Customer satisfaction is a part of customer experience that tells how customers feel about a brand. There are three most commonly used customer satisfaction metrics. These metrics are CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score), CES (Customer Effort Score) and NPS (Net Promoter Score). So how do you know which one to use? While these measure customer satisfaction, they serve different purposes and provide unique insights.
What is A Customer Satisfaction Metric?
A customer satisfaction metric is a standard, quantitative measure of how customers perceive their interactions with a brand. It maps their experiences across interactions, transactions, post purchase experiences, long-term relationships and tracks overall experience with the brand. The three standard customer satisfaction metrics are.
- Net Promoter Score
- Customer Satisfaction Score
- Customer Effort Score
1. Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)
What is CSAT?
Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) measures how satisfied customers are with a specific interaction, product feature, support experience, or purchase. It captures immediate, transactional feedback. A CSAT survey typically uses a 5-point Likert rating scale. However, a CSAT survey can also use a 3-point or a 7-point rating scale ranging from Very Unsatisfied to Very Satisfied
Examples of a standard customer satisfaction survey as marked on a 1-to-5 rating scale:
Q: How satisfied are you with [product/service]?”
- Very unsatisfied
- Unsatisfied
- Neutral
- Satisfied
- Very satisfied
How is CSAT calculated?
CSAT formula = (Total number of responses / Number of satisfied responses) ×100.
If 80 out of 100 customers gave a satisfaction score of 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale, the CSAT would be: CSAT=(100 / 80) ×100= 80%
Number of satisfied responses: Typically, these are responses that fall in the upper range of the scale (e.g., 4 and 5 on a 5-point scale).
Total number of responses: The total number of customers who answered the satisfaction question.
What is a good CSAT score?
A good CSAT score falls in the 75 %–85 % range, depending on industry benchmarks and customer expectations. Scores above 85 % are exceptional, indicating truly world-class customer satisfaction. What counts as “good” can vary significantly by sector. For instance, call center standards generally target 75 %–84 % as a solid CSAT. It’s important to benchmark against your competitors and use these industry averages as a guide, not a hard rule.
When to use the CSAT survey?
- Short-term feedback: CSAT is ideal for short-term assessments of specific interactions or events ( eg: purchase or support call).
- Customer service interactions: It can be shared immediately after customer service interactions to gauge satisfaction level and improve service standards rapidly.
2. The Net Promoter Score® (NPS)
What is the Net Promoter System?
NPS, or Net Promoter Score measures customer loyalty and the likelihood of customers recommending your business to others. It’s calculated using a single question:
On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our company’s products or services to a friend or colleague?
NPS surveys can be triggered during any stage of the customer’s lifecycle:
- After a purchase or after a product trial;
- After a client contacts your support team;
- Whenever you want to assess client-brand relationship;
- A few weeks before a long-term subscription is nearing its end.
How is NPS calculated?
The NPS score is from -100 to 100.
Net promoter score formula = Percentage of promoters – percentage of detractors.
For example, if you have 60% promoters and 10% detractors, your NPS would be 50%.
Respondents are segregated into three categories.
- Promoters (9 or a 10).
They showcase extreme brand loyalty. They are more likely to talk about the positive brand experience. - Passives (7 or 8).
They are satisfied but unenthusiastic customers. They can easily switch to competitor products/ services. - Detractors (0 to 6).
These are unhappy customers who can damage your brand reputation. Detractors may have had a repeated bad experience with the brand.
2 types of Net Promoter Score: tNPS and rNPS
Net promoter score has two variants: transactional net promoter score (tNPS) and relational net promoter score (rNPS).
Relational Net Promoter Score: rNPS measures the general experience of people with the brand. The main aim is to understand a customer’s relationship with an organisation.
Transactional Net Promoter Score: tNPS measures customer’s experience based on a specific interaction or transaction with a company. This includes purchase, support call, or a service experience. This score provides insights into how specific interactions influence overall customer sentiment.
Both transactional and relational Net Promoter Score have the same calculation method but under a slightly different label. You can read more on transactional net promoter score here.
What is a good Net Promoter Score?
A Net Promoter Score above 0 is positive. Industry benchmarks can vary depending on the type of industry you compare with. Most scores above 50 are good. Any score above 60 to 70 is considered best in the industry.
3. The Customer Effort Score (CES)
CES or the Customer Effort Score measures the amount of effort a customer had to put to solve a problem. Similar to the CSAT survey, CES can use the 7-point scale or the 5-point scale survey. CES focuses on decreasing the effort taken to solve a problem or interact with a customer support person.
Example:
- “On a scale of 1 to 7, how easy was it to [complete the task/interact with our service]?”
- Very Difficult
- Difficult
- Somewhat Difficult
- Neither Easy or Difficult
- Somewhat Easy
- Easy
- Very Easy
How is CES calculated?
CES surveys use a 7-point rating scale (1 = Very Difficult, 7 = Very Easy). To calculate the average CES:
- Add up all the scores provided by respondents.
- Divide the total by the number of responses.
CES formula= Sum of all scores / Number of all responses
When to use the CES survey?
CES is particularly useful where you want to measure the ease of customer interactions, such as:
- Resolving a customer support issue.
- Completing a purchase or transaction.
- Navigating your website or app.
- Using a specific feature or service.
CSAT, NPS and CES: How are these customer satisfaction metrics different?
1. End goal of each metric
CSAT measures immediate, interaction-level satisfaction. It captures the customer’s emotional response to a specific experience (a support call, delivery, product use, etc.)
NPS measures overall customer loyalty and long-term brand advocacy. It reflects how likely customers are to recommend the brand over time.
CES measures how easy or difficult it was for customers to complete an action. The goal is to identify friction in the customer journey and reduce effort to improve loyalty.
2. Question format and scale
CSAT typically asks: “How satisfied were you with your experience?”
Uses a 1–5 or 1–7 rating scale to capture satisfaction with a specific touchpoint.
NPS asks: “How likely are you to recommend us to others?”
Uses a 0–10 scale to classify customers as Promoters, Passives, and Detractors.
Transactional NPS (tNPS) focuses on interactions; relational NPS (rNPS) tracks ongoing loyalty.
CES asks: “How easy was it to resolve your issue?” or “The company made it easy for me to complete my task.”
Uses a 1–5 or 1–7 agreement scale, measuring ease of experience.
3. When the feedback is collected
CSAT is collected right after an interaction to assess in-the-moment satisfaction.
NPS is mostly collected periodically (monthly, quarterly) to track long-term sentiment and brand strength.
CES is captured immediately after a task is completed, typically post-support interaction, onboarding, or checkout.
4. Scope of feedback
CSAT focuses narrowly on a single event or touchpoint in the journey.
NPS provides a wide, brand-level perspective, identifying long-term loyalty trends and churn risks.
CES focuses specifically on effort, identifying friction points that may cause customer frustration or dropout.
5. Type of insights each metric delivers
CSAT highlights what aspects of service, product, or experience created satisfaction or dissatisfaction.
NPS uncovers loyalty patterns and helps organisations identify promoters who drive referrals and detractors who are likely to churn.
CES exposes operational inefficiencies and areas where the brand can reduce effort to increase customer retention.
CSAT, NPS and CES: How are these customer satisfaction metrics similar?
1. All three measure customer experience
CSAT measures satisfaction, NPS measures advocacy, and CES measures effort but all three provide insight into how customers feel about interacting with your brand. Additionally, these metrics allow teams to compare themselves to industry averages, monitor performance over time, and evaluate how well experience programs are working.
2. Simple survey formats
All three use short surveys:
- A closed-ended rating question
- Followed by an open-ended question asking why the customer gave that rating
This keeps response rates high across channels, including WhatsApp surveys.
3. Quantitative scoring
Each metric uses numerical scales for scoring and trend analysis:
- CSAT: percent of satisfied customers
- NPS: promoter minus detractor percentage
- CES: average effort score or percent of “easy” experiences
4. Applicable across the customer journey
- CSAT evaluates specific steps like purchase, support, or delivery.
- NPS evaluates overall brand loyalty or post-purchase sentiment.
- CES evaluates task completion experiences like customer support resolution, onboarding, or website navigation.
5. Actionable customer feedback
- NPS segments customers (Promoters, Passives, Detractors).
- CSAT exposes which parts of the journey delight or disappoint.
- CES identifies where customers struggle and what needs to be simplified.
6. Direct impact on business outcomes
High scores in CSAT, NPS, and CES strongly correlate with:
- higher retention
- improved loyalty
- increased referrals and repeat purchases
- lower churn
Similarly, declining scores signal where experiences must be improved to protect revenue.
Converting One Metric into the Other
Can you convert CSAT to NPS?
The short answer is no. The net promoter score (NPS) is a standardized question asked in a specific way and on a particular scale. Although you can rescale CSAT data mathematically, you cannot change the wording of the question. CSAT does not measure brand advocacy. Converting CSAT into NPS denotes that satisfaction and brand advocacy are the same, but they may not be. Customers might be satisfied with a category but may not feel comfortable recommending a brand.
Can you convert NPS to CSAT?
It depends. Mathematically, it is not very complex to remodel a CSAT scale (0-10 scale into a 1-5 scale or any other). When converting NPS into CSAT, the assumption is that brand advocacy is the same as satisfaction. One can argue that satisfaction with the brand is the bare minimum requirement for brand advocacy. However, the assumption that the relationship between NPS and CSAT is linear may not hold.
5 Best Practices to Use CSAT, NPS & CES Effectively
1. Make it easy for customers to provide feedback:
Customers should be able to share feedback in a way that is convenient to them. Use survey channels that are interactive. This includes Merren’s native WhatsApp surveys, Facebook surveys, dynamic emails and website chatbots.
2. Use clear and pre-designed questions:
Keep the questions easy to understand for every respondent. Avoid lengthy or complicated surveys. People will abandon surveys that don’t stick to the point.
3. Use an appropriate scale with the right questions:
CSAT and CES are often used with a 5-point scale but a 3-point or a 7-point rating scale works as well. Odd scales work better for CSAT. It provides a clear neutral point (for example: 3 is neutral on a 1 to 5 scale) but it is not mandatory. A 10-point scale may put a cognitive load on the respondent.
NPS uses a single 10-point scale. Both the metrics are accompanied by an open-ended question. This is a standard protocol.
4. Follow up to prevent negative feedback:
Follow up on customer feedback and take action based on the responses. This also includes making changes to products or services based on customer feedback. Close the customer feedback loop and acknowledge the people for their responses. This will make them feel positive about the company.
5. Use actionable data to reduce churn rate:
People expect companies to listen to their concerns. One way to reduce churn is to close any feedback loop at the earliest. This will prevent bad experiences, improve retention rates and maintain the online reputation of a brand.
Conclusion
If you are looking to curate the right metric for your business, Merren can help. Merren has pre-designed CSAT and NPS surveys for your CX needs.
Visit the NPS metrics website here.
Visit the CSAT metric website here.
Merren has superfast survey channels where you can obtain 10X the response rate- more than the industry standard response rate. Launch your NPS and CSAT scores using these channels and gain detailed customer insights. Start your 14 day free trial with Merren and access all our advanced features.