{"id":44773,"date":"2022-11-18T20:59:48","date_gmt":"2022-11-18T20:59:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/glosario-digital\/csat"},"modified":"2026-09-30T20:36:37","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T20:36:37","slug":"csat","status":"publish","type":"encyclopedia","link":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/csat","title":{"rendered":"CSAT"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"boxpad alignright wp-image-44838 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/csat.jpg\" alt=\"CSAT\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/csat.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/csat-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><strong>Definition:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>CSAT<\/strong>, short for Customer Satisfaction Score, is a metric that summarizes people&#8217;s stated satisfaction with a specific experience, product, service, or interaction. It is obtained through a rating question and a defined response scale.<\/p>\n<p>There is no single universal question or scale for calculating it. Scales from 1 to 5 are common, but numbers, verbal labels, stars, or icons may also be used. A CSAT result can therefore be interpreted only when the <strong>exact question<\/strong>, scale, and rule for classifying responses are known.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Scope of CSAT<\/h2>\n<p>CSAT commonly measures a <strong>bounded experience<\/strong>, such as a purchase, delivery, support conversation, or use of a feature. The question can be sent immediately after the contact to collect a rating close to the moment being evaluated.<\/p>\n<p>It can also ask about overall satisfaction with a product or service, but that result should not be mixed indiscriminately with <strong>transactional measurements<\/strong>. The stage of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/customer-journey\">Customer Journey<\/a>, channel, and type of interaction affect interpretation. CSAT measures an expressed perception; by itself, it does not demonstrate loyalty, repeat purchasing, or objective quality.<\/p>\n<h2>Survey design<\/h2>\n<p>A CSAT survey needs to identify clearly what is being rated and the period it covers. Its <strong>basic elements<\/strong> include the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Subject:<\/strong> specify the purchase, service, content, or feature the person should rate.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Timing:<\/strong> send the question while the experience can still be recalled, without interrupting a critical task.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Scale:<\/strong> explain the meaning of the endpoints and maintain the same order across comparable measurements.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Follow-up:<\/strong> include an open question, when useful, to learn the reason for the score.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The wording should be brief, neutral, and limited to one idea. Double-barreled questions, such as asking about speed and quality together, make it difficult to know what explains the response. Changing the scale, channel, or delivery timing can cause a <strong>break in comparability<\/strong> even when the metric retains the same name.<\/p>\n<h2>Calculation and interpretation<\/h2>\n<p>A common way to calculate CSAT is to divide the responses classified as satisfied by all valid responses and multiply the result by 100. On a 1-to-5 scale, scores of 4 and 5 are often treated as positive, although the <strong>satisfaction threshold<\/strong> should be defined before analysis.<\/p>\n<p>If 80 of 100 valid responses meet that rule, CSAT is 80%. Some organizations also calculate the mean of all ratings, but a mean and a positive-response percentage are <strong>different results<\/strong>. A report should state which method it uses to prevent incorrect comparisons.<\/p>\n<p>There is no good value that applies to every sector, question, or channel. Interpretation becomes more useful when <strong>equivalent periods<\/strong>, sufficiently large segments, and similar touchpoints are compared. Changes should be accompanied by response volume, score distribution, and context, rather than only an isolated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/kpi\">KPI<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Question examples<\/h2>\n<p>The question should match the subject being measured. These are some <strong>CSAT examples<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>How satisfied are you with the purchasing process?<\/li>\n<li>How would you rate the service received during this inquiry?<\/li>\n<li>How satisfied are you with the resolution of your issue?<\/li>\n<li>How satisfied are you with the usefulness of this content?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Asking &#8220;How likely are you to recommend us?&#8221; measures recommendation intent and is associated with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/net-promoter-score-nps\">Net Promoter Score<\/a>, not the characteristic CSAT formulation. Both metrics may appear in the same program, but they should retain <strong>distinct objectives<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>Uses and limitations<\/h2>\n<p>CSAT can reveal trends, compare equivalent experiences, and locate touchpoints with low ratings. Open comments may feed a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/voice-of-customer-voc\">Voice of Customer<\/a> program, while a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/crm\">CRM<\/a> can provide context about the channel, product, or customer type. These associations require a <strong>consistent measurement base<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The metric is exposed to <strong>response bias<\/strong>, small samples, cultural differences, imperfect recall, and the choice of delivery timing. A change does not automatically identify its cause either. Interpretation should review the complete distribution, comments, and operational changes that occurred during the period.<\/p>\n<p>A high score does not guarantee <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/customer-loyalty\">customer loyalty<\/a>, retention, or recommendation. CSAT describes <strong>stated satisfaction<\/strong> within the scope of its question and should be combined with behavioral data and other metrics when a decision extends beyond that specific experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Definition: CSAT, short for Customer Satisfaction Score, is a metric that summarizes people&#8217;s stated satisfaction with a specific experience, product, service, or interaction. It is obtained through a rating question and a defined response scale. There is no single universal question or scale for calculating it. Scales from 1 to 5 are common, but numbers, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"template":"","encyclopedia-tag":[1305],"class_list":["post-44773","encyclopedia","type-encyclopedia","status-publish","hentry","encyclopedia-tag-business-metrics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia\/44773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/encyclopedia"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"encyclopedia-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia-tag?post=44773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}