search for a Business
Select your preferred search platform from the application's left-hand sidebar menu.
Locate the input search bar at the top of the main window.
Type in your search parameters based on the chosen platform’s criteria (e.g., business name, industry keyword, or location).
Press Enter on your keyboard to generate an indexed list of matching profiles.
2. View Business Details
Click on any business name within your search results to launch their complete informational dossier, which aggregates:
Formal business name and physical street address.
Primary phone numbers and hotlinks to official websites.
Standard weekly operating hours.
Aggregated customer reviews and star ratings.
3. Connect with a Business
Initiate Calls: Click on an available phone number string to trigger your default calling application (if configured on your desktop framework).
Launch Websites: Click the embedded website link to open the business's home domain in a clean, isolated workspace tab.
Direct Inquiries: If the selected platform supports direct text inquiries, click the message option to submit an instant quote request or customer service ticket.
Troubleshooting Search Anomalies
If an initial search fails to surface the entity you are looking for, try these adjustment tips:
Audit Syntax: Verify your text strings for simple spelling mistakes or incorrect regional zip codes.
Pivot Providers: Switch your active database in the sidebar (e.g., if a company doesn't appear on Yelp, try searching Manta or the Chamber of Commerce).
Broaden the Scope: Replace hyper-specific company names with wider category filters (e.g., search for "pizza restaurant" or "italian dining" instead of a unique establishment title).