Despite the fact that the local services market is already crowded with companies like Yelp and Angie's List, this did not deter Facebook from joining the foray. The social networking giant recently launched Professional Services which is its own taken on the local services market.
Facebook described Professional Services as a way for its users to connect with "local businesses and organization with the best Facebook reviews and ratings." Professional Services lists services ranging from accounts, auto dealers and even psychics.
The service will also allow users to easily find establishments like a spa or a restaurant that are recommended by family, friends and even strangers. Users can also leave a review or rating of that particular establishment in order to give other users the hint of what its services are and compare it with others. Just like other local services website, Facebook's Professional Services has a star-based rating system.
Facebook released Professional Services with just a little fanfare. According to PC Mag, the feature did not even reach the mainstream media until it was spotted by Acodez, an IT firm based in India.
In a statement released to Tech Crunch, a Facebook spokesperson said, "We're in the early stages of testing a new way for people to easily find more Pages for the services they're interested in."
Facebook has been encouraging small and local business to constantly update their respective Facebook pages by adding more information. Experts estimate that the local services market has an untapped potential worth of more than $800 billion.