Introduction

Crewhu AI Response Generation helps you respond to Google reviews faster, without writing every reply from scratch. When a review comes in from your Google Business Profile, the AI drafts a response based on the rating, review content, your configured tone, and your strategic SEO keywords.

In this article, you’ll learn how the feature works and how to get the most out of it.

What's on Your Screen

In your reviews list, each review shows whether the response was sent automatically, manually approved from an AI suggestion, or written by a user:

→ The response was published automatically by Auto-Response Mode.

→ An AI response was approved and sent manually.

→ Manual human reply.

If you edit an AI-generated response before sending it, it is treated as a human reply, and no AI icon is shown.

Note:
Your reviews list shows the current state of each response, including whether it was published automatically, approved from an AI suggestion, or written manually. 

How to Use AI Response Generation

To configure AI Response Generation, go to Crewhu Echo > Settings > Automations.

This is where you configure AI Response Generation, including the response mode, reply tone, strategic keywords, and the minimum rating for automatic responses.

After updating your settings, click Save. Your changes are applied during the next synchronization with your Google Business Profile.

How to Set Up the Response Mode

Crewhu AI Response Generation is always active. There is no switch to turn it on or off. Instead, you control how replies are handled by choosing a Response Mode.

You can select one Response Mode at a time:

Suggestion Mode (Manual Confirmation)

The AI generates a response and saves it as pending. Nothing is published until you review and send it manually. This applies to every review, regardless of rating.

Reviewing and Editing AI Responses

In Suggestion Mode, the AI-generated response is saved as pending so you can review it before publishing.

Open the Reply Feedback modal by clicking Reply Google Review in the notification email or by selecting a pending review in the reviews list.

The AI-generated response is pre-filled in the message field. Before sending, you can edit it, regenerate it, clear it and write your own response, or publish it to Google.

Auto-Response Mode

The AI generates and publishes responses automatically for reviews that meet your minimum rating. When Auto-Response Mode is enabled, reviews are handled based on the minimum rating you set:

• Reviews with a rating equal to or above the minimum are published automatically.
• Reviews below the minimum are not published automatically. The AI still generates a response, but it is saved as pending for your approval, just like in Suggestion Mode.

In other words, even when Auto-Response Mode is enabled, lower-rated reviews always require manual confirmation before going public.

Setting the Minimum Rating for Auto-Response

When Auto-Response Mode is selected, you can set the Minimum Rating for Auto-Response, measured in stars.

This setting only applies to Auto-Response Mode. It checks the review’s star rating, regardless of whether the review includes a written comment.

Setting the Reply Tone

The Reply Tone controls the voice the AI uses when writing responses. You can choose from three tone options defined by Crewhu:

1. Professional: A polished, businesslike tone. This is a safe default for most brands because it stays formal without sounding cold.
2. Friendly: A warm, approachable tone that still feels respectful. This is a good fit when you want your replies to sound human and welcoming.
3. Casual: A relaxed, informal tone that feels closer to everyday conversation. This works best for laid-back brands that prefer a lighter style.

The selected tone applies to every response the AI generates, across all ratings.

Adding Strategic Keywords for SEO

The Keywords for SEO field lets you add strategic keywords for the AI to consider when writing responses. 

You can add up to 5 keywords, separated by commas. If you try to save more than 5 keywords, the system blocks the save and shows this message: “You can add up to 5 keywords.”

The AI only uses these keywords when they fit naturally into the response. It avoids forcing them in or adding keywords where they do not belong.

Previewing Generated Responses

Before saving your settings, click Preview to open the Auto-Response Preview modal.

The preview includes example reviews for 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1-star scenarios. One example is shown at a time, along with the response the AI would generate.

The preview updates automatically when you change the reply tone, strategic keywords, or selected example. Use the preview to fine-tune your tone and keywords until the generated responses match the voice you want.

Email Notifications

Whenever a new review is processed, Crewhu notifies all account administrators by email.

The email content depends on the selected response mode:

• Suggestion Mode: The email includes the review and the AI-generated reply, allowing you to review and publish it manually.
• Auto-Response Mode: The email confirms that the AI-generated reply has already been published to Google and includes the review and the response that was sent.

Best Practice:
Use Suggestion Mode when you want to review every reply before it is published. Use Auto-Response Mode when you want higher-rated reviews answered automatically while keeping control over lower-rated ones.

How AI Generates Responses

For every review, the AI generates a response based on:

• The review's star rating
• The review text, when available
• Your configured reply tone
• Your strategic SEO keywords
• Related Crewhu survey data, when available

The AI adapts its writing style to the review's sentiment. Positive reviews receive appreciative, relationship-building responses, while neutral and negative reviews receive empathetic, solution-oriented responses.

To ensure responses remain professional, the AI avoids blaming the customer, using defensive or passive-aggressive language, escalating conflicts, or making unsupported assumptions.

Using Survey Context

When a Google review can be linked to a Crewhu survey (such as CSAT or NPS), the AI uses the survey as additional context to generate a more personalized response.

Survey details are never quoted or copied into the Google reply. Instead, they help the AI produce a response that better reflects the customer's experience.

Reviews Without Comments

If a review contains only a star rating, the AI generates a generic response appropriate for that rating without making assumptions about the customer's experience.

When Responses Are Generated

Responses are generated during Echo's synchronization with your Google Business Profile — not in real time.

If a review is updated before a response has been published on Google, the AI regenerates the response using your current settings.

If a response has already been published, Echo leaves it unchanged. Currently, published Google Business Profile responses cannot be updated automatically.