# NPS vs CSAT: Which Customer Satisfaction Metric Actually Drives Results? Product owners face a common dilemma when measuring customer satisfaction. Should you track **[Net Promoter Score (NPS)](/what-is-nps)** or **[Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)](/what-is-csat)**? Both metrics promise to reveal how users feel about your product, but they measure completely different things. The choice between NPS and CSAT isn't just about picking a number to track. It's about understanding which insights will actually help you **improve your product and grow your business**. ## The key differences **[Net Promoter Score (NPS)](/what-is-nps)** asks one simple question:

How likely are you to recommend this product to a friend or colleague?

Users respond on a scale from 0 to 10. The score subtracts detractors (0-6) from promoters (9-10), giving you a number between -100 and +100. **[Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)](/what-is-csat)** asks users to rate their satisfaction with a specific interaction, feature, or overall experience:

How satisfied are you with your experience?

Most teams use a 1-5 scale, then calculate the percentage of satisfied customers (those who rated 4 or 5). **Here's the key difference: NPS measures loyalty and likelihood to recommend. CSAT measures satisfaction with specific experiences.** ## When NPS wins NPS works best when you want to understand **overall customer loyalty**. This metric predicts long-term business growth because it captures emotional connection beyond just satisfaction. Product teams find NPS most valuable for: - Measuring brand strength and customer advocacy - Tracking changes in loyalty over time - Identifying customers who might leave soon - Understanding word-of-mouth potential For example, a SaaS platform might discover their NPS dropped from +40 to +20 over six months. This signals a **loyalty problem** that goes deeper than individual feature complaints. ## When CSAT wins CSAT shines when you need **specific feedback** about particular experiences. This metric helps teams pinpoint exactly what's working or broken in their product. CSAT works best for: - Measuring satisfaction with new features - Evaluating customer support interactions - Testing checkout or onboarding processes - Tracking improvements after product changes Consider an e-commerce site that launches a new checkout flow. CSAT can immediately reveal whether the change improved or hurt the purchase experience. If satisfaction drops from 85% to 60%, teams know to **investigate specific pain points**. ## Perfect timing **NPS timing:** Most successful companies survey customers quarterly or after major milestones. This gives users enough experience to form genuine opinions about recommending your product. **CSAT timing:** Survey immediately after specific interactions. Ask about satisfaction while the experience is fresh in users' minds. Wait too long, and responses become **less accurate**. ## Turn numbers into improvements Numbers alone don't drive improvements. Both NPS and CSAT become powerful when you dig into the **"why" behind the scores**. Smart product teams follow up metric surveys with open-ended questions:

What would need to change for you to rate us higher?

What's the biggest frustration you experienced?

This feedback transforms metrics into **specific action items**. Instead of knowing that satisfaction dropped, you discover that users struggle with password resets or find pricing confusing. ## The AI advantage Whether you choose NPS or CSAT, analyzing hundreds of open-ended responses manually takes hours. AI can instantly group similar feedback themes, revealing **patterns** like: - 45% of detractors mention slow loading times - 30% of satisfied customers love the new dashboard - 25% of users want mobile app features - 20% find the onboarding process confusing These insights transform satisfaction scores into **clear priorities** for product improvement. [**feedback.tools**](/) handles this analysis automatically. It instantly categorizes feedback, identifies sentiment trends, and highlights the most critical issues affecting your scores. No manual sorting, no guesswork. Just **actionable insights** delivered in real-time. [Start collecting](/sign-up) feedback today. ## Your best bet Most successful product teams track **both metrics strategically**: **Start with CSAT** if you're launching new features, fixing known issues, or improving specific user journeys. The immediate feedback helps validate changes quickly. **Add NPS** once your product matures and you want to measure long-term customer relationships. This metric reveals whether improvements actually build loyalty. **Track both separately** rather than trying to combine them. Each metric serves different purposes and requires different action plans. ## From metrics to growth The best satisfaction metric is the one that leads to **specific improvements**. Whether you choose NPS, CSAT, or both, success comes from transforming scores into actionable insights that enhance user experience. Remember: measuring satisfaction is just the first step. The real value comes from understanding why users feel the way they do and using those insights to **build better products**. ## Turn satisfaction scores into action Stop wondering what's behind your NPS and CSAT numbers. [**feedback.tools**](/) automatically analyzes open-ended responses and reveals the specific issues driving your scores up or down. [Get started](/sign-up) turning feedback into improvements today.

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NPS vs CSAT: Which Customer Satisfaction Metric Actually Drives Results?