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Reply to Google Review Task

Overview

The Reply to Google Review task posts a public reply to a review on a connected Google Business Profile. It is the companion to the Google Review Received trigger: the trigger tells you a review arrived, this task responds to it.

The reply is public and appears under the review on Google, attributed to the business.

Replies are public and immediate

There is no draft or approval step. Whatever this task sends appears publicly under the review. Do not wire an AI-generated reply straight into it for negative reviews — see Best Practices.

When to use this task:

  • Thank customers for positive reviews automatically.
  • Post an approved standard response to a common piece of feedback.
  • Publish a reply that a manager has drafted and approved elsewhere in the workflow.

Configuration

Builder fields

The Field column is the label as it appears in the task builder; Key is the name the value is stored under and referenced by.

Field Key Type Default Notes
Google Business Profile app_connection_id app-connection –
Review name (not the review ID) review_name text {{review_name}}
Reply text reply_comment textarea –
Field Required Notes
Google account Yes The connected Google Business Profile account. Map app_connection_id from the trigger.
Review Yes The review's full resource name. Map review_name from the trigger.
Reply text Yes The public reply. Supports workflow variables.

All three must resolve to a non-empty value or the task stops before calling Google.

Getting the review reference

Map both fields straight from the Google Review Received trigger:

Google account: {{task_46171_app_connection_id}}
Review:         {{task_46171_review_name}}
Reply text:     {{task_46180_ai_response}}

review_name is Google's own full resource identifier for the review. Pass it through unchanged — it cannot be reconstructed from the review ID alone.

Output Fields

Field Description
{{task_ID_review_name}} The review that was replied to.
{{task_ID_reply_comment}} The reply text as Google stored it.
{{task_ID_reply_update_time}} When the reply was posted or last updated.
{{task_ID_run}} true when the reply posted successfully.
{{task_ID_run_text}} Reply posted to Google review successfully., or the failure reason.

Real-World Examples

Thank positive reviewers automatically

Google Review Received
  └─ If Statement            star_rating is 4 or 5
      └─ AI Prompt           "Write a short, warm thank-you for this review"
          └─ Reply to Google Review

Human-approved replies for complaints

Google Review Received
  └─ If Statement            star_rating is 1, 2 or 3
      └─ Email               send the draft to the manager for approval
                             (the manager replies in the CRM; a separate
                              workflow posts the approved text)

Replace a reply

Posting again for the same review updates the existing reply rather than adding a second one.

Best Practices

  • Never auto-post to a negative review. Branch on star_rating and route anything below four stars to a person. A generated apology under a one-star review is worse than no reply.
  • Check reply_comment on the trigger first. If it is already populated, someone has replied — posting again overwrites their words.
  • Keep replies short and specific. Use reviewer_name and location_title so the reply does not read as generated.
  • Never include personal details. The reply is public — no order numbers, no email addresses, no account references.
  • Test on a low-stakes location before enabling across every branch.

Troubleshooting

Message Cause and fix
No Google Business Profile account linked. The Google account field is empty. Map app_connection_id from the trigger.
No review specified (review_name is empty). The Review field resolved to empty. Map review_name from the trigger — it cannot be rebuilt from the review ID.
Review "…" is not a full review name The Review field holds something other than accounts/…/locations/…/reviews/…, usually the review ID. Map review_name.
No reply text provided. The reply text is empty. If it comes from an AI task, confirm that task succeeded.
Failed to post reply to Google review: … Google rejected the call. The message shows Google's reason and the review that was sent. Usually a revoked connection, a deleted review, or insufficient permission on the location.
Google could not find this review… Google returned 404. The review was deleted, or the task's Google account is not the one that manages that location. Use the trigger's app_connection_id.
Token or authorisation error The Google Business Profile connection needs reconnecting.
No task mapping provided. The task has no saved configuration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I reply to a review that already has a reply? Yes — it updates the existing reply. Check reply_comment on the trigger first so you don't overwrite a colleague's response.

Can I delete a reply? Not with this task. Remove it in Google Business Profile.

How soon does the reply appear? Google publishes it promptly, though it can take a short while to show everywhere.

Can I reply to a review left before I connected the account? Yes, provided you have its review_name. In practice that comes from the trigger.

Is there a length limit? Google enforces its own limit on reply length. Keep replies brief.