"Was everything okay?" gets a nod from everyone; a one-question survey after the order gets the truth. Customer satisfaction score (CSAT) is the share of customers who rated a specific interaction — a delivery, a repair, a meal, a support chat — as satisfied. It is quick to collect on WhatsApp, easy to explain to staff, and the fastest feedback loop a small business can run. This calculator computes CSAT from your survey counts on a 1–5 (or 1–3, 1–7, 1–10) scale, shows the distribution, the trend, and the margin of error for small samples.
How to calculate CSAT
CSAT = (Number of satisfied responses) ÷ (Total responses) × 100.
Out of 85 responses last month: 39 gave 5, 27 gave 4, 12 gave 3, 5 gave 2, 2 gave 1 → CSAT = 66 ÷ 85 = 77.6%. With 85 responses the margin of error is about ±9 points, so a move from 78% to 74% next month is noise; a move to 65% is a signal.
Two different numbers are both called CSAT
This is the source of most confusion when two teams quote different figures from the same survey.
| Method | What it is | How it reads |
|---|---|---|
| CSAT percentage (top-box) | Satisfied responses ÷ total × 100 | "Our CSAT is 78%" |
| Average rating | Mean of every rating given | "We're at 4.13 out of 5" |
The percentage is the standard for reporting and benchmarking; the average is more sensitive to a handful of angry 1s, which makes it useful for spotting a bad week. The calculator shows both from the same data, so you can report whichever your team uses without re-running the survey.
Which ratings count as "satisfied"?
It depends on the scale, and the calculator applies the convention for each:
| Scale | Counted as satisfied |
|---|---|
| 1–3 | Top box (3) |
| 1–5 | Top 2 boxes (4 and 5) |
| 1–7 | Top 2 boxes (6 and 7) |
| 0–10 | Top 2 boxes (9 and 10) |
Whatever you choose, keep it fixed. Switching from top-2-box to top-3-box mid-year will "improve" your CSAT by ten points without a single customer being happier.
How to use the calculator
- Choose the scale — 1–3, 1–5, 1–7 or 0–10 — and enter how many people gave each rating.
- Read the CSAT percentage, the average rating, the distribution bars and the sample's margin of error.
- Check the "responses needed for ±5 points" line before you draw a conclusion from a small survey.
- Segment by touchpoint — delivery, in-store, support, product — or by staff member or branch.
- Pair with an open text question; the numbers say how much, the comments say why.
Collecting CSAT in India without software
- WhatsApp after the order: "How was your experience? Reply 1–5." Automate a template on WhatsApp Business (consented, transactional).
- QR at the counter or on the bill, made with the URL QR generator, pointing to a one-question Google Form.
- Thermal receipt footer from the payment receipt tool with the QR.
- Ask within 24 hours of the interaction; response rates drop fast.
- Keep it to one rating and one optional comment; long surveys get ignored.
CSAT vs NPS vs reviews
- CSAT measures a transaction: was this delivery good?
- NPS measures the relationship: would you recommend us? Ask it quarterly, not after every order.
- Google reviews are public CSAT with marketing value; ask satisfied customers (4–5) for one via the review request builder, but never filter who sees the review link.
- First contact resolution and first response time are the operational drivers behind support CSAT.
Acting on the score
- Below 70%: something structural — delivery times, product quality, staff behaviour. Read the 1–2 comments and fix the top issue this week.
- 70–85%: normal; work on the most common 3-rating reason.
- Above 85%: protect it; use it in marketing with permission, and watch for survey bias (only happy customers answering).
- Track CSAT next to order accuracy and on-time delivery; operational metrics usually move first.
Collecting feedback by message must respect consent and frequency norms — the rules are summarised in TRAI's new anti-spam rules and the cost side in WhatsApp Business per-message pricing.
Related tools
- NPS calculator — relationship-level loyalty.
- First contact resolution rate — support quality driver.
- Engagement rate calculator — how satisfied customers behave publicly.
- First response time — speed driver.
- Google review request builder — turn satisfaction into reviews.
- Customer retention rate — the outcome CSAT predicts.