Scorecard template
Complaint and escalation call scorecard template
Calls with an upset customer, a formal complaint or a case that has to go to a second line or a manager.
The scorecard
Score each criterion from 0 to 3. Multiply by its weight, add it up, and a call lands between 0 and 100.
| Criterion | Weight | What the scorer asks | 0 Not touched | 1 Mentioned | 2 Explored | 3 Confirmed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hearing the customer out | 15 | Did the agent let the customer explain the complaint fully before responding? | The agent interrupted or argued early. | Customer heard out; complaint not summarised. | Complaint summarised back. | Complaint summarised and confirmed by the customer before anything else. |
| Acknowledgement and ownership | 20 | Did the agent acknowledge what went wrong and take ownership, without excuses or blame? | Defensive or blaming. | A generic apology, no ownership. | Acknowledged and apologised. | Acknowledged specifically, apologised and took personal ownership. |
| Calm under pressure | 15 | Did the agent stay calm and bring the temperature down? | The agent raised the temperature. | The agent stayed polite; the customer no calmer. | Tone steady; the customer somewhat calmer. | The customer clearly calmer by the end of the call. |
| Remedy offered | 20 | Did the agent offer a concrete remedy within their authority, or say clearly what they will ask for? | No remedy offered. | A vague promise to look into it. | A concrete remedy offered. | A concrete remedy within policy, with the limits of the agent’s authority explained. |
| Escalation with context | 15 | When the case needed a second line or a manager, did the agent hand it over with the full context and tell the customer what happens next? | Escalation needed but not made, or the customer passed on without context. | Escalated; the customer not told what happens next. | Escalated with context; the next contact named. | Escalated with full context, a name and a time; or no escalation needed and the agent said why. |
| Follow-through | 15 | Did the call end with a recap in writing, a date and a way back to the same person? | No recap or follow-up. | Recap given, no date. | Recap and a date given. | Recap, date and a direct way back to the same person. |
What to listen for, criterion by criterion
15/100
Hearing the customer out
Listen for
- no interrupting in the first minutes
- the complaint summarised back
- facts separated from frustration
What good sounds like Let me make sure I have this right: the technician did not show up twice, and nobody called you either time.
20/100
Acknowledgement and ownership
Listen for
- a specific acknowledgement
- an apology where the company is at fault
- no blaming colleagues, systems or the customer
What good sounds like We let you down twice, and that should not have happened. I will stay on this until it is fixed.
15/100
Calm under pressure
Listen for
- a steady pace and tone
- no arguing over details
- a calmer customer at the end than at the start
What good sounds like I hear how frustrating this is. Here is what I can do today.
20/100
Remedy offered
Listen for
- a concrete fix or compensation
- what the agent can decide and what not
- no promises outside policy
What good sounds like I can book the first slot tomorrow morning and credit this month’s service fee. A larger refund needs my manager, and I will ask her today.
15/100
Escalation with context
Listen for
- the reason for escalating said out loud
- context handed over, so the customer does not repeat the story
- who will call, and when
What good sounds like I am passing this to our field manager with everything you told me. He will call you before four today.
15/100
Follow-through
Listen for
- a recap of what was agreed
- a date for the next contact
- a direct way back to the agent or the case
What good sounds like You will get this in writing within the hour, with my direct number. I will call you on Thursday to check the visit went well.
A call scored against this template
Drummer scores every call against the template you choose. Each criterion gets its reasoning and the moment in the call that proves it, so a team lead checks the evidence in seconds instead of listening to the whole call.
Scored against Complaint and escalation call
Support call: delivery missing
18:00
75/100Call score
- Hearing the customer out3 / 301:34
- Acknowledgement and ownership1 / 304:26
- Calm under pressure3 / 307:17
- Remedy offered2 / 310:09
- Escalation with context3 / 313:00
- Follow-through2 / 315:51
Hearing the customer out is well evidenced. Acknowledgement and ownership only came up in passing: go over it with the agent before their next shift.
About this template
A complaint call is where a customer decides whether to stay. The agent rarely controls the outcome: the refund, the replacement or the second visit is often someone else’s decision. This scorecard judges what the agent does control, and gives the most weight to ownership and a concrete remedy.
When should you use this scorecard?
On calls with an upset customer, a formal complaint, a repeat contact about the same problem or a case that goes to a second line or a manager. Everyday calls are scored with the support call QA template.
How does Drummer score a complaint call?
Drummer scores each criterion with its reasoning and the timestamp that proves it. A support lead jumps to the moment the call turned, listens to it and leaves a comment for the agent, without replaying the whole conversation. More on the platform.
Questions about this template
How do you score a complaint call?
On what the agent controls: hearing the customer out, owning the problem, staying calm, offering a remedy within policy, escalating with context and following through. The outcome of the complaint is not a criterion, because an agent can handle a call well and still not be allowed to give the customer what they asked for.
Why score complaint calls apart from everyday calls?
A complaint call asks for different things than an everyday one: letting the customer speak matters more than speed, and a handover without context makes things worse. A separate scorecard keeps those calls from dragging down, or hiding inside, an agent’s everyday QA score.
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Score your conversations with this
Bring a few recordings to a 30-minute demo and see them scored against Complaint and escalation call, with the moment that proves each criterion.