One of the most telling indicators of success goes beyond revenue figures and market reach—it’s the level of customer satisfaction with your business’s products or services. An exceptional customer experience is a competitive differentiator, and organizations should be constantly striving to gauge how well they are doing with clients.
There is a realm of customer service metrics available to assess customer satisfaction, but which are the best to absolutely ensure your clients are genuinely happy with your services? Below, 17 members of Forbes Business Council share key metrics that are telltale signs your customers are satisfied and how that satisfaction can be leveraged to drive growth and loyalty.
1. Customer Satisfaction Score
Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) is a valuable metric. It directly measures customer satisfaction with a product, service or experience. Customers are usually asked to rate their satisfaction on a scale from one (very unsatisfied) to five (very satisfied). High average CSAT scores suggest customers are happy with the service or product. – Joseph DeWoody, Valor
2. Call Answer Rate
One critical metric we always look at is our call answer rate, especially in our busy season. We are more than a software company, we are a customer service company first. As such, much of our team consists of hospitality business coaches and phone support. We strive to build long-term relationships with our clients, so anything less than 95% is considered a service failure. – Nathan Mayfield, ResNexus
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3. Social Media Interactions
More than ever, consumers turn to social media platforms to resolve their customer service issues. Because of this, your customer support team should utilize a social media tracking tool to monitor customers’ positive interactions with your brand. – Kelley Higney, Bug Bite Thing
4. Repeat Customers
The greatest measure of a customer’s satisfaction with your business is recurring business. If a customer comes back for more of your goods and/or services, then they are clearly satisfied by your brand and its offerings. Numerous factors can affect how often a client returns, therefore gauge retention rates against standards or averages specific to your industry. – Ferris Ayar, Astute Group LLC
5. Net Promoter Score
Net promoter score (NPS) is a customer success metric we rely on. The power of NPS lies in its ability to provide a simple yet effective measure of customer satisfaction and loyalty, enabling businesses to identify and prioritize areas for improvement and growth. Higher NPS indicates happy customers, reflecting their satisfaction and likelihood of promoting our business. – Corey Scurlock, Equum Medical
6. Weekly Scorecards
As a gifting company, we need to ensure that the right gift gets to the right person at the right time with no errors. Our weekly scorecard includes an error rate so we can keep a close eye on any mistakes made and ensure that the proper recourse is taken with our customers and internally to prevent the same mistake from happening again. – Leeatt Rothschild, Packed with Purpose
7. User Engagement
As a software company founder, I cannot overstate the importance of user engagement as a measure of genuine customer satisfaction. It’s an irrefutable indication of the substantial value our software provides. While a low net promotor score or low referral rates may seem concerning, sustained software utilization by customers speaks volumes about its inherent value. – Vinicius Pantoja, Proffer
8. Feedback From Quiet Customers
Analyzing the customer turnover ratio is effective in evaluating client satisfaction, but it’s the quiet ones that should worry you. Focus on those who aren’t responsive. The fact that some customers didn’t tell you why they left is exactly why you should be concerned. Don’t view silence as approval. Take an honest look at your company by going through the client buying process yourself and making improvements. – Adam Povlitz, Anago Cleaning Systems
9. Customer Spending
If clients are happy with your services, they will continue to work with you and spend more with you on additional work. This is from the perspective of a professional services company. – Yvette Yanne, Appnovation
10. Customer Dependency Or Customer Loss
Ask your users how upset they’d be if your product or service was no longer available. If 40 to 50% say they’d be upset or very upset, you have a winner and should stay the course unless other indicators have turned south. This metric, often called the “customer dependency” or “customer loss” metric, provides significant insight into perceived value and indispensability. – Ryan McKenzie, CCIM, Kidder Mathews
11. Met Expectations
As a family law attorney, focusing on clear communication, responsiveness and empathy throughout the legal process is key—it’s not just about one metric. By doing this, I can proactively address concerns and foster a positive client experience, ultimately leading to my clients’ long-term satisfaction if I am aware of any concerns early on in the process as I can then manage expectations accordingly. – Elizabeth A. Douglas, Esq., Douglas Family Law Group
12. Referrals
Referrals not only validate our commitment to customer success, but also contribute to our business growth. They expand our customer base, increase brand visibility and generate new opportunities. Monitoring and leveraging referrals as a customer success metric allows us to evaluate and enhance our services while also fostering a positive cycle of customer satisfaction, loyalty and organic growth. – Brittany Harrer Dolin, The Pocketbook Agency
13. Survey Data
Metrics matter, and surveys can help customers anonymously share their feedback. It is meaningful to utilize surveys to gain insight, as it allows leaders to collect intel and go further in cementing actions that are rooted in the wisdom provided. Having direct conversations with decision makers and being able to provide honest feedback through calls or emails beyond these surveys is telling of a business’s priorities. – Paul L. Gunn, Jr., KUOG Corporation
14. Revenue
The only true success metric is revenue. Each one of our clients hires us to have a fast, positive impact on their bottom line. That’s what we provide to them. When they see their revenue increase, they do even more business with us and refer new business to us. Who would want it any other way? – ‘Smitty’ Robert J. Smith, Robert J. Smith Productions
15. Client Retention Rate
One simple and easy-to-track metric that I use to ensure customer satisfaction is the client retention rate. By keeping an eye on how many clients continue to work with my firm over time, it serves as a reliable indicator of their happiness with the services provided. A high client retention rate indicates that clients are genuinely satisfied and willing to continue the partnership. – Emily Reynolds Bergh, R Public Relations Firm
16. All Customer Communications
Customers will reply to your emails and other forms of communication if they’re genuinely happy with your services. This includes emails for feedback, survey, marketing communication and also social media. If they’re unhappy, they’ll only contact you only if they have an issue or complaint. – Nitin Gupta, Tez Minds Software
17. Renewals And Key Feature Usage
In our pursuit of growth through a product-led strategy for our SaaS product, we employ a macro-level approach by monitoring renewals as the key metric. Simultaneously, at a micro-level, we focus on monitoring the active daily usage of key features and continuously strive to enhance the user experience by addressing any friction points that may hinder adoption. – Pooja Kohli, Indr
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