Regaining #1 spot in google web and maps

I'm about to start working for a company and they used to be the #1 result for their specific keywords in local businesses. Google even had them up on a spot with a map and all their business info. They have dropped though, and my job is to try and get them back up. Problem is, I'm not sure how to do this.

For an example, Google "plumbing services irvine" and the first thing you should see is a map with a list of local businesses. The company used to be in the #1 spot but now they're not. I need to get them back up to #1 among other things.

Here's a list of problems/things:

1. When you search businesses in Google Maps, sometimes a logo of the business appears. How do you do this?

2. I've never seen this happen before, but in the local businesses section it has the business info of the company and the name, but the website goes to another company's site who has a very similar name to them. How do you fix this?

It seems that you can get your local business listed in Google using their local business services without having a website. That's what he made it seem like. So how would you raise ranking for those?

I'm a newbie at this kind of stuff so sorry if I've asked some stupid questions or explained things unclear.

You need to get their login details, and login to Google. Once you have logged in, go to the Local Business Centre and you can change the settings as required.

That's to edit the logo that shows up in the Google Maps (1), right? He did show me his Local Business Centre information.

So does anyone know how to fix these problems?

Try the local search subforum. As far as I know, you can't really influence a sixpack or map block. There are some steps to take to increase the chance of getting listed, but these are not garantueed.

Google used to list companies there who didnt even have a website, just from data from business directories / reviews and the like.