Written by
Eloisa Mae
Reviewed by
Paul Dornier
Published on
Feb 6, 2026
CSAT scores reveal how your call center is really performing in the eyes of the people you serve. Here's how to improve CSAT scores in call centers and keep those numbers climbing.
What’s a CSAT score?
CSAT stands for customer satisfaction. The score measures how satisfied someone feels after interacting with your call center.
You've probably seen it before. Right after a call ends, the caller gets a quick survey asking: "How satisfied were you with your experience today?"
Responses typically use a 1-5 scale. You count the positive responses (4s and 5s) and turn that into a percentage.
The formula:
Number of positive responses ÷ Total responses × 100 = CSAT %
So if 400 out of 500 people rated their experience 4 or 5, your CSAT score is 80%.
How to measure CSAT in call centers
Measuring CSAT comes down to three things: when you ask, what you ask, and how many responses you collect.
When to send the survey
The best time to ask is right after the call ends. The experience is fresh, and callers are more likely to respond while it's still top of mind.
You can deliver the survey through an automated post-call prompt, SMS, or email. Just don't wait too long, or your response rates will suffer.
What to ask
Keep it simple. One question is all you need: "How satisfied were you with your experience today?"
Most teams use a 1-5 scale, where 1 means "very unsatisfied" and 5 means "very satisfied." You can use a 1-10 scale, but shorter scales tend to get higher completion rates.
If you want more context behind the numbers, add an open-ended question like "What could we have done better?" It's optional, but it gives callers a chance to tell you exactly what went wrong or right.
How many responses you need
The more responses you collect, the more accurate your data becomes. A handful of surveys won't tell you much about how your team is really performing.
If you're not sure how many responses you need, use a sample size calculator to find a reliable target. Higher call volume means you'll want more responses to keep the data meaningful.
What to track beyond the overall score
Your team-wide average is useful, but it hides a lot. Break down your CSAT data to find patterns.
Track CSAT by:
Individual rep
Call type or reason
Time of day
Day of week
Shift or team
One rep with low scores can drag down your entire average, and certain call types might frustrate callers more than others. You won't see any of these patterns if you only look at the top-line number.
10 proven strategies to improve CSAT scores in call centers
Now that you know how to measure CSAT, let's talk about how to improve CSAT scores in call centers. These 10 strategies will help you move the needle:
1. Improve first-call resolution
Nothing frustrates callers more than having to call back about the same issue. First-call resolution (FCR) measures how often your team solves the problem on the first try.
When FCR goes up, CSAT follows. People want answers fast, and they don't want to repeat themselves.
How to improve FCR:
Give reps access to the information they need without transfers.
Train reps to handle a wider range of scenarios.
Use call routing that matches callers with the right rep the first time.
2. Reduce wait times
Nothing kills a CSAT score faster than long hold times. By the time the caller reaches a rep, they're already frustrated, and the conversation is starting in a hole.
Track your average speed to answer (ASA) and look for patterns, like wait time spikes during certain hours or bottlenecks in your routing.
Quick fixes:
Staff up during peak hours.
Offer a callback option instead of holding.
Review routing rules to balance the load across reps.
3. Train reps on tone and empathy
People remember how you made them feel. A rep who sounds rushed or dismissive can turn even a simple call into a frustrating experience. Since callers can't see your face, tone carries all the weight. A warm, patient voice builds trust faster than anything else.
What to train:
Active listening and acknowledging the caller's concern.
Positive language that focuses on what you can do.
Keeping composure when a caller pushes back.
4. Coach reps with real call examples
Generic training only goes so far because reps learn faster when they hear real examples from your own floor. Pull calls that went well and ones that didn't, and walk through the specifics of what worked.
Instead of vague feedback like "be more empathetic," show the exact moment where a different phrase would have landed better.
5. Monitor 100% of calls with automated QA
Most call centers review only a handful of calls per rep each week, which is a tiny sample size that misses a lot. Automated QA tools change that by scoring every single call against your standards, giving you full visibility into what's happening across your floor.
Benefits of automated QA:
Spot patterns you'd miss with manual reviews.
Identify which reps need coaching and on what.
Track whether training is actually working.
6. Give reps real-time guidance
Feedback after the call is helpful, but feedback during the call is even better. Real-time coaching tools prompt reps with suggestions while they're still talking to the caller, helping them recover in the moment instead of learning about mistakes later.
For example, if a rep forgets to verify information, the system prompts them before the call ends so they catch it right away.
7. Set clear expectations with callers
A lot of caller frustration comes down to mismatched expectations. They expected one thing, got another, and now they're unhappy. Being upfront about what you can and can't do goes a long way. If something takes time, say so. If there's a next step, explain it clearly before hanging up.
Key moments to set expectations:
At the start of the call (what you'll cover)
When placing someone on hold (how long and why)
Before ending the call (what happens next)
8. Follow up when you say you will
If a rep promises to call back on Tuesday at 2 pm, it needs to happen on Tuesday at 2 pm. There's no faster way to destroy trust than a broken promise, and trust is hard to rebuild once it's gone.
Don't leave follow-ups to memory. Build tracking into your workflow with reminders or task systems so nothing slips through the cracks.
9. Act on feedback from low scores
When someone gives you a 1 or 2, don't just log it and move on. Find out why by adding an open-text field to your survey or sending a follow-up asking for details.
If the same issues keep showing up in negative feedback, that's a signal to fix something upstream. And here's a step most teams skip: when you fix a problem a caller reported, let them know. It shows you actually listened.
10. Focus on rep experience too
Your reps' mood shows up in how they treat callers. Burned-out, stressed, or disengaged teams let that energy come through on every call. Check in regularly, ask what's making their jobs harder, and remove friction where you can.
Things that affect rep experience:
Outdated tools that slow them down.
Unrealistic quotas that force rushed calls.
Lack of recognition for good work.
What is a good CSAT score for call centers?
Above 85% signals strong performance. Your team is meeting or exceeding expectations on most calls.
75% to 85% is average. Most people leave satisfied, but there's room to improve.
Below 75% means something's off. A significant portion of callers aren't getting what they need.
Industry benchmarks vary, so compare your score to others in your space. A score that's average in one industry might be below average in another.
Common mistakes that hurt CSAT scores
Tying compensation only to call volume: Reps who get paid based on call count will rush to get through as many conversations as possible, and quality suffers as a result.
Skipping calibration sessions: When your QA team isn't aligned on how to score calls, reps get mixed signals about what "good" actually means. Regular calibration keeps everyone on the same page.
Ignoring outliers: It's easy to miss one rep with terrible scores when the team average looks okay, but that one person can drag the whole number down. Don't let poor performers hide in the data.
Surveying too late: Timing matters more than you think. Send the survey right after the call while the experience is fresh. Wait a day or two, and you'll see response rates drop and feedback quality fade.
Tools that help measure and improve CSAT
High CSAT scores aren't just a feel-good metric. McKinsey found that strong customer satisfaction boosts revenue, loyalty, long-term retention, and referrals across industries.
The right tools give you visibility into what's really happening on your floor so you can move those numbers in the right direction.
Call recording and transcription
Review any call without relying on notes or memory. AI-powered transcription makes this possible at scale, with some teams cutting transcription costs by up to 70% compared to manual methods.
That means you can transcribe every call and search across thousands of conversations for specific words, phrases, or moments in seconds.
Automated QA platforms
Score every call against your standards without the manual lift. Instead of your QA team spot-checking a handful of calls per week, AI reviews all of them and flags the ones that need attention.
Real-time coaching tools
Traditional coaching happens after the call, so reps keep making the same mistakes until someone catches them. Real-time coaching tools flip that model.
AI listens to the conversation as it happens and prompts reps with suggestions in real time. If a rep forgets to verify information or rushes past an objection, the system catches it.
The system catches it and nudges them before the call ends. Reps improve faster because they're learning while doing, not days later in a feedback session.
Survey tools
The best time to ask for feedback is right after the call, while the experience is still fresh. Wait a day or two, and response rates drop off fast. Survey tools automate the entire process by sending CSAT prompts the moment the call ends.
No one has to remember to hit send, and no delays eat into your response rates. Just consistent, timely feedback flowing in without the manual work.
Analytics dashboards
Pull everything together so you can track trends, spot outliers, and measure whether your efforts are paying off. AI surfaces patterns you'd miss on your own, so you're not digging through data to find what matters.
Sales call centers need a different playbook
Most advice on how to improve CSAT scores in call centers targets support teams. But if your reps are on the phone to close deals, you're measuring something different: conversion rates, quota attainment, and what separates top performers from everyone else.
Alpharun serves high-volume B2C sales call centers. It figures out what your top closers do differently and turns those behaviors into coaching for everyone else.
Custom playbooks from your wins: The platform analyzes thousands of your actual sales calls to surface the phrases, timing, and tactics that close deals. No generic scripts.
Real-time, sentence-level coaching: Reps get nudges while the conversation is still happening. Forgot to handle an objection? Alpharun catches it before the call ends.
100% automated QA: Every call gets scored against your playbook and your compliance rules. Managers get full visibility without hours of manual review.
Built for regulated industries: Medicare brokerages, insurance sales, home services. Alpharun bakes your compliance requirements into the scoring model.
Book a demo with Alpharun to see how sales call centers measure what matters.
Frequently asked questions
Do sales call centers need to track CSAT?
No, CSAT is a support metric. It tells you whether callers were satisfied with the help they got. If your team's job is to close deals, metrics like conversion rates and quota attainment matter more. Sales-focused tools like Alpharun measure and coach around those outcomes instead.
How often should I measure CSAT?
Measure CSAT after every call if possible. Continuous data gives you a clearer picture than occasional snapshots. At a minimum, review your scores weekly to catch trends before they become problems.
What's the fastest way to improve CSAT scores?
First-call resolution has the biggest impact. When callers get their issue solved on the first try, satisfaction jumps. Focus on giving reps the tools and training to handle calls without transfers or callbacks.
What's the difference between CSAT and NPS?
CSAT measures satisfaction with a specific interaction. NPS measures overall loyalty and likelihood to recommend. CSAT tells you how a single call went. NPS tells you how customers feel about your brand as a whole.
How do I get more callers to complete CSAT surveys?
Timing and simplicity. Send the survey immediately after the call ends while the experience is still fresh. Keep it to one question with a simple 1-5 scale. The shorter the survey, the higher your completion rate.
