Responding to Google reviews quickly and professionally helps your business build trust, improve local SEO, and boost conversions. But let's be honest - it's hard to keep up when you're running a small business.
That's why I built a fully automated system that reads your reviews, understands the sentiment, and posts a personalized reply - all within minutes.
Here's how you can do the same using Zapier + AI (via OpenRouter) - no coding required.
Note: You can use any automation tool like Zapier, n8n, or Make with any LLM such as OpenAI, Claude, or Gemini to achieve similar results.
🧰 What You'll Need
- A Zapier account (Free + 1 Pro feature)
- Access to your Google Business Profile via Zapier
- An OpenRouter API key (or any AI provider you use)
- 15 minutes to set this up
⚙️ Step-by-Step Automation Workflow
Here's what the workflow looks like:
1. Trigger: New Google Review
The Zap starts when someone leaves a review on your Google Business Profile.
2. Delay: Wait a Few Minutes
I added a short delay (using Zapier's Delay feature) so the response doesn't feel too "robotic." You can set this to 5–15 minutes.
3. AI Response: Generate a Smart Reply
I used OpenRouter (though you can use any provider of your choice, such as OpenAI) to call an AI model with the following system prompt:
You are a helpful business assistant. Your job is to respond to Google Business Profile reviews in a warm, professional, and concise manner.
It handles all types of reviews smartly:
- ⭐️ 4–5 stars → Thank the customer & highlight something nice
- ⭐️ 3 stars → Thank them & say you're working to improve
- ⭐️ 1–2 stars → Apologize sincerely & offer to help
The responses are under 60 words and end with a matching emoji (🙂, 😐, 😞).
4. Post: Reply on Google
Finally, the generated reply is posted automatically to the original review via the Google Business Profile action in Zapier.
📝 Sample Review & AI-Generated Responses
⭐ Review 1: Positive Experience (5 ⭐)
Customer:
"Absolutely loved the service! Super fast, super helpful. Will definitely recommend to others."
AI Response:
Thank you so much for your kind words! 😊 We're thrilled to hear you had a great experience. Your support means the world to us, and we're always here if you need anything. Looking forward to serving you again!
😐 Review 2: Neutral Feedback (3.5 ⭐)
Customer:
"The service was okay, but I expected more detailed insights in the report."
AI Response:
Thank you for your honest feedback. We appreciate you giving us a try and are sorry we didn’t fully meet your expectations this time. We’re continuously improving our reports, and your input helps us do just that. If you're open to it, we'd love to hear more about what you were hoping to see — we’re here to help.
😞 Review 3: Negative Experience (1 ⭐)
Customer:
"Not worth the price. The report was confusing and didn’t help us at all."
AI Response:
We’re really sorry to hear about your experience, and we appreciate you sharing this. It’s never our intention to leave our customers feeling unsatisfied. If you're open to it, we’d love the chance to review your feedback in detail and see how we can make things right. Your satisfaction is important to us, and we take your concerns seriously.
💡 These responses were generated using AI to reflect empathy, professionalism, and a tone that matches the customer’s sentiment. Feel free to personalize them further for your business!
💡 Why This Matters
✅ Saves time
✅ Improves brand trust
✅ Responds within minutes, even while you sleep
✅ Works even if you're not tech-savvy
🔧 Want It Set Up for You?
If you'd like help setting this up for your business, contact me here or DM me on Twitter.
📥 Bonus: Download the Prompt Template
Want to use my exact system prompt? Download it here
If you found this helpful, share it with a fellow business owner. Let's automate the boring stuff so you can focus on growing your business 🚀