Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)

CSAT

Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) measures how satisfied users are with a specific interaction, feature, or support experience, typically rated on a 1–5 or 1–10 scale immediately after the event occurs. Unlike NPS, which measures overall relationship loyalty, CSAT is transactional and granular — it tells you whether a particular touchpoint succeeded, not whether the customer would recommend you.

formula.sh

CSAT = (satisfied responses ÷ total responses) × 100

> Satisfied responses: count of respondents who gave a rating of 4 or 5 (on a 1–5 scale)
> Total responses: all survey responses, including neutral and negative
> Result expressed as a percentage: 75 CSAT means 75% of respondents were satisfied

example

example.sh

After a support ticket closes, 90 customers respond. 72 rate the interaction 4 or 5 out of 5.

72 ÷ 90 × 100

→ CSAT = 80%

why it matters

CSAT gives you moment-in-time feedback that NPS cannot. A customer can give you an NPS of 8 while hating your onboarding flow — those two signals exist at different resolutions. CSAT on specific flows (onboarding, billing changes, feature launches) pinpoints exactly where friction lives before it accumulates into churn.

For support teams, CSAT is the primary performance metric. A support CSAT below 75% signals either slow resolution times, poorly trained agents, or a product that generates too many avoidable tickets. Each of these has a different fix. High support CSAT also correlates with reduced churn — customers who feel heard stay longer even when they encounter problems.

common mistakes

✗Sending CSAT surveys days after the interaction — the moment has passed and recall is degraded; trigger within 2 hours

✗Using CSAT as a substitute for NPS when you want to measure overall loyalty — they measure different things

✗Setting a CSAT target without a response rate floor — a 95% CSAT from 5 respondents is statistically meaningless

pro tips

✓Trigger CSAT immediately after specific product events (first export, first integration setup, support ticket close) rather than on a schedule

✓Keep the survey to one question plus one optional open-text field — response rates drop sharply beyond two questions

✓Route low CSAT responses (1–2) to a human follow-up queue within 24 hours; at early stage a founder email converts goodwill

the mrrsucks take

Your CSAT survey has a 4% response rate, which means 96% of your customers are communicating their feelings through silence. Statistically, your product satisfaction data is less reliable than a horoscope.

faq

What is the difference between CSAT and NPS?+

NPS measures long-term relationship loyalty and likelihood to recommend. CSAT measures satisfaction with a specific, recent interaction. Use NPS to track overall brand health; use CSAT to evaluate individual touchpoints like support or onboarding.

What is a good CSAT score for SaaS?+

Industry average is roughly 78–80%. Above 85% is strong. Below 70% signals systemic problems with the experience being measured. For support, top-tier teams consistently hit 90%+.

How is CSAT different from CES (Customer Effort Score)?+

CSAT asks "were you satisfied?" CES asks "how much effort did you have to put in?" CES is a stronger predictor of churn for support interactions because effort is a better proxy for frustration than satisfaction alone.

Churn roasts›

related metrics

./install-the-daemon

$9. 365 roasts. one public endpoint of pure shame.