Skip to content

Google Review Received

Overview

The Google Review Received trigger starts a workflow when a new review is posted to a connected Google Business Profile. The rating, the review text, the reviewer and the location it was left against are all available to the tasks that follow.

It is the front half of review management: this trigger tells you a review arrived, and the Reply to Google Review task posts your response.

When to use this trigger:

  • Alert the branch manager the moment a one-star review appears.
  • Draft a reply with AI Prompt and post it automatically.
  • Log every review against the CRM so reputation sits alongside the customer record.
  • Route by location when you run several branches.

The branch that matters most on this trigger is the rating. Praise can safely be answered automatically; a complaint should reach a person before anything is published:

flowchart TD
    A[New review posted] --> B[Trigger fires]
    B --> C{star_rating}
    C -->|4 to 5| D[AI drafts a thank-you]
    D --> E[Reply to Google Review]
    C -->|1 to 3| F[Email a person to handle it]

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 –
Location (optional) gbp_location gbp-location-select –

This trigger takes no configuration beyond the connected Google Business Profile account. It fires for new reviews on the profiles that account can see.

Output Fields

Field Description
session_id The review ID — a stable per-review key.
review_id The review's identifier.
review_name The review's full Google resource name. Pass this to Reply to Google Review.
star_rating The rating left by the reviewer.
comment The review text. Empty when the reviewer left only a rating.
reviewer_name The reviewer's display name.
reviewer_photo_url The reviewer's profile photo URL.
is_anonymous Whether the review was left anonymously.
create_time When the review was posted.
update_time When the review was last edited.
reply_comment An existing reply, if the review already has one.
app_connection_id The connected Google account. Also needed by the reply task.
account_id The Google Business Profile account.
location_id The location the review was left against.
location_title The location's name.
location_address The location's address.
location_phone The location's phone number.
location_website The location's website.
location_category The location's primary category.
location_description The location's description.
location_maps_uri Google Maps link for the location.
location_new_review_uri Link customers can use to leave a review.
location_place_id The location's Google Place ID.
{{task_ID_run}} Always true — the trigger fired.
{{task_ID_run_text}} Google Review Received trigger executed successfully.

Keep review_name and app_connection_id together

The reply task needs both. Map them straight from this trigger rather than reconstructing them.

Real-World Examples

Escalate poor reviews

Google Review Received
  └─ If Statement          star_rating is 1 or 2
      └─ Email             alert the branch manager, include comment and location_title
          └─ Workflow Note log the complaint for follow-up

Auto-reply to positive reviews, escalate the rest

Google Review Received
  └─ If Statement          star_rating is 4 or 5
      ├─ true ─ AI Prompt              draft a warm thank-you
      │           └─ Reply to Google Review
      └─ false ─ Email                 escalate to the manager for a human reply

Auto-replying to praise is low risk. Complaints deserve a person.

Route by branch

Google Review Received
  └─ Key Match             location_id → the branch manager's email
      └─ Email             notify that manager

Best Practices

  • Never auto-reply to a negative review. A generated apology to a one-star review reads badly in public. Branch on star_rating and route complaints to a human.
  • Check comment is not empty before feeding it to an AI — rating-only reviews have no text.
  • Use location_title in alerts, not location_id, so the notification is readable.
  • Check reply_comment before replying, so you don't overwrite a reply someone already wrote.
  • Respond quickly. Reviews are public; the alert is only useful if someone acts on it.

Troubleshooting

Symptom Cause and fix
Workflow never fires The task or workflow is disabled, or the Google Business Profile connection has lost authorisation. Reconnect the account.
comment is empty Expected — the reviewer left a star rating and no text.
Location fields are empty The location details could not be resolved. location_id is still populated.
The reply task cannot find the review review_name was not passed through, or was rebuilt by hand. Map it directly from this trigger.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does it fire when a review is edited? The trigger carries an update_time, so an edited review can be distinguished from a new one by comparing it against create_time.

Does it fire for reviews across all locations? Yes — for the profiles the connected account can see. Branch on location_id to handle each branch differently.

Can I get reviews from before I connected the account? No. The trigger reports new reviews from connection onwards.

Can I reply from the same workflow? Yes — that is exactly what Reply to Google Review is for.