Frequently Asked Questions

RateBizz is an AI-powered Google My Business review management platform that helps businesses generate review responses, organize feedback with tags, and track analytics. The platform connects to your GMB locations via OAuth, pulls reviews with Sync Reviews, and uses OpenAI gpt-4o-mini to draft contextual replies you can edit before posting. In-app notifications for new reviews are delivered in real time via Ably when the system creates them.

Getting started is simple: 1) Sign up for a free trial account with magic link authentication, 2) Connect your Google My Business locations using the OAuth flow (requires Owner/Manager permissions), 3) Wait for historical reviews to sync automatically, 4) Start generating AI responses or explore the analytics dashboard. Your trial includes 50 AI credits and supports up to 2 business locations.

You need: 1) Owner or Manager permissions on the GMB location (Site Manager is insufficient), 2) A verified GMB listing with review capability enabled, 3) An active Google account with access to the business locations. During connection, RateBizz requests minimal permissions - only read access to reviews and business information. We never access your Gmail, contacts, or other Google services.

Review ingestion is driven by Sync Reviews in the app. When you connect a location, RateBizz imports available historical reviews, then you use Sync Reviews anytime to pull the latest reviews from Google. When new or negative review notifications are created, they appear in the dashboard in real time via Ably. Use Sync Reviews if reviews look out of date.

On the Reviews page you can filter by: 1) Rating (1-5 stars), 2) Date range, 3) Response status (responded/unresponded), 4) Location, 5) Text across review content and customer names, 6) Tags. Filters can be combined for the current session. Saved filter presets are not available yet.

Create custom color-coded tags and apply them to individual reviews (multiple tags per review). You can filter the Reviews list by tag. Bulk tagging and tag-based reports are not available yet.

AI credits power response generation: Single review AI generation costs 1 credit, while bulk AI generation costs 0.5 credits per review. Response regeneration (whether single or bulk) costs 1 credit per review. AI enhancement operations (shorten, lengthen, change tone) cost 1 credit each. Credits reset monthly on your billing date - unused credits don't roll over. Monitor usage in the dashboard.

Responses are generated with OpenAI gpt-4o-mini using the review text, rating, and available business/location context. You can enhance tone or length, then edit any draft before posting to Google. Always review AI output before publishing.

Bulk AI workflow: 1) Filter reviews you want to respond to, 2) Click "Generate Bulk Responses", 3) AI generates individual responses for each review (0.5 credits each), 4) Review each response in the staging area, 5) Mark responses as "Ready to Send" or regenerate if needed (1 credit per regeneration), 6) Use "Send X Response(s)" to publish all approved responses to Google at once. Each response can be edited, rejected, or regenerated individually.

Analytics data is calculated in real-time from your synced reviews - no placeholder metrics. Dashboard metrics update immediately after review syncs: average ratings, response rates, review volume trends, sentiment scores, and location comparisons. Charts show actual monthly trends, response time calculations use real timestamps, and performance tables reflect current data with proper fallbacks for new accounts.

Yes! Analytics support comprehensive filtering: 1) Date ranges (7, 30, 90 days, or custom), 2) Location-specific or combined view, 3) Rating-based analysis (focus on specific star ratings), 4) Response status filtering. All charts and metrics dynamically update based on your filters. You can compare time periods and export filtered data for reporting.

Track comprehensive performance metrics: 1) Average rating trends over time, 2) Review volume growth month-over-month, 3) Response rate percentage (critical for GMB ranking), 4) Average response time (hours), 5) Customer sentiment gauge based on rating distribution, 6) Location performance rankings, 7) Response effectiveness correlation with rating improvements.

Trial (Free): 50 credits, 2 locations. Starter ($5/mo): 500 credits, 5 locations. Professional ($20/mo): 2,000 credits, 20 locations. Enterprise ($50/mo): 10,000 credits, 100 locations.

Billing cycles monthly from your subscription date. Credits reset completely each cycle (no rollover). Credit usage is tracked in real-time in your dashboard. If you exceed credits, AI features pause until next renewal. You can upgrade/downgrade plans anytime - changes take effect immediately with prorated billing. Downgrades keep current month's credit allowance.

Plan changes are immediate: Upgrades give instant access to new features and credit allowances with prorated billing. Downgrades reduce features but maintain current month credits. Location limits apply immediately - excess locations become read-only until compliance. Data retention remains the same across all plans. Billing adjustments appear on your next invoice.

Enterprise-grade security: 1) End-to-end encryption in transit (TLS 1.3) and at rest (AES-256), 2) Supabase database with row-level security policies, 3) OAuth2 authentication with minimal Google permissions, 4) No password storage - magic link authentication only, 5) Regular security audits and compliance monitoring, 6) Data isolation between business accounts.

Yes! Export options include: 1) Review data (CSV/JSON formats), 2) Analytics reports (PDF/Excel), 3) Response history and templates, 4) Tag and categorization data. Enterprise plans include automated backup scheduling and API access for programmatic exports. Data remains accessible for 30 days after account cancellation for final exports.

RateBizz handles GMB API quotas automatically: 1) Smart rate limiting prevents quota exhaustion, 2) Priority queuing for critical operations (new reviews, responses), 3) Automatic retry with exponential backoff, 4) Graceful degradation during high usage periods, 5) Real-time sync status indicators. Users never need to worry about API limits - our infrastructure manages them transparently.

Multiple support channels: 1) In-app help documentation with step-by-step guides, 2) Email support via contact form with file attachments, 3) FAQ search with smart filtering, 4) Priority support for Professional/Enterprise plans, 5) Response times: 24 hours standard, 4 hours priority. Enterprise customers get dedicated support and optional phone consultations.

Common issues: 1) GMB connection fails — check Owner/Manager permissions, 2) Reviews look missing — click Sync Reviews and confirm the location is still connected, 3) AI replies feel generic — edit the draft or use AI enhance before posting, 4) Can't see all locations — verify GMB account access and plan location limits, 5) Credits depleted — upgrade on Pricing/Billing or use bulk generation carefully.

Cancellation process: 1) Access continues until current billing period ends, 2) Data remains accessible for 30 days post-cancellation, 3) Export all data during grace period, 4) GMB connections remain but sync stops, 5) No cancellation fees or penalties, 6) Reactivation possible within 30 days with full data restoration. Trial users can upgrade anytime without losing data.