CSAT Customer Satisfaction Score Calculator
Calculate your CSAT customer satisfaction score from 1-5 survey rating counts. Get CSAT %, average rating, top-box share and margin of error.
A CSAT customer satisfaction score is the percentage of survey respondents who rate an experience 4 (Satisfied) or 5 (Very Satisfied) on a 1-5 scale, in answer to a question such as "How satisfied were you with your experience?". Divide the 4 and 5 answers by all responses and multiply by 100 to get a score from 0% to 100%.
How to Calculate CSAT Score: Formula and Worked Example
CSAT score = (number of 4 and 5 responses ÷ total responses) × 100. Neutral (3) and negative (1-2) answers stay in the total but do not count as satisfied. Click Load Example above to put this 200-response survey into the calculator:
| Rating | Responses | Counts as satisfied? | Rating × responses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 — Very Satisfied | 90 | Yes | 450 |
| 4 — Satisfied | 60 | Yes | 240 |
| 3 — Neutral | 25 | No | 75 |
| 2 — Dissatisfied | 15 | No | 30 |
| 1 — Very Dissatisfied | 10 | No | 10 |
| Total | 200 | 150 | 805 |
- Add the satisfied answers: 90 + 60 = 150.
- Divide by all responses: 150 ÷ 200 = 0.75.
- Multiply by 100: CSAT = 75%.
- Average rating = 805 ÷ 200 = 4.03 out of 5; top-box (5 only) = 90 ÷ 200 = 45%.
With 200 responses the 95% margin of error is about ±6.9 points (worst case, p = 0.5), so a later score of 72% or 78% is not clearly different from 75%.
Common CSAT survey question examples: "How satisfied were you with the support you received today?", "How satisfied are you with your purchase?" and "How satisfied were you with your onboarding?" Keep one rating question per survey and add one open-text follow-up asking for the main reason behind the score.
What Is a Good CSAT Customer Satisfaction Score?
A good CSAT customer satisfaction score is one that beats your own previous periods and peers measured the same way: same 1-5 question, same top-two-box (4-5) rule, same moment in the journey (for example, right after a support ticket closes). Scores collected with different scales or timing are not directly comparable.
- Trend first: compare month to month, but only treat a change as real when it is larger than the margin of error shown in the calculator.
- Same definition: a top-box (5 only) score will always be lower than a top-two-box (4-5) score for the same survey.
- Don't mix indexes: the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) reports scores on a 0-100 index built from several modelled survey questions. An ACSI score is not a percentage of satisfied customers, so an ACSI score of 75 does not mean 75% CSAT.
CSAT vs NPS vs CES: Which Survey Metric to Use
CSAT, Net Promoter Score (NPS) and Customer Effort Score (CES) answer different questions. Many teams run CSAT after individual interactions and NPS on a regular relationship schedule.
| Metric | Typical question | Scale | How it is scored | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSAT | How satisfied were you with [interaction]? | 1-5 | % of 4 and 5 answers (0-100%) | A specific interaction or purchase |
| NPS | How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague? | 0-10 | % promoters (9-10) minus % detractors (0-6), −100 to +100 | Overall relationship and loyalty |
| CES | How easy was it to get your issue resolved? | Often 1-7 | Average score or % of easy answers | Support and self-service friction |
To compare the cost and return of running each survey, use the NPS vs CSAT vs CES survey ROI calculator.
What CSAT Measures
Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) is the percentage of respondents who rate their experience 4 or 5 on a 5-point Likert scale. The question is typically: 'How satisfied are you with [product/service/interaction]?' CSAT measures point-in-time satisfaction — often used after specific interactions (support ticket resolution, demo, onboarding milestone).
CSAT differs from NPS in three ways: (1) CSAT measures satisfaction; NPS measures advocacy intent. (2) CSAT is typically transactional; NPS is relationship. (3) CSAT range 0-100%; NPS range -100 to +100.
When to Use CSAT
Best for: (1) Post-support ticket. (2) Post-demo. (3) After onboarding milestones. (4) After feature releases. (5) Periodic relationship check-ins. Not best for: long-term loyalty (use NPS), product-fit assessment (use Product/Market Fit Survey, PMF), or financial outcomes (use cohort retention).
Indicative CSAT Ranges by Industry
There is no official CSAT benchmark. The ranges below are rough, indicative figures of the kind published in vendor survey reports (for example Survicate's CSAT benchmark report). Results shift with survey timing, channel and question wording, so your own trend matters more than any table.
| Industry | Indicative CSAT range |
|---|---|
| SaaS / B2B Software | 78-82% |
| E-commerce | 80-85% |
| Hospitality | 83-88% |
| Telecom / ISP | 62-68% |
| Airlines | 70-75% |
| Healthcare | 73-78% |
Top-Box vs Top-Two-Box
Top-box = % responding 5 only. Top-two-box = % responding 4 or 5. Standard CSAT is top-two-box. Top-box-only is a stricter metric — companies focused on 'delight' often prefer top-box because customers rating 4 may not return, while customers rating 5 actively recommend. Both have merit; pick one and stick with it.
Last updated: October 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good CSAT score?
It depends on your industry and how you survey. Vendor benchmark reports commonly show most industries somewhere around 75-85%, with telecom and internet providers lower; above about 80% is usually read as strong. Compare to your industry, not absolute thresholds. Track changes over time more than absolute number.
CSAT vs NPS — which to use?
Use BOTH if budget allows. CSAT for specific transactions (post-support, post-demo). NPS for overall relationship health. Some teams use only NPS; others use only CSAT. The decision depends on what you want to measure and how often.
How often should I send CSAT surveys?
Transactional CSAT: triggered by the event (immediately after support ticket close, demo, etc.). Relationship CSAT: monthly to quarterly. Don't over-survey — fatigue causes response rates to drop and biases results.
Should I respond to negative CSAT responses?
Always. Within 24-48 hours. Have a senior person reach out to detractors, understand the issue, and attempt resolution. Follow-up often recovers the customer and surfaces systemic issues marketing wouldn't see otherwise.
Can I include free-text questions?
Yes. Always. The numerical score tells you WHAT, the open text tells you WHY. Standard format: 'How satisfied are you?' (5-point) + 'What's the main reason for your score?' (open). Code the responses by theme to identify patterns.
What sample size do I need for reliable CSAT?
At 95% confidence (worst case, p = 0.5), 100 responses give about ±9.8 points, about 385 responses give ±5 points and about 1,537 give ±2.5 points. Below 30 responses the margin of error is too wide for meaningful comparison. Don't celebrate month-over-month changes within margin of error.
How do you calculate a CSAT score?
Count the responses rated 4 (Satisfied) or 5 (Very Satisfied), divide by the total number of responses, and multiply by 100. Example: 75 satisfied answers out of 100 responses gives a CSAT score of 75%. Neutral and negative answers stay in the total.
What questions should a CSAT survey include?
One core rating question such as 'How satisfied were you with [the interaction]?' on a 1-5 scale from Very Dissatisfied to Very Satisfied, plus one optional open-text question like 'What is the main reason for your score?'. Short surveys sent right after the interaction are easier to answer.
Do neutral (3) responses count in a CSAT score?
Yes. Neutral answers stay in the total number of responses but do not count as satisfied, so they lower the CSAT score. Example: 150 satisfied answers out of 200 responses is 75%; if the 25 neutral answers were dropped, the same survey would wrongly show 85.7%.
Is CSAT a percentage or an average score?
The standard CSAT customer satisfaction score is a percentage: the share of 4 and 5 ratings out of all responses. Some teams also report the average rating (for example 4.03 out of 5). The two can move differently, so state which one you use and keep it consistent over time.