CSAT vs NPS vs CES: Differences and When to Use Each

Teams often pick a satisfaction metric because a competitor mentions it, then wonder why the number never helps with a decision. CSAT, NPS and CES each answer a different question, and asking the wrong one at the wrong moment gives you a tidy figure that explains nothing.

This guide compares CSAT vs NPS vs CES, shows when to ask each, gives example questions and walks through the arithmetic with numbers you can check yourself. For a deeper look at the first one, see what CSAT is.

The differences at a glance

When to ask each

CSAT fits the end of a support conversation. It tells you whether that conversation went well, which makes it the one an agent or team lead can act on this week.

NPS is not about support. A customer's answer reflects pricing, product, delivery, reputation and a dozen other things. Ask it on a schedule (quarterly is common) to a sample of customers, not after every ticket.

CES fits moments where friction is the real risk: returning an item, changing a plan, completing identity verification, getting a payment problem fixed. If a customer had to contact you three times to finish something, CES shows it even when each single conversation scored well.

If you only have room for one question in your support flow, use CSAT. Add CES for the two or three processes you suspect are painful, and NPS as a separate survey owned outside support.

Example questions

CSAT - "How satisfied were you with this conversation?" (1 to 5) - Optional follow-up: "What could we have done better?"

NPS - "On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?" - Follow-up: "What is the main reason for your score?"

CES - "The company made it easy for me to handle my request." (1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree) - Follow-up: "What made it harder than it should have been?"

Keep the wording neutral and ask one thing per question.

How to calculate each one

Use these numbers and recompute them yourself.

CSAT

Last month, 150 customers answered the survey on a 1 to 5 scale. 117 of them chose 4 or 5.

CSAT = 117 ÷ 150 × 100 = 78%

NPS

You surveyed 80 customers with the 0 to 10 question. Scores of 9 or 10 are promoters, 7 or 8 are passives, 0 to 6 are detractors.

NPS = 45% − 20% = 25

Passives count in the total but not in the subtraction. NPS is a number, not a percentage.

CES

40 customers rated the statement on a 1 to 7 scale after a refund:

Sum of all scores: 84 + 60 + 40 + 20 + 9 + 2 + 1 = 216.

CES (average) = 216 ÷ 40 = 5.4

Some teams report the share who answered 5 to 7 instead: 30 ÷ 40 = 75%. Pick one method and keep it, otherwise you can't compare months.

What is a good score?

It depends on your industry, your customers and how you ask, so treat outside benchmarks with suspicion. Your own trend over several months, split by channel and request type, tells you more. A CSAT of 78% that was 70% a quarter ago is good news.

Common mistakes

• Using NPS to judge an agent. One customer's recommendation score says little about a single conversation.
• Asking everything at once. Three surveys after one chat gets you a low response rate and annoyed customers. One survey per conversation.
• Changing the scale between periods. Moving from 1 to 5 to 1 to 10 breaks every comparison.
• Leading questions. "How great was our support?" pushes people toward high answers.
• Reading the average and ignoring the comments. The follow-up answers explain the number.
• Counting only the people who reply. A small sample of very happy or very angry customers can skew the result. Always report the number of responses next to the score.
• Never closing the loop. If a detractor leaves a comment and nobody follows up, the survey was just a ritual.

Where Hodhod fits

Hodhod's built-in survey is CSAT. It is sent after a conversation, once per conversation, and you can add your own follow-up questions (text or multiple choice) and decide with a rule which conversations receive it. Results are under Reports, with the score, the trend and each customer's answers. NPS is better run as a separate survey outside the support inbox, since it isn't about one conversation. Read CSAT next to the rest of your customer support KPIs.

To see the survey working on your own team, request a free demo. If low scores often come from issues that needed several contacts, look at first contact resolution.

Frequently asked questions