Customer Satisfaction Score

% of customers who were satisfied with [specify the product / service]

The Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) is a widely-used metric that reflects how satisfied customers are with an organisation’s products or services. It is determined by collecting customer feedback and is presented as a percentage, where 100% represents complete satisfaction and 0% indicates total dissatisfaction.

Collect the following data by conducting individual interviews with a representative sample of users of the given service/ product, or by having them complete a questionnaire:

 

RECOMMENDED SURVEY QUESTION (Q) AND POSSIBLE ANSWERS (A)

Q1: Overall, how satisfied were you with [specify the product / service]?

A1: _

1) Very unsatisfied

2) Unsatisfied

3) Neutral

4) Satisfied

5) Very satisfied

6) No response / don’t know

 

To calculate the indicator's value, divide the number of respondents who were “very satisfied” or “satisfied” by the total number of interviewed respondents (exclude those who gave no response or didn’t know). Multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage. The resulting percentage is the “Customer Satisfaction Score” - i.e. the percentage of satisfied customers.

Disaggregate the respondents’ data by gender, age group, and other criteria relevant to the content and focus of your intervention. Segregated data can show you which (types of) people are likely to be the best promoters (but also detractors) of the product / service, or which type of person the product / service is most relevant to.

1) If you need to make the wording of the indicator more flexible (e.g. because you don’t yet know which product or service you will ask about), change it to more general wording, “Customer Satisfaction Score” (CSAT).

 

2) CSAT can also be used to measure customers’ overall satisfaction with the service / product provider: “How do you rate your overall satisfaction level with [company]?”

 

3) If your intervention aims to improve a specific aspect of the product / service, you can modify the indicator so that it focuses on it. For example: “How satisfied were you with the reliability of [specify the product]?”

 

4) If you are conducting interviews (i.e., if respondents are not completing the questionnaire themselves), you may need to read out the response options for Q1, for example: “Would you say that you were very unsatisfied, unsatisfied, neutral, satisfied, or very satisfied?”

 

5) If the respondents say that they were “unsatisfied” or “very unsatisfied”, always ask about the reasons for dissatisfaction:

Q2: Can you please tell me why you were unsatisfied?

A2: (multiple answers possible; adjust the following options to your context and the product / service you ask about)

1) did not work as promised

2) too expensive / poor value

3) difficult to use / insufficient instructions for use

4) poor quality – didn’t last long

5) poor customer service or support

6) no warranty

7) product / service not available locally

8) slow or unreliable delivery

9) other - specify: ………………………….

 

6) Use this indicator only when you can collect data while the respondents’ experience with the product or service is still relatively recent. The appropriate timing may vary - for example, it will differ for one-off services versus for products intended for long-term use.

 

7) One challenge with CSAT is determining what constitutes a “good” score. CSAT is most valuable when measured regularly over time, as this enables you to track trends and changes in customer satisfaction.

 

8) CSAT measures how satisfied customers are with a specific product or service, while Net Promoter Score (NPS) assesses customer loyalty toward those who provide a product / service. NPS asks customers to consider their broader experience with the provider and focuses on their willingness to recommend it, rather than just their current level of satisfaction.