Helpdesk Concepts

CSAT Survey

Definition

A CSAT survey is a short, usually single-question survey sent after a support interaction to measure how satisfied the customer was, most often asking them to rate the experience on a simple scale.

Also known as: satisfaction surveycustomer satisfaction surveypost-interaction survey

How it works

After a ticket is solved or a chat ends, the customer receives a prompt like "How would you rate the support you received?" — commonly a 1–5 scale, thumbs up/down, or emoji faces, sometimes with an optional comment field.

Responses roll up into the Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT): the percentage of positive ratings out of all responses. Placement, timing, and question wording all affect response rate and how honest the answers are.

Why it matters

The survey is the instrument; CSAT is the metric it produces. A well-designed survey — short, sent promptly, tied to a specific interaction — gives support teams a granular, real-time read on quality per agent, channel, or topic.

When teams introduce automation, CSAT surveys on AI-handled interactions are the honest check on whether customers were genuinely helped, not just deflected.

Frequently asked

When should a CSAT survey be sent?

Ideally right after the interaction is resolved, while it's fresh. Delayed surveys get lower response rates and less accurate answers.

What is the difference between a CSAT survey and CSAT?

The survey is the question you ask the customer; CSAT is the score you calculate from the responses — usually positive answers divided by total responses.

Related terms

Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)

Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) is a metric that measures how satisfied customers are with a specific interaction or experience, usually from a short post-contact survey..

Net Promoter Score (NPS)

Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a customer loyalty metric that measures how likely customers are to recommend a company, product, or service to others, on a 0–10 scale..

Customer Effort Score (CES)

Customer Effort Score (CES) is a metric that measures how much effort a customer had to expend to get their issue resolved or their request completed, usually from a short post-interaction survey..

Voice of the Customer (VoC)

Voice of the Customer (VoC) is the practice of systematically capturing and analyzing customer feedback — across surveys, support tickets, reviews, and conversations — to understand what customers need, expect, and experience..

Quality Assurance (QA) Score

A Quality Assurance (QA) score measures how well a support interaction met a team's quality standards, based on a scorecard that grades things like accuracy, tone, policy adherence, and resolution..

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