⭐ Responding to reviews without losing your mind
Google and TripAdvisor reviews are public conversations. A thoughtful response to a negative review can actually improve your reputation more than the review itself damages it — because potential customers see that you care. The problem is that writing these responses when you're busy and frustrated is hard.
AI lets you draft a professional, measured response in 30 seconds. You can then edit it to sound like you. The result: every review gets a response, not just the ones you had energy for.
Example review
★★☆☆☆
"We waited 25 minutes for our coffee on a quiet Tuesday morning. When it arrived it was lukewarm. When we mentioned it the staff just said they were short-staffed. Won't be back."
AI-drafted response (then edited by owner)
Kia ora — thanks for taking the time to share this, even though we know it wasn't the experience you were hoping for. We're genuinely sorry about the wait and the temperature of your coffee. You deserved better. We've had some staffing challenges recently, but that's not your problem and it's not an excuse for lukewarm coffee. If you're ever willing to give us another chance, please come in and ask for [name] — I'd love to make it right. — [Owner name]
Respond to a negative review
Write a professional, empathetic response to the following negative review on behalf of [business name], a [type of business] in [location]. Acknowledge the issue, apologise genuinely, briefly explain (don't over-explain), and invite them back. Under 120 words. Warm and human — not corporate.
Review: [paste review text]
Then: Add one personal detail (your name, a specific offer). That's what makes it yours.
Respond to a glowing review
Write a warm, genuine response to this positive review for [business name]. Thank them specifically for what they mentioned. Don't just say "thanks for visiting!" — pick one detail from their review and respond to it. Under 60 words.
Review: [paste review]
Why bother? Responding to positive reviews builds loyalty and signals to other readers that you're engaged. Takes 2 minutes with AI.
Batch: 5 responses in one session
I need to respond to the following reviews for [business name]. For each one: write a short, genuine response (under 80 words each) appropriate to the rating and content. Vary the tone slightly so they don't all read identically.
Review 1 (★★★★★): [paste]
Review 2 (★★★☆☆): [paste]
Review 3 (★★★★☆): [paste]
Review 4 (★☆☆☆☆): [paste]
Review 5 (★★★★★): [paste]
Efficiency tip: Batch your review responses once a week. 10 minutes of editing AI drafts beats 45 minutes writing from scratch.
Exercise C.1
Respond to your last 3 reviews
Go to your Google Business or TripAdvisor page. Pick the last 3 reviews — positive, mixed, or negative. Use AI to draft responses for all three. Don't send them yet. Read each one. Edit for your voice. Then send the ones that feel right.
- 1Copy 3 real reviews (anonymise customer names in the prompt)
- 2Run the batch prompt above — or run each separately
- 3Edit each response: does it sound like you? Add one specific detail
- 4Time yourself — how long did 3 responses take vs your normal process?
📥 Enquiry responses that convert
An enquiry email that takes 3 days to get a response has already lost a significant portion of potential customers. But writing a thorough, warm response to every booking enquiry, quote request, or "how much do you charge?" email is genuinely time-consuming.
The solution: template prompts for your most common enquiry types. You customise with 3-4 specific details and send in under 5 minutes.
Booking / availability enquiry
Write a warm response to a booking enquiry for [business name]. The customer asked about [specific dates / general availability / a specific service]. Our availability is [details]. Pricing: [details]. Next step: [what they need to do to book]. Keep it friendly and easy to act on. Under 150 words.
Pro tip: End every booking response with one clear action: "Reply to confirm" or "Click here to book." Never leave the ball in ambiguous territory.
Custom quote / pricing enquiry
Write a professional response to a customer asking for a quote for [service]. Our pricing ranges from [X to Y] depending on [factors]. I need a bit more information before I can give an exact figure — specifically [what you need to know]. Write a response that gives them useful context, asks for the info we need, and makes it easy to continue the conversation. Under 180 words.
Key: Never say "it depends" without explaining what it depends on. That just frustrates people.
Handling a complaint by email
Write a professional response to this customer complaint for [business name]. Situation: [brief summary]. The customer is [frustrated / upset / very angry]. We [are responsible / are partly responsible / believe there has been a misunderstanding]. Next step: [offer / refund / call / investigation].
Write the response in this order: acknowledge → empathise → explain (briefly) → resolve → invite further contact. Under 200 words.
Critical: Read before sending. AI won't know your refund policy, your manager's name, or the facts of the situation — you add those.
❓ Build an FAQ page that actually answers questions
If you're answering the same questions by email repeatedly — prices, hours, parking, cancellation policy, dietary options — you should have an FAQ page. It saves you time and gives customers what they need at 11pm when you're not online.
AI is excellent at this. Give it information about your business and it will generate the questions your customers are most likely to ask.
Generate FAQ questions
I run [business name], a [type of business] in [location]. We offer [brief description of services/products]. Generate the 15 most common questions potential customers would ask before visiting or booking. Think about: pricing, availability, parking, what to bring, dietary/accessibility needs, cancellation, what to expect. Write from the customer's perspective — use "you" not "the customer".
Then: You answer each question. AI generates the questions — your answers are yours.
Write FAQ answers from your notes
Here are my rough notes for a customer FAQ for [business name]. For each point, write a clear, friendly FAQ answer in 2-3 sentences. Customer-facing tone — plain English, no jargon.
Q: What are your hours?
A notes: [your rough notes]
Q: Do you cater for dietary requirements?
A notes: [your rough notes]
[continue for each question]
Workflow: Draft your answers as rough notes (even just a few words each), then let AI turn them into polished FAQ responses.
Raglan hospitality example — AI-generated FAQ
Do you take walk-ins or do I need to book?
We love walk-ins and almost always have space during the week. On weekends and in summer we can get busy, so booking ahead through our website guarantees your table — takes about 30 seconds.
Is there parking nearby?
There's free street parking along Bow Street and a public car park two minutes' walk away on Wainui Road. During surf season it fills up — bikes and feet are always welcome.
Do you do gluten-free / vegan options?
Yes — about half our menu is naturally gluten-free and we have several plant-based options. Just let your server know about any allergies and we'll take care of you. Cross-contamination risk: our kitchen handles gluten, so if you have coeliac disease please let us know and we'll take extra care.
Exercise C.2
Build your FAQ in 15 minutes
Use the "generate FAQ questions" prompt with your real business details. Pick the 8 questions that match what you actually get asked. Write rough-note answers to each. Run them through the "write FAQ answers from your notes" prompt. You now have a draft FAQ page.
- 1Run the "generate FAQ questions" prompt for your business
- 2Pick 8 that feel most accurate to what you get asked
- 3Write rough notes for each answer (don't overthink it — bullet points are fine)
- 4Run the "write FAQ answers" prompt with your notes
- 5Read the outputs. Edit anything that isn't accurate about your business
📅 Seasonal campaigns without the scramble
Summer menu launch, Christmas trading hours, school holiday specials, off-season offers — seasonal communication tends to get written at the last minute when you're already slammed. AI makes it easy to prepare these in advance.
Seasonal announcement email
Write a short email to our customer list announcing [seasonal change / new menu / special offer / holiday hours] for [business name]. The key information: [details]. Tone: warm and excited, not corporate. Lead with the news, not the context. Include a call to action: [book / visit / share / follow us]. Under 150 words.
Batch approach: Write your next 4 seasonal emails in one AI session. Customise dates and details. Schedule them in advance.
Social media captions (set of 5)
Write 5 social media captions for [business name] announcing [promotion / season / new product]. Platform: [Instagram / Facebook / both]. Each caption should be different — vary the angle, tone, and what you lead with. Keep them under 100 words each. NZ English. Include relevant hashtags at the end of each.
Key info: [what you want to promote]
Our brand voice: [casual / warm / playful / professional — pick one]
Spread them out: Post one a week. 5 captions from one AI session = a month of content sorted.
The "voice" problem: AI will match your brand voice more accurately if you give it examples. Try: "Here's an example of a post we've written before: [paste]. Write the new caption in the same voice."
Customer service module complete
Reviews, enquiries, FAQs, and seasonal comms — you now have AI prompts for the whole customer communication cycle.