Measuring customer satisfaction using the Customer Satisfaction Score

Use the Customer Satisfaction Score to easily track customer satisfaction in specific areas of your business as well as with your products or services — and do so on a regular basis.

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Why measure satisfaction using CSAT?

If you want to measure customer satisfaction, you have not just one option but several metrics at your disposal.

Each metric — whether it’s the Net Promoter Score, the Customer Effort Score, the customer churn rate, or another — has its own way of determining and interpreting customer satisfaction.

The Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) provides you with another metric you can use to measure customer satisfaction.

Through a standardized questionnaire, your customers can provide feedback and express their satisfaction with a specific aspect of your company, product, or service at regular intervals — for example, regarding your ordering process, your website, complaint handling, support, and more.

This gives you the opportunity to address potential issues and subsequently review the measures taken.

It is important to remember that the CSAT is not just another way to measure customer satisfaction, but also a way to interpret and analyze satisfaction in a different manner.

Combining various indicators to determine customer satisfaction is the key to success.

Contents of the template:

Objectives of the survey:

Prevent customer churn
Strengthen customer loyalty
Optimize the customer experience
Increase customer satisfaction
Optimize marketing strategies
Enhance competitiveness
Identify weaknesses

Helpful features for the survey:

Survey options: Anonymous, partially anonymous, personalized
Invitation options: Link, email, QR code, and more
Segment analysis based on survey groups or response patterns
AI analysis of results, including recommendations for action

Data protection „made in Germany“ (GDPR)

Anonymity function for honest feedback

Frequently asked questions about CSAT

What is CSAT?

CSAT stands for “Customer Satisfaction Score” and is a metric that measures customer satisfaction with a product, service, or interaction.

It is typically measured by asking customers a direct question, such as:

“How satisfied are you with our product/service?”

Customers usually respond on a scale ranging from very dissatisfied to very satisfied. These responses are then converted into a percentage to calculate the CSAT score.

A high CSAT score indicates that the majority of customers are satisfied, while a low score indicates dissatisfaction.

What is the difference between CSAT, NPS, and CES?

CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score) and NPS (Net Promoter Score) are both metrics for measuring customer satisfaction, but they have different focuses and methodologies:

Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)

Goal: Measures customer satisfaction with a specific product, service, or interaction.

Question: “How satisfied are you with [product/service/interaction]?”

Scale: Customers typically respond on a scale from 1 to 5 or 1 to 7, with higher values indicating greater satisfaction.

Calculation: The CSAT score is calculated as the percentage of customers who responded positively (e.g., 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale).

Focus: Short-term satisfaction and customers’ immediate reactions.

Net Promoter Score (NPS)

Goal: Measures customer loyalty and their willingness to recommend the company.

Question: The key question is: “How likely are you to recommend [company/product/service] to a friend or colleague?”

Scale: Customers respond on a scale from 0 to 10.
- - Promoters: Responses of 9 or 10 (very likely).
  - Passives: Responses of 7 or 8 (neutral).
  - Detractors: Responses from 0 to 6 (unlikely).

Calculation: The NPS is calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters. The score ranges from -100 to +100.

Focus: Long-term customer loyalty and willingness to recommend.

Customer Effort Score (CES)

Goal: Measures the effort customers have to make to resolve an issue or complete an interaction with a company.

Question: The question is typically: “How easy was it to resolve your issue?” or “How much effort did you have to put in to resolve your problem?”

Scale: Customers respond on a scale from 1 to 7, with lower values indicating less effort and higher values indicating greater effort.

Calculation: The CES is calculated as the average of all responses. A lower average score indicates that customers had to make less effort.

Focus: Efficiency and ease of the interaction from the customer’s perspective.

Key Differences

1. Goal and Focus:

CSAT: Measures short-term satisfaction with a specific interaction or product.
NPS: Measures long-term customer loyalty and willingness to recommend.
CES: Measures the perceived effort customers have to make to complete an interaction or resolve a problem.

2. Question and Response Scale:

CSAT: A direct question about customer satisfaction with a specific experience, typically using a 5- or 7-point scale.
NPS: A question about the likelihood of recommending the company on an 11-point scale (0–10).
CES: A question about the effort required during an interaction, often using a 7-point scale, with lower values indicating less effort.

3. Calculation:

CSAT: Percentage of satisfied customers.
NPS: Difference between the percentage of promoters and detractors.
CES: Sum of all responses divided by the total number of responses.

All three metrics are valuable tools for evaluating customer satisfaction and loyalty, but they provide different insights and should ideally be used together.

How do you calculate CSAT?

The formula for calculating the Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) is relatively simple.

It is typically expressed as a percentage and measures the proportion of customers who are satisfied with a product, service, or interaction.

Here is the formula for calculating the CSAT:

CSAT = (Number of positive responses / Total number of responses) × 100

Step-by-step explanation:

Step 1: Collect the data

Ask your customers how satisfied they are with a specific product, service, or interaction.

This is usually done through a survey using a scale (e.g., from 1 to 5 or from 1 to 7), with higher values indicating greater satisfaction.

Step 2: Define positive responses

Determine which values on the scale are considered positive responses. For example, on a 5-point scale, values 4 and 5 could be considered positive.

Step 3: Count the responses

Count the number of positive responses.
Count the total number of responses.

Step 4: Calculate the CSAT

Divide the number of positive responses by the total number of responses.
Multiply the result by 100 to obtain the CSAT score as a percentage.

Example:

Suppose you conducted a survey with the question:

“How satisfied are you with our service?”

using a scale from 1 to 5 (where 5 means very satisfied and 1 means very dissatisfied).

Total responses collected: 100
Responses with a rating of 4 or 5 (positive responses): 80

CSAT = (80/100) x 100 = 80%

In this example, the CSAT score is 80%, which means that 80% of the surveyed customers are satisfied with the service.

What methods are available for measuring CSAT?

There are several methods for measuring the Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT), which can be selected depending on your goals and business context.

Here are some common methods:

1. Method: Direct surveys

Online surveys: Send email surveys to your customers or integrate surveys into your website or app.
Post-interaction surveys: Conduct surveys directly after a customer interaction or transaction, such as after a support ticket or purchase.
Telephone surveys: Conduct surveys by phone to gather customer feedback, particularly when a personal approach is required.

2. Method: In-app/website feedback forms

Feedback widgets: Implement feedback widgets or pop-ups on your website or in your app that allow customers to rate their satisfaction immediately after an interaction.
In-app ratings: Integrate a rating feature directly into your app to capture CSAT after customers use a specific feature or function.

3. Method: Social media monitoring

Analysis of mentions: Use social media monitoring tools to measure customer satisfaction based on comments, reviews, and mentions on social networks.
Feedback campaigns: Launch targeted campaigns on social media to collect direct feedback from your customers.

4. Method: Customer feedback tools

Survey software: Use specialized survey and feedback software such as easyfeedback to collect and analyze CSAT data.
Customer experience platforms: Use comprehensive customer feedback platforms that integrate CSAT measurement into their systems.

5. Method: NPS (Net Promoter Score) as a complementary method

While NPS focuses on the likelihood of recommending a company, it can be used together with CSAT to gain a more comprehensive understanding of customer loyalty and satisfaction.
Example NPS question:
“How likely are you to recommend our company to a friend or colleague? (0 = Not at all likely to 10 = Extremely likely)”

Is there an example of a CSAT survey?

Example of a complete CSAT survey:

Question 1: “How satisfied are you with our customer service?”

1 = Very dissatisfied
2 = Dissatisfied
3 = Neutral
4 = Satisfied
5 = Very satisfied

Question 2 (optional): “Do you have any suggestions for improving our service?”
[Free text field]

Thank-you message:
“Thank you for your feedback! Your opinion is very important to us and helps us improve our service.”

Suppose you conducted a survey to measure your customers’ satisfaction with your customer service.

The survey question is:

“How satisfied are you with our customer service?”

Responses are given on a scale from 1 to 5, where:

1 = Very dissatisfied
2 = Dissatisfied
3 = Neutral
4 = Satisfied
5 = Very satisfied

Collected data:

Number of responses with a rating of 1: 5
Number of responses with a rating of 2: 5
Number of responses with a rating of 3: 10
Number of responses with a rating of 4: 50
Number of responses with a rating of 5: 30

Step 1: Determine the positive responses

Let’s assume that responses with a rating of 4 (Satisfied) and 5 (Very satisfied) are considered positive.

Positive responses (4 + 5): 50 + 30 = 80

Step 2: Determine the total number of responses

Total number of responses: 5 + 5 + 10 + 50 + 30 = 100

Step 3: Calculate the CSAT

CSAT = (Number of positive responses / Total number of responses) × 100

CSAT = (80/100) x 100 = 80%

4. Calculate the CSAT

Divide the number of positive responses by the total number of responses.
Multiply the result by 100 to obtain the CSAT score as a percentage.

Result:
The CSAT score is 80%. This means that 80% of the surveyed customers are satisfied or very satisfied with your customer service.

What kinds of questions can you ask in a CSAT survey?

To measure the Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT), you should ask questions that focus on specific aspects of your products, services, or interactions.

Here are some examples of CSAT questions you can use:

General CSAT questions

Satisfaction with a product or service:
“How satisfied are you with [product/service]?”

Satisfaction with customer service:
“How satisfied are you with the service you received from our support team?”

Satisfaction with the purchasing process:
“How satisfied are you with the purchasing process?”

More specific CSAT questions

Satisfaction with quality:
“How satisfied are you with the quality of [product/service]?”

Satisfaction with delivery:
“How satisfied are you with the speed and reliability of the delivery?”

Satisfaction with usability:
“How satisfied are you with the usability of our website/app?”

Satisfaction with an interaction:
“How satisfied are you with your most recent interaction with our customer service team?”

Response scales

The response scale can vary, typically ranging from 1 to 5 or 1 to 7, with higher values indicating greater satisfaction.

1 = Very dissatisfied
2 = Dissatisfied
3 = Neutral
4 = Satisfied
5 = Very satisfied

Example of a survey:

Question: “How satisfied are you with our customer service?”

1 = Very dissatisfied
2 = Dissatisfied
3 = Neutral
4 = Satisfied
5 = Very satisfied

Other possible questions in the same survey:

“How satisfied are you with the response time of our support team?”
(Scale from 1 to 5)

“How satisfied are you with the friendliness and professionalism of our support team?”
(Scale from 1 to 5)

“How satisfied are you with the solution offered by our support team?”
(Scale from 1 to 5)

These questions can be adapted depending on the context and the specific goals of your CSAT survey.

The responses collected help you better understand your customer satisfaction and identify areas for improvement.

What does a good CSAT survey look like?

A good CSAT survey should be clear, concise, and user-friendly in order to collect useful and reliable data on customer satisfaction.

Here are the key factors that make a good CSAT survey:

1. Factor: Simple and precise question

The question should directly address the customer’s satisfaction with a specific aspect of the interaction, product, or service.

Examples of questions:

“How satisfied are you with the service you received today?”
“How satisfied are you with our product?”
“How satisfied are you with the support team that assisted you?”

2. Factor: Clearly defined scale

Use an easy-to-understand scale to measure the level of satisfaction. A common scale ranges from 1 to 5 or from 1 to 7.

Example of a 5-point scale:

1 = Very dissatisfied
2 = Dissatisfied
3 = Neutral
4 = Satisfied
5 = Very satisfied

3. Factor: Simple and short survey

Keep the survey short and to the point to ensure a high response rate. Ideally, include 1 to 3 questions that can be answered quickly.

Example of a short survey:

“How satisfied are you with our customer service?”
“Was there anything you particularly liked or disliked? (Optional)”

4. Factor: Optional comments

Give customers the opportunity to leave additional comments or feedback. This can provide valuable qualitative insights.

Example of an open-ended question:

“Do you have any suggestions for improving our service?”

5. Factor: Easy participation

Make sure the survey is easy to complete. Avoid lengthy questionnaires or complicated response formats.

6. Factor: Timing and relevance

Send the survey shortly after the interaction or purchase, while the experience is still fresh. Make sure the survey is relevant to the customer.

7. Factor: Thank-you message

Thank participants for their feedback. This shows appreciation and can increase their willingness to participate in future surveys.

Example of a thank-you message:
“Thank you for your feedback! Your satisfaction is important to us and helps us continuously improve our service.”

8. Factor: Data protection and anonymity

Inform participants about how their data will be used and ensure anonymity whenever possible. This builds trust and can increase willingness to participate.

What is a good CSAT score?

A good Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) varies depending on the industry, company size, and market segment, but in general, there are some benchmarks that can serve as indicators of high customer satisfaction:

General Benchmarks for a Good CSAT

80% – 100% (High Satisfaction):
A CSAT score in this range is generally considered excellent. Companies in this range have highly satisfied customers and provide an outstanding customer experience.

70% – 79% (Average Satisfaction):
This is a solid score that shows that the majority of customers are satisfied. However, there is still room for improvement. Companies in this range should pay close attention to customer feedback and take targeted measures to improve satisfaction.

60% – 69% (Lower Satisfaction):
A CSAT score in this range indicates that there are significant issues that need to be addressed. Customers are more likely to be dissatisfied, which may point to weaknesses in customer service or product quality.

Below 60% (Dissatisfaction):
A score below 60% is concerning and indicates that there are significant issues that need to be addressed urgently. This may point to serious shortcomings in products, services, or customer interactions.

Factors That Influence a “Good” CSAT

1. Factor: Industry and Market Segment

CSAT scores can vary depending on the industry.

For example, industries such as retail and hospitality often have higher CSAT scores than the telecommunications or financial services industries.

2. Factor: Company Size

Small businesses or start-ups may have different benchmarks than large, established companies.

3. Factor: Regional Differences

Regional and cultural differences can also influence CSAT.

For example, customers in one region may have higher or lower expectations than customers in another region.

How can CSAT be evaluated through benchmarking and industry comparisons?

The CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score) benchmark is a reference value that helps you understand how your CSAT scores compare with those of other companies or industry standards.

Benchmarks provide context for your results and help you evaluate your company’s performance and develop strategies for improvement.

How to Find the Right CSAT Benchmark:

1. Industry Benchmarks

Different industries have different standards for customer service and satisfaction. It is therefore helpful to use benchmarks that are specific to your industry. For example, e-commerce benchmarks may differ from those in the healthcare sector.

2. Market Research Reports

Consult market research institutes and studies from research companies such as Forrester, Gartner, or Nielsen, which provide industry averages and CSAT benchmarks.

3. Competitor Analysis

Try to find out the CSAT scores of your competitors to understand where you stand compared to them. This can be done through industry reports or publicly available customer reviews.

4. Online Databases and Forums

Use public forums, industry websites, or company reports that provide benchmark data.

General CSAT Benchmarks

High Satisfaction (80% – 100%):
A CSAT score in this range indicates a very high level of customer satisfaction and is often achieved by leading companies.

Average Satisfaction (60% – 79%):
This range is often considered the average across many industries. Companies in this range should continuously work on improving customer satisfaction.

Low Satisfaction (Below 60%):
A score below 60% indicates significant issues that need to be addressed to improve customer satisfaction.

Example Benchmarks by Industry

Retail:
The CSAT benchmark for retail is generally between 70% and 80%.

E-commerce:
Benchmarks can also range from 70% to 80%, depending on the type of products and level of customer service.

Telecommunications:
Companies in this industry often have lower CSAT scores, typically ranging from 60% to 70%.

Healthcare:
Benchmarks in healthcare vary significantly but are often between 70% and 80%.

Tips for Using Benchmarks

Customization:
Adjust benchmarks to the specific circumstances and goals of your company.

Continuous Monitoring:
Use benchmarks regularly to monitor progress and adjust your strategies accordingly.

Trend Comparison:
Pay attention to changes over time and compare them with industry averages.

Benchmarks are useful for gaining a better understanding of your customer satisfaction in the context of your industry and for planning targeted improvement measures.