Replying to Google and Facebook Reviews with AI Help

A review reply is read by two people: the reviewer, and everyone who looks you up later. Google's help page says a reply shows customers you value their feedback.¹ So the reply matters, but it doesn't need to be long.

Before you can reply

On Google, there's a gate. The help page says you must verify your business before you can reply to reviews.¹ If the Reply button is missing, that's the first thing to check. Facebook works differently, so use its own help pages for the steps on your page.

Good reviews

Five-star reviews are the easy ones, and also the ones where an AI draft goes bland. "Thank you for your wonderful feedback" repeated under twenty reviews looks like a machine.

Give the tool one detail from the review, such as the person liked the banana bread or the quick service. Ask for two sentences that mention that detail. Then change the greeting to how you'd say it. Vary the wording from one reply to the next.

Bad reviews

Here you'll notice your own reaction first. A sharp review stings, and a draft written while annoyed is rarely good. Let the tool help you cool the tone.

Describe the complaint in neutral words. Ask for a reply that thanks the person, says sorry that the visit fell short, and offers a way to talk offline, like an email address. Don't ask it to argue the facts or defend the kitchen.

Don't let the draft invent a fix. A line like "we've retrained our whole team" isn't true unless you did it. And never offer a refund or voucher in public unless you mean it.

Keep names and details out

A review often names the guest, a booking time or a health issue. Australia's privacy regulator, the OAIC, suggests not putting personal details into public AI tools at all.² So paraphrase. Type "a guest says the pasta arrived cold" rather than pasting the review whole.

For a review that mentions illness or an allergic reaction, don't use a tool at all. Reply briefly and move the talk to a private channel. Any food safety or legal concern is for your local authority and, if needed, a lawyer.

What Google does with your reply

Replies are checked first. A reply that fails Google's content check comes back for editing. The wait is normally up to 10 minutes, though Google says it can stretch to 30 days.¹

Once live, the reply is posted under the business, not you. Your own name stays hidden, so add a signature line if you want one.¹ The reviewer gets a notice that you've replied.¹

Don't write or remove reviews

Staying honest is part of the job. The ACCC says a business breaks the law if it creates fake or misleading reviews, or arranges for others to.³ That's Australian law. Other countries have their own rules. An AI tool makes fake praise very easy to produce, so don't.

Be careful about removal as well. The ACCC warns that removing a negative review that was genuine may mislead consumers.³ Reply to it instead. For legal questions, see the ACCC directly.

A short workflow

Read the full review, including the parts that sting. Describe it in your own plain note, with no names. Ask for a short draft. Cut anything you wouldn't say to the person at the counter. Post from your own profile.

Aim for a reply you could read out loud to the reviewer without squirming. If you can't, rewrite it.

When the tool isn't worth it

If a review is two words and a smile, "Thanks, see you soon" will do. Save the drafting help for the long, mixed or upset ones, and for the days you're too tired to find the right words.