When we talk about customer experience, it is inevitable to talk about customer satisfaction, and it is undoubtedly one of the measures that we must take into account when piloting the experience in our companies. Hence the importance of knowing the concept of CSAT or Satisfaction Index.

The Satisfaction Index or CSAT

The CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score) is surely the most classic and widespread method in terms of primary measurement of experience that our customers experience. Despite this, we must take into account the time of possible comparisons because this index does not have a general approval like other indices that help us measure customer experience in our companies.

What are we talking about then with the CSAT?

How many of you have passed through a store, or an airport and at the exit you have found a panel with four buttons that represent faces (from angry red to happy green)? Well, that's what we're talking about.

There are a wide variety of ways to Make up the CSAT index, and like everything else, we must be aware of what we want to measure, how we are going to measure it and of course, what we are going to do with that measurement so that it does not remain as just another number within our KPIs, but all this being aware of how the measurement has been structured.

Although the most commonly used scale is usually the one that goes from 1 — “Not Satisfied” to 5 — “Totally Satisfied”, it is possible to modify these scales, and in fact it is advisable to evaluate this index internally taking into account cultural factors and biases.

What does this mean? Well, in individualistic cultures, there is a greater tendency to extreme evaluation (higher or lower), while in cultures with greater collective consciousness, it is usually evaluated with average scores.

5 Aspects to Consider about the CSAT

1. Type of business: we must take into account if we are looking at a measurement of a service or a product. Can you imagine a product review when you buy a television right outside the store when you haven't even opened the box yet?

2. Momento: The measurement must take place at the right time, and especially in this index, it is very oriented to a transactional model, that is, it must take place in the short term after the last point of contact. In the previous case of the television, the normal test period of the product for the launch of the survey should be estimated.

3. Escala: Not in all countries or cultures we evaluate on the same scale. Although the most common in this index is 1-5, there are other scales such as 1-7 or 1-10 in which this index can be formed. The ideal would be to adapt the scale to the cultural framework in which it is going to develop.

4. Environment and location: we also need to consider the location of the elements for the evaluation. “Am I the only one who feels self-conscious when they place the buttons in front of the counter while they charge you and ask you to evaluate them?” What if the attention hasn't been good? Do we squeeze our happy face so that the store clerk doesn't look bad at us? What if he is directly asking my face to select it?

5. Do something!! : let's not leave measurement as just another number because we see its evolution as just another number to see its evolution as if it were watching bamboo grow. Every measurement must have its explanation and an action plan both to reinforce if the result is positive, and to reinforce it if we are obtaining negative values.

But not only the Satisfaction Index lives the CX

In any case, we cannot bet all our actions and measurements on the CSAT that we configure, this should be part of a complete CEM dashboard that gives us greater understanding of what is happening with our customers.

Customer satisfaction is a “must” in our relationship with them, but we must also address the emotional connection. A study of the Harvard Business Review (“The New Science of Customer Emotions”) indicates how customers who, in addition to being highly satisfied, have a complete emotional connection with the brand have an average value of 52% higher for companies of those who are only satisfied.

Satisfied customers? Of course! And on to the next goal!