Complaint Resolution Index 2025: How quickly do companies resolve complaints?

How quickly do companies resolve complaints — and how often to real satisfaction? Collected.reviews publishes the annual Complaint Resolution Index 2025: an analysis of processing time and resolution rate by sector, based on 1.2 million verified customer cases from January–September 2025.

Definition and method

The processing time is the number of days between the initial complaint and confirmed resolution. The resolution rate indicates what percentage of complaints are resolved within 30 days and confirmed by the customer. Duplicate reports and unverified cases are excluded.

Sector benchmarks (Q1–Q3 2025)

E-commerce
Median days: 7 • p75: 16 • Resolution rate: 82%

Telecom
Median days: 10 • p75: 22 • Resolution rate: 75%

Financial services
Median days: 15 • p75: 31 • Resolution rate: 64%

Energy & utilities
Median days: 18 • p75: 35 • Resolution rate: 59%

Travel & transport
Median days: 12 • p75: 26 • Resolution rate: 70%

p75 = 75th percentile; 75% of complaints are handled within this number of days.

Top 10 (anonymized brands)

This list shows the fastest resolution times (median ≤10 days) with a resolution rate ≥70%. Brand names are anonymized for international comparability.

#1 Retail A — Median days: 4 • Resolution rate: 90%

#2 Telecom B — Median days: 5 • Resolution rate: 86%

#3 Travel C — Median days: 6 • Resolution rate: 84%

#4 Finance D — Median days: 7 • Resolution rate: 81%

#5 Utilities E — Median days: 8 • Resolution rate: 78%

#6 E-com F — Median days: 8 • Resolution rate: 76%

#7 Telecom G — Median days: 9 • Resolution rate: 75%

#8 Insurance H — Median days: 9 • Resolution rate: 73%

#9 Retail I — Median days: 10 • Resolution rate: 71%

#10 Energy J — Median days: 10 • Resolution rate: 70%

Trends and interpretation

E-commerce remains the fastest sector thanks to short chains and direct decision-making.
Telecom improves through real-time chat and automated status updates (+6% compared to 2024).
Energy shows slight progress (−3 days median) but remains slow due to administrative processes.
Financial services are stable but have longer verification and control steps.

Limitations

Not all companies confirm “resolved”; underreporting is possible.
Seasonal effects (vacation, energy peaks) may distort results.
Complex complaints involve multiple steps; only the first resolution is measured.

What does this mean for you?

For consumers: when comparing providers, look not only at price or reviews but also at complaint handling. A quick, respectful resolution says more about reliability than the star rating at the time of purchase.

For companies: measure your response time and learn from sector benchmarks. Reducing processing time by just one day increases customer satisfaction by an average of 2–3 percentage points.