Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)

Why it matters for B2B support

In B2B support, CSAT is most strongly correlated with resolution speed and technical accuracy of the answer. Customers who receive root-cause diagnoses in their first response score 20-30% higher on CSAT.

How to calculate CSAT

CSAT is calculated as: (Number of satisfied responses ÷ Total number of responses) × 100. Most teams send a single post-resolution question ("How satisfied were you with this interaction?") on either a 1-5 scale or a 1-10 scale. On a 1-5 scale, responses of 4 or 5 ("satisfied" and "very satisfied") count as satisfied; on a 1-10 scale, teams typically count 8-10 as satisfied. The specific cutoff should be documented and kept consistent, since switching scales or cutoffs mid-quarter makes trend comparisons meaningless.

Survey timing matters as much as the formula. Send the survey immediately on ticket resolution, while the interaction is still fresh — response rates and recall accuracy both drop sharply if the survey goes out more than 24 hours after close.

Common CSAT measurement pitfalls

• Response bias toward extremes. Customers who are very satisfied or very frustrated are more likely to respond than customers with a neutral, "fine" experience — this is sometimes called J-curve or U-curve bias. A low response rate can quietly skew CSAT in either direction.
• Changing the scale or cutoff. Moving from a 1-5 to a 1-10 scale, or changing which responses count as "satisfied," breaks trend continuity even if the underlying customer experience hasn't changed.
• Surveying too late. Sending the survey days after resolution measures the customer's memory of the interaction, not the interaction itself.
• Treating CSAT as the only signal. CSAT reflects one interaction. It should be read alongside ticket volume, reopen rate, and escalation rate to get a full picture of support quality — a team can hold high CSAT while still having a reopen-rate or escalation problem hiding underneath.

How Altor helps

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