Twelve numbers, once a month, on one page. Half tell you whether customers have reason to believe you; half tell you whether you could prove it.
Review programs get checked when something goes wrong. The scorecard makes the check routine, so problems show up as a number turning the wrong way instead of a crisis.
| Number | How to count it | Good sign |
|---|---|---|
| Claims with a current file row | Live claims with evidence and an unexpired review date, over all live claims | 100% |
| Claims scoring 45 or more | From the scorer in chapter 3 | Zero, or each with a fix date |
| Product reviews per 100 orders | Reviews that discuss the product, over orders delivered in the ask window | Rising, then steady |
| Reviews about delivery | Share of new reviews about shipping or packaging only | Falling |
| Revenue under five reviews | Share of revenue from products with fewer than five reviews | Falling |
| Days to fifth review | For products launched in the last six months | Under 30 |
| New-review average, top products | Monthly average of that month’s new reviews | No step of 0.3 stars or more |
| Three-star share | Share of new reviews at three stars | Not near zero; the middle is writing |
| Reviews held or removed | Count by star, with the logged reason | Every one logged; no pattern by star |
| Reply time to one- and two-star reviews | Median business days to a public reply | Two or fewer |
| Verified-buyer share | Reviews matched to an order | Steady or rising |
| Incentivized reviews disclosed | Reviews with any reward that carry the disclosure | 100% |
The first two and the last three are compliance numbers: a slip there goes straight to the owner named in chapter 11. Read the middle seven together: if reviews per 100 orders jump while the three-star share falls, check that nobody switched on a filter or a reward.
A review program you only check in a crisis is a crisis you scheduled.
Appendix A has the queries. The one field you’ll usually add is a flag for reviews about delivery.
This is one chapter of The Proof File, which is free and readable in full on a single page with no form in front of it.