Complaint rate formula in Excel or Google Sheets
Put the inputs in column B from row 2, then paste the formulas below. They work the same in Excel and Google Sheets.
| Cell | What | Value or formula | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| B2 | Orders in the period | 25000 | 25000 |
| B3 | Complaints received | 210 | 210 |
| B5 | Complaint rate (%) | =ROUND(B3/B2*100,2) | 0.84 |
| B6 | Complaints per 1,000 orders | =ROUND(B3/B2*1000,1) | 8.4 |
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Frequently asked questions
- How do you calculate complaint rate?
- Divide complaints by the volume they relate to, usually orders or active customers, in the same period. 210 complaints on 25,000 orders is 0.84%, or 8.4 per 1,000 orders.
- What counts as a complaint?
- Write one definition and keep it: for example, any contact where the customer expresses dissatisfaction and expects a fix or compensation. Changing the definition breaks the trend.
- How do you lower the complaint rate?
- Tag every complaint with a reason for a month. The top two or three reasons usually explain most of the volume and point to a process or product fix, not an agent issue.
About the author
Abdessamad Ghanem
Customer Experience & Customer Success Consultant · Founder of Clarivoxx
Abdessamad Ghanem works across Customer Support, Sales, Customer Success, Account Management and Partner Management. He writes Clarivoxx Insights for B2B SaaS professionals who own retention, adoption and customer outcomes.