How to reply to Google reviews for a clinic (approve first)

Bottom line: To reply to Google reviews for a clinic on Sunbots, open Reviews and click Awaiting reply. Read the AI draft, Edit or Regenerate it, then click Approve & publish; nothing reaches Google before that click. This works on the Presence plan, ₹30,000/month + 18% GST.

In short:

• Before you start: one connected Google Business Profile, the auto-draft toggle on (the default) and Contact email and Phone filled in under Settings > Brand.
• Steps: filter, read, edit, regenerate, approve, reject, confirm; only Approve & publish sends a reply to Google.
• What to expect next: reviews sync every 4 hours, drafts are written in the background, and a new 1★ or 2★ review raises a notification.
• Common mistakes: repeating treatment details in public, promising a 1★ reviewer a refund or discount, expecting Reject to remove a review.

Before you start

• A connected Google Business Profile (one location per workspace); see Connect Google Business Profile to Sunbots.
• The toggle Auto-draft AI replies on new reviews switched on under the Automation tab. It is on by default for every workspace and queues each draft for your approval.
• An active paid plan. Approve & publish needs an active subscription; Presence (₹30,000/month + 18% GST, monthly, cancel anytime) qualifies.

Open Settings > Brand (/dashboard/settings/brand), find Contact + locale and fill in Contact email and Phone. The drafter takes 1★ and 2★ contact details from there, not from Business info. Then check your brand Tone setting: the review drafter uses that Tone, not your Do and Don't lists.

Stat: 84% of US patients read online reviews before choosing a new provider (rater8, Feb 2025, n=1,008, US survey) — source. Last checked 1 Oct 2026.

Picture Navrang Smiles Dental, a fictional clinic in Bopal, Ahmedabad, with four unanswered reviews on a Monday morning. One is a 3-star review about waiting time.

Steps: how to reply to Google reviews for a clinic

All seven steps happen on the Reviews tab of the Google Business page, /dashboard/google-business.

1. Awaiting reply — Open the Reviews tab. The chips read All / Awaiting reply / Published / Rejected / No draft yet; click Awaiting reply.
2. AI draft — Read the panel headed AI draft under each pending review. The drafter is instructed to thank the reviewer by first name, avoid arguing, offer your email or phone on 1★ and 2★ reviews (if your brand profile has them), and never promise a refund, discount or replacement. It is also told not to restate a 1★ or 2★ complaint in detail. It has no clinic-specific confidentiality rule and sees the review text, so read every draft for treatment details before approving. It is told to write 60 to 120 words with no sign-off (Google adds your business name); anything over 800 characters is cut off.
3. Edit — Click Edit and the draft becomes a textarea; the buttons change to Save draft and Cancel. Change the wording, then click Save draft. The draft stays in the Awaiting reply list (its badge reads In review), is capped at 800 characters and shows a small "Edited N× · drafted by operator" note. Saving never publishes.
4. Regenerate — If the draft misses the point, click Regenerate. Sunbots reruns the reply in your brand Tone and never publishes it. With no draft, the panel reads "No draft yet." and the button is Draft a reply.
5. Approve & publish — Click Approve & publish when the words are right. This is the only action that sends a reply to Google, and the reply is then marked Published. If Google refuses it, the draft stays in the Awaiting reply list.
6. Reject — Use Reject for spam or reviews you will handle elsewhere. Reject marks the draft Rejected (the text stays visible, read-only) and records the note "Tone didn't fit". The dashboard shows no buttons on a Rejected reply. Reject does not report, hide or flag anything on Google.
7. Published — Click the Published chip to confirm the reply is live. It lists only replies you approved in Sunbots. Reviews you answered directly in Google show a Your reply panel with a "Published on Google" badge under the All chip (and, confusingly, under No draft yet).

What to expect next

Google reviews sync automatically every 4 hours. Sync now on the Reviews tab pulls your latest reviews from Google straight away; opening the Reviews tab also refreshes them if the last sync is over five minutes old.

Drafting runs in the background after each sync, so a review can show No draft yet briefly and shows under Awaiting reply once the draft is saved and the page reloads; if a review still says No draft yet after a minute, reload the tab, or click Draft a reply. Each new AI draft adds a notification for the workspace owner. A new 1★ or 2★ review adds a second notification titled "New N-star review on Google Business Profile".

Sunbots has no mobile app and sends no review requests to patients; see Get more Google reviews with a QR code.

Common mistakes

Four things to avoid when you reply to reviews.

• Repeating treatment details in public. A reviewer may mention a root canal; our advice is that your reply should not echo it. For doctors, Regulation 7.14 of the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations 2002 restricts disclosing patient secrets learnt in practice, and Regulation 2.2 says confidences entrusted by patients should not be revealed unless State law requires it (text). Regulation 4.2 (Confidentiality) of the DCI Revised Dentists (Code of Ethics) Regulations 2014 has similar wording for dental surgeons. Ask your state council how these apply to a public reply.
• Pitching in a reply. Regulation 6.1 of the 2002 Regulations says a physician shall not use themselves or their name as the subject of advertising or publicity through any mode. Regulation 8.2.7 of the DCI Regulations lists announcing new equipment or services without boastful claims of being the best or first (gazette PDF). Ask your state council whether a review reply falls under them.
• Promising a discount or a free visit to a one-star reviewer. Google's policy bans offering payment, discounts, free goods or services in exchange for a review, or for revising or removing a negative one (policy). The drafter is told never to promise a refund, discount or replacement; keep that when you edit.
• Assuming your Do and Don't lists apply to review replies. Only your brand Tone reaches the review drafter, so read every draft before you click Approve & publish. See Brand voice Do and Don't lists for clinics for how they work elsewhere.

Frequently asked questions

Will Sunbots post review replies on its own?

No. The Automation tab is headed "What runs without asking" and its subtitle says: "Every automation drafts content for your review — nothing publishes without your approval." The toggle only queues a draft. Approve & publish is the only action that sends a reply to Google, and a person clicks it for each review.

Why does a review show No draft yet?

The usual causes are: the review first synced while Auto-draft AI replies on new reviews was off; the brand profile was missing when the sync ran; or the draft is still being written. A review you already answered in Google is listed under the No draft yet chip but shows a Your reply panel, not a draft. Drafts are created only for reviews that first sync while the toggle is on, so switching it on later does not draft older reviews. Click Draft a reply to write one on demand.

Can I change the tone of the drafts?

Yes, in two places. For every future draft, change your brand Tone setting; the review drafter uses that Tone, not your Do, Don't or sample-phrase lists. For one review, click Edit, rewrite within 800 characters and click Save draft, or click Regenerate for a fresh attempt in the same Tone. For a worked example, see Respond to a 2-star review at a dental clinic.

How quickly do new reviews appear?

Google reviews sync automatically every 4 hours, so a new review can take up to about 4 hours to reach the Reviews tab. Click Sync now to pull your latest reviews from Google straight away. The draft follows a little later. Each new draft adds a notification for the workspace owner, and a new 1★ or 2★ review adds a second one titled "New N-star review on Google Business Profile".

What should I do with fake or spam reviews?

Click Reject so no reply goes out. Reject only changes the status inside Sunbots; it does not report the review. To report it, open your Business Profile, select Read reviews, select Report next to the review, choose a reason and send the report. Google says review evaluation typically takes several days, and flagged reviews that violate its content policies are removed (Google help).

Related guides

• Marketing for clinics · How it works · Pricing

Message us on WhatsApp at +91 91041 77936 and we will walk you through the Reviews tab on a screen share.

This explains the rules as published on 1 October 2026. It is not legal advice. Confirm with your state council and a lawyer before you publish.