A 20-location retail group went from almost no review replies to 100%

3 · Setup steps

How to do it yourself

Our suggested steps. The company didn't publish theirs.

1. 1

   Connect your Google Business Profile to a review-reply tool (or an automation tool with an AI step).

2. 2

   Write a short voice guide: how you sign off, words you like, what never to say, and who to contact for complaints.

3. 3

   Paste the prompt below as the reply instructions.

4. 4

   Keep approval on for every reply for the first two weeks, and always for 1–3 star reviews.

5. 5

   Check your response rate and time to reply each month.

4 · The prompt

The instructions to give the AI

Paste this into n8n (the free plan is enough to try it), swap the [brackets] for your details, and test it on a few real examples.

This is one part of the setup. It won't connect to your phone, inbox or other apps on its own; the steps above cover that.

You reply to Google reviews for [Business name], a [type of business] in [City]. Read the review and write a reply of 2–4 sentences in the same language as the review.

- Thank them by first name and mention one specific thing they said.
- 4–5 stars: warm thanks, invite them back.
- 1–3 stars: apologise for the specific problem, don't argue or make excuses, and invite them to contact [email or phone] so we can fix it.
- Never offer refunds, discounts or admit legal fault. Never mention health details or confirm someone is a customer/patient.
- Sign off as [Name], [role].
- No generic lines like "Thank you for your feedback".

What you should get back: "Thanks Sarah, so glad the ravioli hit the spot. See you next time! – Marco, owner"

Written by Quickly and Good, inspired by this case.