Customer satisfaction score (CSAT)

The customer satisfaction score (CSAT) is a metric that measures how pleased customers are with a company's products or services. Typically expressed as a percentage, it’s calculated by measuring customer feedback based on a question like “How satisfied were you with your experience today?” 

In other words, businesses send their customers surveys or rating scales to understand if and how well they are meeting customer needs. These surveys and ratings also identify areas for improvement and are most impactful when delivered immediately after a meaningful customer touchpoint, including: 

• A completed support ticket
• A product purchase or delivery
• A user onboarding experience
• A feature update or system change

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An average survey might ask a customer to rate their satisfaction on a scale, usually ranging from 1 to 5 or 1 to 10. Due to the brevity of this type of survey, customer satisfaction scores tend to enjoy high response rates. 

Businesses can calculate the percentage of customers who are satisfied or highly satisfied by dividing the number of satisfied responses by the total responses and multiplying that number by 100. For example, if 60 out of 100 customers surveyed said their satisfaction ranked 4 or 5 out of 5, the CSAT score would be 60%. CSAT scores vary from industry to industry, though a score between 75% and 85% is typically considered “good,” while a score above 90% is viewed as exemplary.

Why customer satisfaction score (CSAT) is important 

This simple survey-based metric can tell businesses a lot about their customers' wants and needs. These real-time insights into customer experience help businesses make data-driven decisions to boost satisfaction and retention. 

Customer satisfaction scores differ from ratings like Net Promoter Score (NPS) in that it is transaction-specific, revealing a customer’s feelings about a specific moment, whether an online interaction, support call, or delivery. 

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