CSAT, or Customer Satisfaction Score, is a metric that measures how satisfied a customer is with a specific interaction, product, or service. It is collected by asking customers to rate their satisfaction on a short survey, then expressing the positive responses as a percentage of all responses. A CSAT score of 80% means 80% of respondents rated their experience as satisfied or very satisfied.
In short
- CSAT measures satisfaction with a specific touchpoint, usually asked right after a support interaction closes.
- The formula is the number of positive responses divided by total responses, multiplied by 100.
- Most teams count the top two ratings on the scale, for example 4 and 5 on a 1 to 5 scale, as positive.
- A typical good CSAT sits between 75% and 85%, though the benchmark varies by industry and channel.
- CSAT tells you how customers felt, but not why, which is where conversation quality data fills the gap.
How CSAT is calculated
CSAT is a survey-based metric. After an interaction, the customer is asked a simple question such as “How satisfied were you with this experience?” and rates it on a scale, commonly 1 to 5 or 1 to 3. You then count how many responses fall in the positive range and divide by the total number of responses.
The formula in plain text is:
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Formula | CSAT = (positive responses / total responses) x 100 |
| Positive responses | Top ratings on the scale, for example 4 and 5 out of 5 |
| Scale | Usually 1 to 5, sometimes 1 to 3 or a thumbs up and down |
| Worked example | 80 positive out of 100 responses = 80% CSAT |
| Timing | Sent immediately after the interaction closes |
What is a good CSAT score
A good CSAT score for customer service usually falls between 75% and 85%, and scores above 90% are strong. Benchmarks vary by industry, channel, and how the question is worded, so the most useful comparison is your own trend over time rather than an absolute number. A score that is drifting down is a signal worth investigating, even if it still looks healthy on paper.
How CSAT relates to quality assurance
CSAT is an outcome metric: it captures how the customer felt, but not what happened in the conversation to produce that feeling. Quality assurance looks at the other side, scoring what the agent actually did against your standards for tone, accuracy, and process. Read together, they are powerful. A dip in CSAT becomes actionable when you can trace it to the conversations behind it.
Kaizo measures internal quality through its Internal Quality Score, or IQS, and connects that conversation quality to outcome metrics like CSAT, so leaders can see how what happens inside a ticket moves what the customer reports afterward. Because Kaizo is native to Zendesk and Salesforce, it reads those conversations straight from the systems your team already runs.
Frequently asked questions
What is the CSAT formula?
CSAT equals the number of positive responses divided by the total number of responses, multiplied by 100. If 80 out of 100 customers give a positive rating, your CSAT is 80%. Positive usually means the top one or two ratings on your scale.
What is a good CSAT score?
A good CSAT for customer service is typically between 75% and 85%, with above 90% considered excellent. Benchmarks differ by industry and channel, so tracking your own trend over time is more useful than comparing to a single target number.
What is the difference between CSAT and NPS?
CSAT measures satisfaction with a specific interaction and is scored as a percentage. NPS measures overall loyalty and likelihood to recommend on a 0 to 10 scale. CSAT is transactional and immediate, while NPS is relational and looks at the wider relationship.
How does CSAT relate to QA scores?
CSAT tells you how the customer felt, and QA scores tell you what happened in the conversation to cause it. Pairing them lets you connect a satisfaction dip to the specific handling behaviors behind it, which is what makes the metric coachable rather than just reportable.
Related terms
Connect CSAT to what happens in your conversations
See how Kaizo scores the conversations behind your CSAT, so a satisfaction dip points to the coaching that fixes it.
