5-POINT GUIDE TO PERFORMING SENTIMENT ANALYSIS ON CUSTOMER FEEDBACK IN EXCEL

Sentiment analysis is the process of identifying the emotional tone behind a body of text, whether it's positive, negative, or neutral. While powerful AI tools can perform this task, you can also get a good approximation directly in Excel by using formulas or an AI add-in. This article will take you through a simple yet effective method for analyzing customer feedback.

5-POINT GUIDE TO PERFORMING SENTIMENT ANALYSIS ON CUSTOMER FEEDBACK IN EXCEL

Here are A 5-Point Guide to Performing Sentiment Analysis on Customer Feedback in Excel:

PREPARE YOUR DATA: First, organize your customer feedback into a single column. Make sure each piece of feedback is in its own cell. The cleaner your data is, the more accurate your analysis will be. You can use Excel's Text to Columns or Flash Fill features to split feedback if needed.

CREATE A KEYWORD DICTIONARY: Create a simple lookup table with a list of positive and negative keywords. In one column, list words like "great," "love," "excellent," "fast," and "easy" with a corresponding value of "+1" in an adjacent column. In another section, list negative words like "slow," "bad," "awful," "difficult," and "disappointed" with a value of "-1." This dictionary will be the core of your analysis.

USE A FORMULA TO COUNT KEYWORDS: Now, apply a formula to each piece of feedback to count how many positive or negative keywords it contains. The SUMPRODUCT function is perfect for this. For a single cell (e.g., A2), you can use a formula like: =SUMPRODUCT(--ISNUMBER(SEARCH(Positive_Words,A2))) - SUMPRODUCT(--ISNUMBER(SEARCH(Negative_Words,A2))). This formula searches for each keyword in your dictionary within the feedback text. It then adds or subtracts a point for each match, giving you a total sentiment score.

DETERMINE THE SENTIMENT: Once you have a sentiment score for each piece of feedback, use an IF function to categorize it. In a new column, use a formula like: =IF(B2>0, "Positive", IF(B2<0, "Negative", "Neutral")), where B2 is your sentiment score. This formula translates the numerical score into a clear sentiment label. It’s an easy way to get a quick overview of your feedback.

SUMMARIZE YOUR RESULTS WITH A PIVOT TABLE: Finally, use a PivotTable to summarize your analysis. Select your data, including the new sentiment column, and insert a PivotTable. Drag the sentiment column to the Rows area and then drag it again to the Values area to get a count of each sentiment category. This provides a clear, high-level summary of your customer feedback, showing you the overall percentage of positive, negative, and neutral comments.