customersatisfaction

Customer satisfaction is the measure of how well a product or service meets or exceeds a customer’s expectations. It encompasses perceptions of quality, value, reliability, and the overall experience across touchpoints such as sales, delivery, and support. While related concepts like happiness and loyalty exist, satisfaction focuses on the transactional outcome of a specific interaction or longer-term relationship.

Common measurement approaches include customer satisfaction score (CSAT), net promoter score (NPS), and customer effort score (CES). CSAT typically uses a brief rating on a 1–5 or 1–10 scale; NPS gauges willingness to recommend and ranges from -100 to 100; CES assesses the ease of obtaining a solution. Surveys are usually conducted soon after a touchpoint to minimize recall bias.

Drivers of satisfaction include product quality, service responsiveness, value for money, usability, reliability, and the quality of after-sales support. Communication clarity, timely problem resolution, and personalization can also influence perceptions. Different customer segments may prioritize different drivers, making segmentation a common practice in analyzing satisfaction data.

Organizations aim to improve satisfaction to foster loyalty, increase repeat purchases, and enhance advocacy, but higher satisfaction does not guarantee profitability. Satisfaction must be considered alongside costs, service availability, and overall strategy. Ultimately, it serves as a diagnostic signal guiding product development, service design, and customer relationship management.