Share When running a customer satisfaction survey, you’ve got multiple ways to ask questions. One of the most common ways is to directly ask, “How satisfied were you with your experience?” This measures CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score), a direct way to gauge how many customers were satisfied and to what extent.
But depending on your purpose, other metrics such as NPS (Net Promoter Score) and CES (Customer Effort Score) may be used as well. NPS typically asks, “How likely are you to recommend [A] to others?” using a 0 to 10 11-point scale, while CES asks, “How easy was it to use [A]?” to measure the level of effort required.
Each of these questions measures customer satisfaction from a different angle. So how do you choose between CSAT, NPS, and CES when designing your survey? This article compares these core customer experience (CX) metrics.
CSAT: The Most Straightforward Way to Measure Satisfaction
CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score) measures satisfaction through a direct question: “How satisfied were you with [A]?”
Its biggest strength lies in its flexibility. CSAT can measure overall satisfaction and also be tailored to measure satisfaction for specific aspects of an experience.
For instance, in the case of an online retailer, CSAT can be tailored to ask about satisfaction with product recommendation, website design, product categorization, checkout experience, and delivery. This helps pinpoint pain points across the customer journey.
It’s best to collect CSAT responses immediately after key moments like after a purchase, a refund request, or a customer support interaction. Since satisfaction is subjective and varies by individual, gathering feedback while the experience is still fresh leads to more accurate and honest responses.
CSAT most commonly uses a 5-point scale, from “very dissatisfied” to “very satisfied.” However, 3-point, 7-point, 9-point, or even 10-point scales can also be used. You can also ask binary questions such as “satisfied/unsatisfied” or “yes/no” to get a quick pulse, though these don’t capture the degree of satisfaction.
CSAT isn’t without its downsides. Since satisfaction thresholds vary from person to person, it can be difficult to quantify responses. And while CSAT helps flag customer dissatisfaction, it may not always predict future behavior like continued usage or repeat purchase intent. Still, CSAT provides a quick, scalable pulse on how customers feel, making it a valuable rallying signal for teams.
NPS: From Recommendation Intent to Business Growth Potential
NPS (Net Promoter Score) asks just one question: “How likely are you to recommend [A] to others?” Developed by Bain & Company in 2003, NPS has become one of the most widely used customer satisfaction metrics across global companies due to its simplicity and standardization.
Because it’s based on a single, consistent question, NPS is easy to implement without complex survey design. It also allows for benchmarking across time and against competitors, making it highly versatile.
Beyond measuring satisfaction, NPS is used as an indicator of business growth potential. A high willingness among customers to recommend your product or service often translates into stronger word-of-mouth and organic growth. This is why NPS has been used by high-growth startups to showcase future value to investors.
NPS is scored on a 0–10 11-point scale. Respondents are categorized as:
- Detractors (0–6)
- Passives (7–8)
- Promoters (9–10)
The final NPS score is calculated by subtracting the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters.
For example, let’s say Brand A surveys 500 customers. If 260 give scores of 9–10 (Promoters), 140 score 7–8 (Passives), and 100 score 0–6 (Detractors), the breakdown is 52% Promoters, 28% Passives, and 20% Detractors. Brand A’s NPS would be 52 – 20 = 32.
So, is a score of 32 good or bad? While the ideal comparison is against your industry average or competitors, Bain & Company provides general benchmarks:
- 0+: Acceptable
- 20+: Good
- 50+: Excellent
- 80+: World-class
By this standard, a score of 32 is considered good.
NPS has its critics. One reason for its popularity is the wealth of benchmarks available—searching “average NPS by industry” provides numerous results. However, you may misinterpret NPS metrics and arrive at the wrong conclusions by comparing against benchmarks without a deeper understanding of how they were derived. This is why it’s important to conduct NPS surveys for your brand and key competitors simultaneously for meaningful comparisons.
CES: Measuring Ease of Use as a Satisfaction Indicator
CES (Customer Effort Score) evaluates how easy it was for customers to complete a task or interaction by asking, “How easy was it to use [A]?” Like CSAT, it typically uses a 5-point scale. CES was introduced in 2008 by the Corporate Executive Board (later acquired by Gartner) and gained traction after being featured in the Harvard Business Review.
CES is often seen as a complementary or alternative metric to NPS, especially because it offers actionable insights. While NPS requires additional questions to uncover the “why” behind a score, CES can point directly to high-friction points in the user experience. For example, asking “How easy was it to complete the payment process?” helps pinpoint usability issues.
CES has only grown in value as mobile apps have become the go-to touchpoint. Delivering a seamless mobile app experience is now critical to business success. In e-commerce, even if a competitor offers lower prices, customers accustomed to Amazon’s fast and easy checkout may be reluctant to switch.
Of course, CES has limitations too. Customers may give low scores based on issues that aren’t relevant to your business model. For instance, if your service is designed exclusively for mobile, a customer might still rate it poorly due to difficulty using it on a laptop. Not all CES results warrant action, so it’s important to interpret results with context and understand its limitations.
With Dataspace, you can easily manage the entire customer satisfaction survey process—from questionnaire design to automated analysis. Leverage your existing customer database to distribute surveys and analyze results, all while customizing the survey experience to reflect your brand identity.