What is CSAT?

CSAT stands for “customer satisfaction.” As an idea, “customer satisfaction” is the ultimate goal of any organization. Satisfied customers spend more, are more loyal, and can turn into brand evangelists. Every business wants to make sure they increase their customer satisfaction.

CSAT scores take the vague idea of customer satisfaction and measure it through surveys. This gives organizations a way to truly measure customer satisfaction, with concrete metrics, and identify areas in which they can improve. This is a way to improve the customer experience at every level.

How is CSAT Measured?

CSAT scores can be measured at any point in the customer’s journey. Customers are given an easy-to-complete survey about their experience. A very simple question would go like this.

• “How Satisfied Are You with Your Experience Today?”
• Very Dissatisfied
• Somewhat Dissatisfied
• Neutral
• Somewhat Satisfied
• Very Satisfied

Now, that’s extremely simple, of course, but at a high level, you understand the broad outlines of this customer’s experience. That’s good to know, but that’s not a CSAT score. A CSAT score is the aggregate of hundreds or thousands of surveys.

Let’s say you take 100 surveys and add up all the responses. The total number is 375, so the average score is 375. That means your customers average somewhere between Neutral and Somewhat Satisfied. It’s closer to the higher number, but still indicates that work needs to be done.

Businesses also have the ability to ask more specific questions (“How quickly was your issue resolved”) and have a more nuanced range (“On a scale of 1-10…”). This can give clearer answers, though you want CSAT surveys to be easy and fast to fill out, lowering the threshold to completion.

When Should You Take Customer Satisfaction Surveys?

CSAT surveys can be taken throughout the customer journey, depending on what you want to measure. If taken at the end, you can get a Big Picture view of the entire journey. The drawback of that is that customers don’t always remember every detail, and are often reacting to the last part of their experience. But that survey also gives you a good look at overall customer considerations.

A customer feedback survey can also be taken at different touchpoints, such as after the sale is made, after a complaint it logged, when a customer tries to return a product, etc. This is a much more targeted look at a specific area of the organization.

How Are CSAT Scores Used

CSAT scores are used to take both a holistic and detailed look at the customer experience throughout an organization. There are a few ways to look at your CSAT scores.

1. Identify organization-wide issues which could lead to evaluating overall culture and training procedures
2. Find areas of targeted improvement where more training can be deployed
3. Identify specific employees who are struggling at specific touchpoints

Basically, CSAT scores show you where you are right now and the road toward improvement.

How do Businesses Increase their CSAT? Automation and Action

There’s a simple way to increase CSAT: practice. More training. More active listening. More empathy. More ways to practice real-world situations to bring them to a successful resolution.

That often means simulation training. AI coaching platforms can help new and existing employees learn how to handle challenging or unexpected situations. It does this by walking them through a simulated customer experience. Organizations can identify areas where CSAT scores are lower (for example, time customers have to spend on the phone) and do a few things.

1. Give employees training in order to bring situations to resolution in a more timely manner
2. Practice active listening so that customers don’t have to repeat themselves
3. Correct errors in real-time
4. Report areas where more work is needed to managers
5. Celebrate successes!

This reduces the need for hands-on training without sacrificing the human element. An AI coaching platform makes practice perfect.

What are the Benefits of Improved CSAT?

An improved CSAT score has several benefits. These include:

• Fewer complaints
• More positive reviews
• Increased reputation
• Increased customer loyalty
• Higher employee morale
• Lower attrition rates

When employees feel confident, they do better work. They solve problems. They are more empathetic. They enjoy work more. Increased CSAT scores help the company inside and out.