Survey types

Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) Survey

A Customer Satisfaction Score survey measures short-term, transactional satisfaction with a specific interaction, product, or service using a single rating question. Respondents rate their satisfaction, usually on a 1-to-5 scale, immediately after the experience. CSAT is prized for its simplicity and high response rates, making it ideal for measuring individual touchpoints like a support chat, a checkout flow, or a delivery. Because it is tied to a precise moment, it pinpoints exactly where experiences succeed or fail, giving teams fast, granular signals they can act on without delay.

When to use it

Deploy CSAT immediately after a discrete interaction you want to evaluate: a closed support ticket, a live chat, a purchase, a product setup, or a feature you just used. It is the right choice when you need fast, touchpoint-level feedback rather than an overall loyalty measure. Use it to monitor the consistency of a specific process and to flag bad experiences quickly enough to recover the customer.

How it is measured

CSAT is calculated as the number of satisfied responses divided by the total number of responses, expressed as a percentage. Satisfied usually means the top one or two options on the scale, such as 4 and 5 on a 5-point scale or the satisfied and very satisfied choices. For example, 80 satisfied responses out of 100 yields a CSAT of 80 percent. Report it per touchpoint and over time so you can see exactly which interactions are improving or slipping.

Recommended questions

1
How satisfied were you with this interaction?
csat
2
How satisfied are you with the resolution you received?
csat
3
Was your issue resolved?
boolean
4
How would you rate the speed of our response?
rating
5
Which best describes the reason for your rating?
radiogroup
6
What could have made this experience better?
comment
7
How easy was it to complete what you came to do?
rating

Frequently asked questions

A CSAT of 75 to 85 percent is widely viewed as good, and many high-performing support teams aim for 90 percent or above. That said, benchmarks differ by industry, channel, and the exact wording of your scale, so treat these as rough guides. Because CSAT is touchpoint-specific, the more valuable insight is comparing the same interaction over time and across teams or channels. A consistent score is healthier than a high but volatile one, and even a strong score deserves a look at the comments behind it.
CSAT measures satisfaction with a specific, recent interaction and is transactional and short-term. NPS measures overall loyalty and the likelihood of recommending you, and is relational and longer-term. CSAT answers "did this interaction go well?" while NPS answers "how strong is the whole relationship?" They complement each other: CSAT helps you fix individual touchpoints fast, and NPS tracks whether those fixes are improving loyalty over time. Many teams run CSAT after key interactions and NPS on a periodic cycle.
The two most common scales are a 1-to-5 numeric scale and a labeled five-point scale from very dissatisfied to very satisfied. Five points strike a good balance between nuance and simplicity and tend to maximize response rates. Some teams use emoji or star ratings to feel more approachable. Whatever you choose, keep it consistent across surveys so your scores remain comparable, and clearly define which top options count as satisfied when you calculate the percentage.
No. Forcing a comment lowers your response rate and can produce throwaway text just to get past the field. Keep the rating mandatory and the comment optional, but make it inviting with a prompt like "Tell us why." A smart approach is to show a tailored follow-up only to people who give low scores, so you capture the most actionable feedback exactly where it matters. The single rating already gives you your metric; comments are valuable context, not a requirement.

Ready to start collecting answers?

Build it with AI or a template and share it in minutes — no design skills needed.

Create this survey — free
Build your first survey with AI — free No credit card · ready in seconds Get started