Every review carries one reply state. It tells you, without opening anything, whether the review still needs somebody. The Reply section of the filter drawer filters by these states, and the saved view Needs a reply is 2 of them together.
Three review cards showing the Needs reply, Waiting for approval and Replied by hand states.
The states
- Needs reply. Nobody has answered yet. Every new review starts here.
- Draft. A reply has been written but not sent. An AI agent leaves a draft on the reviews it may not post on its own, and a rule's reply on a site without a reply API is a draft too. The card reads "Draft, not sent yet".
- Waiting for approval. A draft is in the Approvals queue, waiting for a yes or a no. The card reads "Draft waiting for approval".
- Posting. An approved or typed reply is on its way to the site. It usually lasts a second or two.
- Scheduled. A reply is set to go out after a delay, such as a rule that waits a few minutes before it replies.
- Replied. Your reply is live on the site. The card shows it under "Your reply".
- Replied by hand. The site has no reply API, so your reply was copied for you to paste there, and the review was marked as replied. Private feedback answered by email lands here too.
- Reply failed. The reply did not reach the site. The card says "This reply did not go through", and your text is kept.
What moves a review between them
- Writing and sending a reply: Needs reply, then Posting, then Replied.
- Copy and mark replied: Needs reply, then Replied by hand.
- An agent in approval mode: Needs reply, then Waiting for approval. Approve it and it moves to Posting and Replied. Discard it and it goes back to Needs reply.
- A rule with a delay: Needs reply, then Scheduled, then Posting and Replied.
Anyone who can reply to a review can dismiss a plain draft on its card. A draft someone discarded never comes back on its own. The review waits for a reply again, as if the draft had not been written.
When a reply fails
A reply usually fails because the source lost access, or because the site refused it. The card keeps your text and says the reply did not go through.
- Check Sources. If the source says Access lost, reconnect it first.
- Open the review and send the reply again.
The saved view Needs a reply includes failed replies on purpose, so nothing that failed slips out of sight.
Answered by a rule or an agent
When automation answered a review, the card says so: "Answered by" and the rule or agent name. That is the quickest way to check what an agent posted while you were away, and the place to start if a reply needs correcting.
2 people answering at once
If a teammate replies to a review a moment before you do, a notice says the review was already answered and that your reply was sent as well. Assigning reviews is the way to avoid that on a busy day. See Assigning reviews to your team.
What this costs
Nothing. A state is a label on the review. What costs credits is the automated work that sets some of them, such as an agent writing a draft.