CSAT
Also: CSAT, Customer Satisfaction Score, Customer Satisfaction, Satisfaction Score, Score de satisfaction client
Customer Satisfaction Score, a direct measure of satisfaction captured right after a specific interaction or experience, usually on a short rating scale.
What CSAT is
CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score) is a metric that measures how satisfied a customer is with a specific interaction, product, or experience. It is typically collected by asking a single question soon after the event, for example: *How satisfied were you with your support call today?*
Respondents answer on a short scale, commonly 1 to 5 (from *very dissatisfied* to *very satisfied*). CSAT is usually reported as the percentage of positive responses:
- CSAT % = (satisfied responses / total responses) x 100
- "Satisfied" typically means the top one or two boxes (for example, ratings of 4 and 5 on a 5-point scale).
Unlike NPS, which asks about likelihood to recommend a brand, CSAT is transactional and moment-specific. It tells you how a single touchpoint performed, not overall loyalty.
Why it matters
- Direct and immediate: it captures feeling while the experience is fresh, so it is a strong early signal of friction.
- Granular: you can attach it to any touchpoint (checkout, onboarding, a support ticket, a delivery) and pinpoint exactly where satisfaction drops.
- Actionable: low scores on a specific step tell teams where to fix things.
- Easy to collect: one question means high response rates and low respondent burden.
Its main limitations: it measures a moment, not the whole relationship, and it can suffer from response bias (very happy or very angry people answer more often).
How it is used in practice
- Trigger: send the survey right after the interaction (post-chat, post-purchase, post-delivery).
- Segment: break CSAT down by channel, agent, product, or region.
- Trend: track it over time to see if a change (new process, new pricing) helped or hurt.
- Close the loop: route low scores to a follow-up so issues get resolved.
Worked Example
A support team surveys 200 customers after resolved tickets. Ratings:
- 5 (very satisfied): 90
- 4 (satisfied): 70
- 3 (neutral): 20
- 2 (dissatisfied): 12
- 1 (very dissatisfied): 8
Using the top two boxes as "satisfied":
- Satisfied = 90 + 70 = 160
- CSAT = 160 / 200 = 80%
If last quarter was 74%, the 6-point rise suggests recent changes are working. Drilling in, tickets handled by chat may score 88% while phone scores 71%, showing exactly where to focus coaching.
For an AI-driven support flow, CSAT after an LLM assistant handles a query is a key quality gauge, often compared against human handoff to decide when escalation is needed.
Frequently asked questions
What does CSAT measure?
CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score) measures how satisfied a customer was with one specific interaction, product, or experience, asked right after it happened. The question is usually single and short ("How satisfied were you with your support call today?") and answered on a scale, commonly 1 to 5. It reports on a moment, not on the whole relationship.
How do you calculate a CSAT score?
CSAT % = (satisfied responses / total responses) x 100. "Satisfied" usually means the top one or two boxes, for example ratings of 4 and 5 on a 5-point scale. Example: on 200 responses with 90 fives and 70 fours, satisfied = 160, so CSAT = 160 / 200 = 80%.
What is the difference between CSAT and NPS?
CSAT asks about satisfaction with a specific moment; NPS asks about likelihood to recommend the brand overall. CSAT is transactional and can be attached to any touchpoint (checkout, onboarding, a support ticket, a delivery), while NPS reads loyalty at the relationship level. They answer different questions and are usually tracked side by side rather than one instead of the other.
When should the CSAT survey be sent?
Right after the interaction: post-chat, post-purchase, post-delivery, or once a support ticket is resolved. The point of CSAT is to capture the feeling while the experience is still fresh, which is what makes it an early signal of friction. Delaying the survey dilutes the link between the score and the specific touchpoint you wanted to measure.
What are the limits of CSAT, and how do you get more out of it?
CSAT measures a moment rather than the whole relationship, and it is exposed to response bias since very happy or very angry customers answer more often. To make it useful, segment it by channel, agent, product, or region, track the trend over time to see whether a process or pricing change helped, and route low scores to a follow-up so issues get closed. In an AI-driven support flow, CSAT after an LLM assistant handles a query is often compared against human handling to decide when escalation is needed.