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AI for Google review replies and review requests: 16 real small-business examples
Updated October 18, 2026 · 16 sourced examples · no paid placement
Short answer: Small businesses use AI to draft a reply to every Google and Yelp review, clear a backlog of unanswered reviews, write calm answers to angry ones, and send a review request after every job or order. In these 16 examples, from restaurants, plumbing and HVAC companies, auto glass and repair shops and dental practices, the AI is usually ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini, or a feature built into software the business already uses. In almost every case a person still approves each reply before it posts. One restaurant says its reply time fell from about a day to under four hours. The results are what each business reported, not promises.
Below are 16 documented examples, told by owners in their own words, on podcasts and in the trade and local press: who did it, what the AI does, what they reported and where the story came from. After that: what a person should still check, what to watch out for and how to try it this week.
Other industries too: see real AI automations by task for any small business.
What these 16 businesses actually did
- A drafted reply to every Google and Yelp review: Bangkok Rush Thai Kitchen (California) (owner-told, via Matt Rosenberg's website (Tannhäuser Gate Digital)). He lists the AI systems he runs daily: automated review responses, margin analysis for each dish, and a social content calendar. Reported: Self-reported on his own site: a 90% cut in startup costs. OpenAI's write-up about the restaurant says ChatGPT drafts a reply to every Google and Yelp review, cutting response time from about a day to under four hours. Note: he also sells AI consulting. Full case
- On-brand reply drafts, approved one by one: Cali BBQ (San Diego) (owner-told, via Restaurant Technology Substack (Shawn P. Walchef)). Marqii's Suggested Review Response feature drafts on-brand replies (positive, negative or neutral) using the restaurant's tone and custom prompts; a person approves and sends each one. Reported: Self-reported: each reply takes seconds to approve. He cites Marqii's figure that early users cut drafting time by 70%. Note: the post was sponsored by Marqii. Full case
- Replies written in the restaurant's own voice: Old Scratch Pizza (Ohio) (owner-told, via Toast Community: Exploring AI in My Restaurant, Ask Me Anything (Eric, owner of Old Scratch Pizza)). The team uploaded lots of examples of its writing and brand voice into ChatGPT and Claude. The tools draft first versions of social media content and email promotions, help brainstorm content and promotion ideas, and quickly create replies to Google and Yelp reviews. Reported: He says the review replies come out thoughtful and kind, and that AI speeds up social media, ad copy and promotional content while keeping the messaging consistent. No time figures are given. Full case
- Automatic replies at 100+ reviews a week: Wilson Plumbing and Heating (owner-told, via Owned and Operated podcast). They nicknamed their AI "Karen" and use it across departments. Marketing uses it for copy, images and social. A webhook auto-responds to Google reviews to cut bandwidth. They also use AI to enhance sparse invoice and estimate descriptions so customers understand the work. Call-center FAQ and inbound chat booking into ServiceTitan were in progress, not live voice answering. Reported: Self-reported on Owned and Operated: review replies take less bandwidth at roughly 100+ reviews a week, and estimate writing is a daily use. No revenue figures given. Co-host Jack Carr said he hated talking to an AI phone agent as a caller. Full case
- A different reply to every review, approved first: Intelligent Design (Tucson) (press, via ACHR News). ServiceTitan's AI drafts a varied reply to each review; Kays approves each one before it's sent. Reported: AI-drafted replies are 'almost always spot on'. Reviews reached 446 by early July 2024, versus 418 in all of 2023. Full case
- AI drafts, a person edits: Rapid HVAC (Tennessee) (owner-told, via Owned and Operated podcast). His team drafts SEO, copy and writing with AI, then a person edits through roughly two iterations before anything goes out. They also use AI for invoices and for writing back and commenting on Google reviews. He was waiting on dispatch AI and did not yet trust it enough to buy. Reported: Self-reported on Owned and Operated: AI is used as an enhancer across writing and reviews, not a hands-off system. No figures given. Full case
- Google review replies drafted with ChatGPT: Freedom Pest Control (press, via Pest Control Technology: Pest Control, Powered by AI (Tom Drapeau, Freedom Pest Control)). An AI customer service rep answers after-hours and overflow calls immediately, transcribes them and writes the call summary. Sellify sends AI-written texts that start sales conversations with existing customers, and ChatGPT drafts email campaigns, Google review replies and vendor negotiation emails. Reported: The AI rep replaced the human-staffed answering service. An AI text campaign to 1,000 customers, often reached in a single day, closed at 2.5% (about 25 sales). Drapeau says dropping manual call answering, faster lead follow-up, better ad spend and streamlined scheduling all lowered costs, while faster response and the sales campaigns raised revenue. He adds that time saved is hard to quantify. Full case
- A backlog of unanswered reviews cleared: Brown's Automotive (North Carolina) (press, via Ratchet+Wrench: Making AI Work for You). Her team uses AI behind the scenes to help answer Google reviews with keyword-rich language, draft and update SOPs, prepare talking points for weekly meetings, and organize feedback and stats for employee reviews. She makes the decisions; the AI cleans up the wording. Her suggested starting point for other shops: paste the unanswered reviews into AI and ask it to 'respond with empathy' or 'respond professionally,' then use your reviews and strengths to generate social media posts. Reported: 'It helps me get all of that stuff done much faster.' Her estimates for the starter ideas: a 50-review backlog is 'done in minutes,' and 'you can have 30 days of marketing content in 15 seconds.' No figures on ratings or bookings. The article doesn't name the AI tool. Full case
- Review replies without taking time out of the day: Auto Glass Experts (North Carolina) (press, via AGRR Magazine: New Kid on the Block (Abby Bowman)). ChatGPT helps the owner write detailed team emails so his meaning is clear and respond to customer reviews. Staff use AI to help write vehicle pre-inspection manuals and customer service rep training. Reported: Madanat says responding to reviews with AI helps the shop keep customer relationships and promote its work without taking extra time out of the day. "I love the time we have gained in using AI for small tasks," he says. "Less time at the computer and more time with people is always a win for me." No hours-saved figure is given. Full case
- Review replies drafted with Gemini: Titan Auto Glass (Texas) (press, via AGRR Magazine: New Kid on the Block (Abby Bowman)). Google Gemini reads and summarizes contracts, writes how-to documents and drafts replies to customer reviews. Blaze AI writes and posts the shop's social media posts, and Podium helps customers get quotes and answers to common questions. Reported: AGRR Magazine reports Titan added Blaze AI for social posts soon after starting with AI, and added Podium last year to help customers get quotes, answer frequently asked questions and assist with sales. No time or revenue figures are given. Full case
- A seven-part prompt for a 1-star review: Dove Dental Group (Missouri) (owner-told, via The Dentalpreneur Podcast #2592: From Cavities to Code, How AI is Revolutionizing the Dental Workspace (Dr. Steve Dove and Dr. Beau Sparkman)). He uses a seven-part prompt formula: role, audience, task, context, tone, format and a safety rule (no patient identifiers). For the review, the role is a practice manager at a dental office responding publicly to a Google review, and the audience is the reviewer plus every prospective patient who will read the reply while deciding whether to book. He pastes in the prompt, uploads an image or the text of the review and asks for the reply. The rollout he recommends: learn the prompt formula, build 10 approved prompts, train one role (usually the office manager), then review the wins and expand. Reported: Self-reported, with no numbers: he says he got "a perfect response as opposed to a hallucinated response from AI." The session doesn't say which AI tool he used for this demo (it covers ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and NotebookLM) and gives no time-saved or rating figures. The session's HIPAA rule: never put patient names, dates of birth or subscriber IDs into these tools. Both dentists also coach for DSI and mention a dental app they are building that wasn't live yet. Full case
- Calm, privacy-safe replies to angry reviews: Pure Dental Health (Atlanta area) (owner-told, via The Dental Marketer (Monday Morning Marketing): ChatGPT for reputation and content with Dr. Justin Scott). ChatGPT, told to act as a PR person, drafts calm replies to bad reviews and angry patient emails that never discuss the patient's case. The same chat turns a transcribed podcast or video into a blog post, a YouTube description with hashtags, an Instagram post and a set of short posts. Reported: Self-reported: he says ChatGPT handles the professional, HIPAA-safe wording he would get wrong when emotional, and that using it for HR and labor-law questions let him drop his monthly HR/legal service fee. His team, including the marketing staff, is being trained to use it. No review-rating or traffic numbers are given. Full case
- One Claude prompt, front desk approves: Carolina Pines Dentistry (owner-told, via Dental Marketing Goat podcast #280: 5 Ways AI Helped This Practice Grow (Dr. Shane Wingler)). The team is building one Claude prompt with guardrails for how the practice sounds. When a new Google review comes in, it drafts the reply, and the front desk only approves it before it posts. The same Claude setup, connected to the practice's brand in Canva, turns a broken process into a new SOP or form (for example a phone intake sheet with name, date of birth, insurance and chief complaint) with the logo and colors. Hygienists used ChatGPT to build a post-op instruction sheet for scaling and root planing patients. Reported: Self-reported and still in progress: the review automation was being built when he described it, so there are no time-saved figures yet. Branded SOPs and forms take 'a few minutes.' The host warned that Google may treat obviously automated replies as spam, which is one more reason a person approves every reply. The practice's AI receptionist and X-ray AI (Overjet) are separate setups. Full case
- A review request texted after every online order: Mattenga's Pizzeria (San Antonio) (press, via Axios San Antonio). Their Owner.com 'digital storefront' runs the website, online ordering and app, and texts customers after each online order asking for a review. Reported: Stanfield credits the automated review requests with lifting their Google ratings. 'Now all of our locations are 4.5 plus.' Full case
- Review follow-ups after every job: Golden Plumbing KY (Louisville) (owner-told, via LinkedIn (Spencer Gardner)). AI sends review follow-ups after every job, drafts replies to online inquiries for him to approve, runs the social schedule and flags drops in Google rankings. Reported: Self-reported: faster responses and nothing falls through the cracks. Frustrated customers and complex estimates still go to him. No figures given. Full case
- Reading what reviews say about the brand: Handcraft Burgers and Brews (New York) (press, via Restaurant Dive: Can AI help independent restaurants close the gap with big chains? (David Ciancio / Handcraft Burgers and Brews)). Ciancio recommends feeding written guest reviews into agentic LLMs such as ChatGPT, Claude or Google Gemini, then comparing the themes guests use to describe the restaurant against the restaurant's own brand messaging. Operators use the gaps to rewrite messaging (or fix operations) so brand identity lines up with guests' emotional associations. The approach needs a sizable review dataset; panelist Kenneth Scharlatt of Savage Orchid Hospitality echoed that guest perception must match the brand you think you built. Reported: Process guidance from a named operator on a trade-press panel—no Handcraft-specific revenue or traffic lift is published in the Restaurant Dive article for this LLM review workflow alone. Full case
These are each company's own results with their own tools and teams, as reported by the source. Vendor case studies are written by the company selling the tool. None of them are promises.
How do small businesses use AI to reply to reviews?
Drafting a reply to every review. Matt Rosenberg, co-owner of Bangkok Rush Thai Kitchen in Alameda, California, runs automated review responses as one of his daily AI systems; OpenAI's write-up about the restaurant says ChatGPT drafts a reply to every Google and Yelp review, cutting response time from about a day to under four hours. At Intelligent Design in Tucson, software administrator Zachary Kays has ServiceTitan's AI draft a varied reply to each review and approves each one; he says the drafts are "almost always spot on." Shawn Walchef of Cali BBQ in San Diego uses Marqii's suggested replies and says each one takes seconds to approve.
Keeping your own voice. Eric, owner of Old Scratch Pizza in Dayton, Ohio, uploaded lots of examples of the team's writing into ChatGPT and Claude, and says the review replies come out thoughtful and kind. Dr. Shane Wingler of Carolina Pines Dentistry is building one Claude prompt with guardrails for how the practice sounds, so the front desk only approves each draft. Jack Carr of Rapid HVAC in Tennessee uses AI to write back to Google reviews, and his team edits AI drafts through roughly two rounds before anything goes out.
Volume and backlogs. John Wilson of Wilson Plumbing and Heating says a webhook auto-responds to Google reviews, which cuts the work when they get roughly 100 or more a week. Tonnika Haynes of Brown's Automotive in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, suggests pasting unanswered reviews into AI and asking it to "respond with empathy" or "respond professionally"; she estimates a 50-review backlog is "done in minutes." Zuhair Madanat of Auto Glass Experts, Adren Savitch of Titan Auto Glass (with Gemini) and Tom Drapeau of Freedom Pest Control (with ChatGPT) also draft review replies with AI.
Bad reviews. Dr. Steve Dove of Dove Dental Group in Springfield, Missouri, answers a 1-star Google review with a seven-part prompt: role, audience, task, context, tone, format and a safety rule (no patient identifiers), with every future patient who reads the reply as part of the audience. Dr. Justin Scott of Pure Dental Health tells ChatGPT to act as a PR person and draft calm replies to bad reviews and angry emails that never discuss the patient's case.
Can AI ask every customer for a review?
Yes, and this is the part that runs on its own. Mattenga's Pizzeria in San Antonio has its Owner.com online-ordering system text customers after each online order asking for a review; co-owner Hengam Stanfield credits it with lifting their Google ratings: "Now all of our locations are 4.5 plus." Spencer Gardner, CEO of Golden Plumbing KY in Louisville, has AI send review follow-ups after every job, while frustrated customers still go to him.
Software companies publish bigger numbers. In NiceJob's customer story, Good Guy Plumbing in Los Angeles grew from about 10 Google reviews to over 1,400 with automatic review requests after each job, and in Podium's, Valley Roofing & Exteriors collected 4.3 times as many reviews. Those stories come from the companies selling the tools, so treat them as best cases.
What else can AI do with your reviews?
Read them for patterns. David Ciancio, co-founder of Handcraft Burgers and Brews in New York, recommends pasting written guest reviews into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and comparing the themes guests use with your own brand copy, then fixing the messaging or the operation where they don't match. It needs a good number of reviews to work. Haynes also suggests using your best reviews to generate social media posts.
What should a person still check?
Every reply before it posts. Kays, Walchef and Wingler's front desk approve each one, and Carr's team edits each draft. On Wingler's podcast the host warned that Google may treat obviously automated replies as spam, which is one more reason a person reads each one.
Private details. Dove's rule is no patient identifiers, and Scott's replies never discuss the patient's case. The same goes for any business: don't confirm what a customer bought, owed or was treated for in a public reply.
What to watch out for
Who is telling the story. Walchef's post was sponsored by Marqii, the tool he uses, and the 70% faster drafting figure he cites is Marqii's. Rosenberg also sells AI consulting, and Wingler's podcast is run by his marketing agency. Wingler's review automation was still being built when he described it.
What the numbers mean. Intelligent Design had 446 reviews by early July 2024, compared with 418 in all of 2023, but the article doesn't say the AI replies caused that. Most of these businesses give no time or rating figures at all.
Tools named in these examples
| Tool | Starting price (base plan) | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Free $0; Go $8/mo; Plus $20/mo; Pro $100/mo | 2026-10-17 |
| Claude | $17/mo billed annually ($20 monthly) | 2026-10-15 |
| Google Gemini | $4.99/mo (Google AI Plus); free plan available | 2026-10-15 |
| Podium | Core $399/mo | 2026-10-14 |
| Birdeye | Pricing on request | 2026-10-14 |
Starting prices from each vendor's pricing page on the date shown. AI phone and texting features can be priced separately from the base plan, so check before you buy. Marqii, ServiceTitan, Owner.com and NiceJob are also named in these examples; we haven't price-checked them.
How to start this week
- Start with requests: set your job or order software (or a simple automation) to send one short review request with your Google review link when a job is marked done or an order is picked up.
- Write your reply rules once: your tone, how you sign off, what you never mention (prices owed, health details, names), and when a review goes to the owner instead.
- Paste five recent reviews, good and bad, into ChatGPT or Claude with those rules and see whether the drafts sound like you.
- Have a person approve every draft for a few weeks, and change the rules whenever you rewrite one.
- Once the drafts are reliably right, connect it to your review inbox so a draft is waiting for each new review, still with a person pressing post.
Run review replies, dish margins and the social calendar with ChatGPT at a home-kitchen restaurant
He lists the AI systems he runs daily: automated review responses, margin analysis for each dish, and a social content calendar.
ChatGPTDraft every review reply with AI, then approve each one before it posts
Marqii's Suggested Review Response feature drafts on-brand replies (positive, negative or neutral) using the restaurant's tone and custom…
Teach ChatGPT and Claude your pizzeria's voice, then draft Google and Yelp review replies and promos
The team uploaded lots of examples of its writing and brand voice into ChatGPT and Claude.
ChatGPT
ClaudeAuto-draft Google review replies when you get a hundred a week
They nicknamed their AI "Karen" and use it across departments.
via Owned and Operated podcast · 2026-01-30Have AI draft each Google review reply so every one reads a little differently
ServiceTitan's AI drafts a varied reply to each review; Kays approves each one before it's sent.
Use AI to draft review replies and marketing copy, then edit them yourself
His team drafts SEO, copy and writing with AI, then a person edits through roughly two iterations before anything goes out.
via Owned and Operated podcast · 2026-01-30Replace the after-hours answering service with an AI phone rep, text past customers about add-on services, and draft review replies with ChatGPT
An AI customer service rep answers after-hours and overflow calls immediately, transcribes them and writes the call summary.
ChatGPT
Smith.aiSASellify AIClear a backlog of unanswered Google reviews in minutes, then turn your best reviews into a month of social posts
Her team uses AI behind the scenes to help answer Google reviews with keyword-rich language, draft and update SOPs, prepare talking point…
Answer customer reviews and write clearer team emails with ChatGPT
ChatGPT helps the owner write detailed team emails so his meaning is clear and respond to customer reviews.
ChatGPTReply to reviews and summarize contracts with Gemini at a three-location auto glass shop
Google Gemini reads and summarizes contracts, writes how-to documents and drafts replies to customer reviews.
Google Gemini
PodiumBABlaze AIAnswer a 1-star Google review with a seven-part prompt instead of hours of drafting
He uses a seven-part prompt formula: role, audience, task, context, tone, format and a safety rule (no patient identifiers).
Have ChatGPT draft HIPAA-safe replies to angry dental reviews, then turn one podcast transcript into a blog post, YouTube copy and social posts
ChatGPT, told to act as a PR person, drafts calm replies to bad reviews and angry patient emails that never discuss the patient's case.
ChatGPT
Descript
Otter.aiDraft a reply to every Google review with a Claude prompt that keeps your voice, and have the front desk approve each one
The team is building one Claude prompt with guardrails for how the practice sounds.
Claude
Canva AI (Magic Studio)ChatGPTText every online-order customer a review request automatically
Their Owner.com 'digital storefront' runs the website, online ordering and app, and texts customers after each online order asking for a …
Have AI chase reviews after every plumbing job
AI sends review follow-ups after every job, drafts replies to online inquiries for him to approve, runs the social schedule and flags dro…
via LinkedIn (Spencer Gardner) · 2026-02-19Paste Yelp and Google reviews into ChatGPT or Claude and compare them to your brand copy so the story guests tell matches the story you tell
Ciancio recommends feeding written guest reviews into agentic LLMs such as ChatGPT, Claude or Google Gemini, then comparing the themes gu…
ChatGPTClaudeGoogle GeminiQuestions
Can AI reply to my Google reviews?
Yes. In these examples ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or software the business already uses (ServiceTitan, Marqii) drafts the reply, and in most of them a person approves each one before it posts. Bangkok Rush says this cut its response time from about a day to under four hours.
Should AI post review replies automatically?
Most businesses here don't let it. Intelligent Design, Cali BBQ and Carolina Pines Dentistry have a person approve every reply, and Rapid HVAC edits each draft. Wilson Plumbing and Heating does auto-respond, at roughly 100 or more reviews a week. On one podcast the host warned that Google may treat obviously automated replies as spam.
How do I use ChatGPT to respond to a negative review?
Give it the review plus your rules. Dr. Steve Dove's prompt names a role (a practice manager answering publicly), the audience (the reviewer and every future patient who reads it), the task, context, tone, format and a safety rule: no patient identifiers. Dr. Justin Scott tells ChatGPT to act as a PR person and never discuss the patient's case. Read and edit the draft before you post it.
Can I automate review requests?
Yes. Mattenga's Pizzeria texts a review request after every online order and says all of its locations are now rated 4.5 or higher; Golden Plumbing KY sends review follow-ups after every job. In these examples the request comes from software the business already runs: Owner.com for online orders, and NiceJob working with Housecall Pro in one vendor story.
Can someone set it up for us?
Yes. The $197 Quick-Win sets up one automation in accounts you own, such as review requests after every job or drafted replies waiting for approval, live within 48 hours of getting access, with a refund if it is not live in 48 hours or is not doing its job in the first 14 days.
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