What is a customer satisfaction score (CSAT)

Two customers contact support about the same billing issue on the same day. One gets a clear answer in five minutes and rates the experience five out of five. The other waits an hour, gets passed between agents, and gives a two. Same problem, completely different satisfaction. That gap is exactly what a CSAT score captures.

A customer satisfaction score, usually called CSAT, is a short survey that asks customers to rate how happy they are with a specific interaction or experience. It is simple, fast, and focused on the moment. Here is what you need to know about it.

What is a CSAT score?

A CSAT score is a measurement of customer satisfaction based on a direct question, usually something like "How satisfied were you with this support experience?" Customers respond on a scale, most often one to five stars or one to five points.

The score itself is typically shown as a percentage. You take the number of satisfied responses (usually ratings of four or five) and divide by the total number of responses. If 80 out of 100 customers gave a positive rating, your CSAT is 80 percent.

Why does CSAT matter for support teams?

CSAT gives you immediate feedback while the interaction is still fresh in the customer's mind. That timing makes the responses more honest and more useful than asking someone about an experience from three months ago.

It also works at any scale. A solo freelancer can send a one-question survey after closing an email thread. A larger team can trigger CSAT surveys automatically after every resolved ticket. Either way, you get a clear signal about whether your support is landing well.

When should you use CSAT?

CSAT works best right after a specific touchpoint. That could be a live chat, a phone call, an email exchange, or a self-service session where someone found an answer in your help center. It measures that single moment, not the entire relationship.

Pair CSAT with broader metrics when you want the full picture. A customer might rate one chat highly but still feel lukewarm about your brand overall. That is where NPS and other customer satisfaction metrics fill in the gaps. The next chapter in this module covers how to measure customer satisfaction across multiple methods.

Frequently asked questions