CSAT vs. CES vs. Tickets Per Order: Choosing the Perfect North Star Metric

For many ecommerce businesses, gauging customer satisfaction often feels like navigating a labyrinth. While managing inventory, marketing, and daily operations, you must also identify the metrics that truly capture how buyers feel about your products and services.

One solution is to focus on the customer satisfaction score (CSAT), which measures how happy customers are with a company's offerings. Another option is to monitor customer effort score (CES), a metric that indicates the ease with which buyers interact with your brand or products.

You might already track CSAT, CES, or both, yet still deal with customer complaints, poor ratings, and high churn.

If that's the case, there may be one additional metric that could uncover the root cause of customer dissatisfaction. We’re talking about Tickets Per Order, or TPO.

Here's what you should know about CSAT vs. CES vs. TPO and when to use each.

Why measure customer satisfaction?

According to a 2024 Salesforce survey of 15,015 consumers, 43% of buyers left a brand in the last year due to a poor customer experience. Forty percent of respondents said they did the same because of inconsistent product or service quality.

In these cases, many shoppers will quietly switch to a competitor. Some may leave bad reviews without first reaching out to you to explain what went wrong. As a result, you'll lose their business and keep pumping money into marketing to get new customers.

Acquiring a first-time customer is more expensive than retaining existing buyers. But if you don't know what people like or dislike about your brand, you can't take the steps needed to improve their experience and drive repeat business.

That’s why you’ll want to measure and improve customer satisfaction at every touchpoint. For instance, you can learn how buyers feel about their post-purchase experience or how easy it was to place an order.

CSAT and CES are customer experience (CX) metrics that can shed light on these aspects. The problem is that they don't tell the whole story. That's why you should also look into other metrics, such as Tickets Per Order, and then put the pieces together.

Take the CSAT, for example. Despite being the most widely used CX metric, it raises more questions than answers. It may reveal the number of customers who are "very satisfied" or "dissatisfied" with your products, but it doesn't tell you why.

CSAT vs. CES vs. TPO: What's the difference?

All three metrics, CSAT, CES, and TPO, provide insight into the ecommerce customer experience, but each has different applications. Ideally, you should use them together to gain a clear picture of how your brand is perceived and how to boost its appeal.

Let's discuss why, when, and how to track these metrics to improve customer retention and loyalty.

Customer satisfaction score (CSAT)

This transactional metric provides insight into how customers feel about a specific product, service, or interaction with your brand. It's measured via surveys that ask questions like:

How satisfied are you with [company/product/service/interaction]?

• 1 Very dissatisfied
• 2 Somewhat dissatisfied
• 3 Neutral
• 4 Somewhat satisfied
• 5 Very satisfied

Customers will rate their experience on a scale from 1 to 5, 1 to 10, or similar, where 1 is "very dissatisfied."

A CSAT survey may also include open-ended questions that allow respondents to share detailed feedback.

For example, you can ask them to rate their experience with a recent purchase and then explain what they liked or disliked about it or what could have been better.

How to calculate customer satisfaction score

To calculate the CSAT score, take into account the two highest values (e.g., ratings of 4 and 5). Next, use the following formula:

CSAT = (Number of positive responses / Total number of responses) x 100

Let's say you survey 100 customers, and 90 of them are "very satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied." This means your CSAT score is 90%.

When using a scale of 1 to 10, divide the number of positive responses (e.g., ratings of 8, 9, and 10) by the total responses and then multiply by 100.

According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index, online retailers have an average CSAT of 80%. Generally, a good CSAT score is 75% or higher.

When to measure CSAT?

So, when should you ask customers about their experience with your brand and products?

The answer depends on your business model and what you sell. For example, you can do it post-purchase or right after a customer interaction to capture immediate feedback.

For best results, send CSAT surveys at key touchpoints in the buyer's journey, such as:

• After customer onboarding
• After a product or service update
• After major product releases
• After product delivery (e.g., to inquire about the shipping process)
• After a product demo, workshop, or other events
• Following a return or refund
• At regular intervals (for subscription-based products and services)

You can also incorporate CSAT surveys into your knowledge base, product guides, FAQ pages, or blog posts. Ask something like, "Was this article helpful?" or "Did this answer your question?" with a rating scale from 1 to 5, followed by a text box for additional comments.

This strategy can help you determine how customers feel about your content and what other information they need.

Why does CSAT matter

The insights you'll gain from CSAT surveys can help you better understand customer sentiment and expectations while uncovering areas for improvement.

Buyers who have positive experiences with your brand and products are more likely to return. Therefore, CSAT can be a good indicator of customer retention.

Plus, when you have solid CSAT data, you can make smarter decisions on where to focus your efforts.

For example, low scores can signal issues that require immediate attention to reduce churn. These may include checkout or delivery problems, poor customer service, website errors, or product quality concerns.

Most importantly, take action on the data you collect. If your customers are frustrated about shipping costs, try to negotiate lower delivery fees with the carrier. Alternatively, switch to a different carrier or offer free shipping for high-volume orders.

Remember, it’s the little things that increase customer satisfaction and drive repeat sales.

Understanding CSAT limitations

CSAT falls short in several areas and shouldn't be used as a standalone indicator of customer loyalty or satisfaction. Here is why:

• Incomplete data: This metric focuses on specific points in the customer journey but doesn't capture the full picture. If, say, you send a CSAT survey about product quality, some respondents may rate their experience positively. However, they may be dissatisfied with shipping or other aspects not covered in the survey.
• Lack of context: CSAT results don't provide enough context to help you understand the reasons behind customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Plus, they may vary based on the context of the survey. For instance, a customer may give a high CSAT score after resolving a return issue, but this score doesn't reflect their dissatisfaction with having to return the product in the first place.
• Response bias: CSAT surveys have relatively low response rates, and most feedback comes from buyers who are either very satisfied or very dissatisfied. The same goes for Net Promoter Score℠ (NPS), a metric that measures customers’ likelihood to recommend your products and services to others. This bias can skew the overall score, leading to inaccurate insights.

Another drawback is that CSAT highlights potential issues only after a customer has voiced their dissatisfaction. By that time, the damage had already been done.

With OpenDesk, you can track your automated CSAT score and other key metrics, such as ticket volume and TPO, from one centralized dashboard. These insights can help you connect the dots and understand the reason customers abandon their carts, leave bad reviews, or stop engaging with your brand.

Customer effort score (CES)

CES measures the effort a customer must put into using your products, resolving an issue, or getting information. Just like CSAT, it's a transactional metric that gauges customer satisfaction.

For example, you can send a CAS survey to assess how easy it was for customers to return a product on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 is "very easy" and 5 is "very difficult."

How easy was it to return your order?

• 1 Very easy
• 2 Somewhat easy
• 3 Neither easy nor difficult
• 4 Somewhat difficult
• 5 Very difficult

You can also ask questions like, "How would you rate our customer support team?" or "How much do you agree with the following statement: [Company] made it easy for me to exchange a product)?" — and tailor the response options accordingly.

For more in-depth insights, include follow-up questions, such as "Why did you choose this score?" or "Is there anything else you want to add?"

How to calculate customer effort score

One way to calculate the CES score is to divide the sum of responses by the total number of responses. Say you survey 100 customers. The sum of all responses is 350, giving you a CES score of 3.5.

CES = sum of all responses / total number of responses

On a 1 to 5 scale, a good CES score should be above 4. The higher this number, the easier customers find it to interact with your business and products.

When to measure CES?

Ask your customers to take CES surveys at key points where ease of interaction is critical. This could be after they complete the checkout process, file a product return request, or interact with your customer service team.

Let's see other examples:

• After they modify their subscription settings
• Following a product exchange request
• Following a significant website update
• After using self-service tools, such as a chatbot
• After onboarding or account setup

If, say, a customer files a product return request, you can send a CES survey once the return label is generated. Follow up with a CSAT or NPS® survey after the return is complete.

Why does CES matter?

This customer experience metric helps you identify friction points in the buyer's journey. It hints at the reasons shoppers walk away, offering insights into how to improve their interactions with your brand.

Along with other metrics, CES helps businesses measure customer loyalty. According to global consulting firm Gartner, 96% of buyers who have high-effort interactions with a brand become less loyal, compared to only 9% of those who enjoy a smooth experience. Not surprisingly, 94% of customers who interact easily with the brands they love are more likely to buy again.

Andrew Schumacher, a senior principal advisor at Gartner, explains that CES has a 40% higher accuracy rate than CSAT. It's a good indicator of customer retention and can provide valuable data for root cause analysis, process improvements, and marketing strategies.

For example, if the checkout process takes too much effort, shoppers may walk away without buying.

The data collected from CES surveys can help you identify this issue. After that, you can simplify your checkout form, enable guest checkout, or do whatever is needed to improve customer experience and satisfaction.

CES has its limitations

CES only provides a snapshot of customer satisfaction at specific touchpoints. Simply put, it doesn't provide enough data on the overall customer experience with your business.

Other potential drawbacks include:

• Subjective responses: What feels "easy" to one customer may feel "difficult" or "very difficult" to another, depending on their mood, technical know-how, and other factors. This aspect can skew the results, making it hard to identify friction points and establish reliable benchmarks.
• Limited scope: This metric captures customer feedback at one point in time. For example, buyers may find the checkout process easy and hassle-free but still be unhappy with the product received.
• Missing context: Unless you follow up, CES results don't explain why an experience was perceived as easy or difficult. Some customers may struggle to navigate your site, but their CES survey responses won't specify the reason, leaving you wondering what went wrong.
• Short-term insight: Just like the CSAT, CES focuses on immediate experiences, failing to capture the full picture. For instance, a customer might rate the setup of an electronic device as low-effort and later realize that the device requires advanced customizations to work as expected. This can lead to frustration, mistrust, and churn.

CES data is more or less reliable, depending on factors like survey timing, question clarity, and the customer’s mood. For accurate insights, use it alongside other metrics, such as NPS and CSAT.

With an OpenDesk account, you can also track Tickets Per Order to better gauge customer satisfaction and catch problems early. This brings us to the next point...

Tickets Per Order (TPO)

TPO is a customer satisfaction metric that tracks the number of tickets generated per order, offering a clear view of customer pain points. For example, it lets you see how many tickets are related to missing or defective items throughout the buyer’s lifecycle.

By tracking TPO, Shopify brands can identify recurring problems — and address their root causes before they escalate. Think of it as a forward-looking metric to proactively improve your products, services, and, ultimately, the customer experience.

Note that TPO is a proprietary metric of OpenDesk, built directly into our Analytics dashboard. Once registered, you can track support tickets across all channels and platforms, from email and live chat to social media.

How to calculate TPO

To calculate TPO, divide the number of order-related tickets by the total number of orders, and then multiply by 100.

TPO = (Number of order-related tickets / Number of orders) x 100

Let's assume you shipped 200 orders in a given month and got 15 support tickets related to those purchases, resulting in a 7.5% TPO ratio. This means 7.5% of your customers had to contact support regarding their purchases.

OpenDesk categorizes your tickets by topic, making it easier to pinpoint issues.

For example, you can see the exact number of tickets related to shipping delays and take action accordingly. This approach allows you to identify and address issues proactively — before the customer leaves a bad review.

When to measure TPO?

If you run an ecommerce business, track Tickets Per Order at regular intervals to identify patterns in customer dissatisfaction. You should also do it:

• After major sales events or promotions
• After product launches or updates
• After switching vendors or shipping carriers
• When you see a spike in product returns or exchanges

For example, you might track this metric for several weeks after switching shipping providers. If customers experience order delays, you'll see a spike in the number of tickets received.

Why does TPO matter?

TPO lets you identify and address friction points early on. With these insights, Shopify businesses can improve the customer experience and optimize operations. Plus, you can prioritize tickets based on urgency, ensuring timely responses.

This metric can also help you safeguard your reputation. Since most customers submit support tickets before leaving reviews, you can address recurring concerns before they escalate into negative feedback and public backlash.

By tracking TPO, you can detect issues throughout the customer lifecycle — not just post-purchase. That's one area where CSAT, CES, and other widely used metrics fall short.

What's more, TPO reveals friction points in real time, allowing you to take action immediately. This aspect alone can increase customer satisfaction and improve buyer relationships.

For example, men's apparel brand Jack Archer doubled its customer retention rate after switching to OpenDesk. By tracking TPO, the company identified and solved operational issues, reducing customer churn.

What are its limitations?

While TPO is a powerful tool for tracking order-related issues, it doesn't tell the whole story. Combine it with metrics like CSAT, CES, conversion rates, and referral rates for a fuller picture.

Another thing to keep in mind is that TPO focuses only on ticketed cases.

For instance, a customer who isn't fully satisfied with a purchase or has difficulty using your website won't necessarily submit a ticket. Instead, they'll leave a negative review and go to your competitors.

That’s why you should constantly engage with your buyers, send post-purchase surveys, and monitor brand mentions on social media and beyond. No single metric can provide a complete view of the customer experience.

Find your North Star metric to drive business growth

A North Star metric is the one indicator your business focuses on to achieve long-term success.

For example, Uber's North Star metric is their number of weekly rides. Shopify, on the other hand, focuses on their number of active merchants.

Your North Star metric should meet three requirements: be easily measurable, reflect customer satisfaction, and lead to revenue.

When it comes to CSAT vs. CES vs. TPO, all three metrics provide valuable insights, measuring customer experience across multiple touchpoints. However, Tickets Per Order is closest to what we would call a North Star metric as it directly reflects operational efficiency.

Shopify brands can leverage TPO data to uncover areas where improvements would have the most impact on customer satisfaction and loyalty. Such improvements can lead to higher revenue and drive sustainable growth.

CSAT and CES, on the other hand, are subject to response bias and provide limited data. Plus, they are reactive, limiting your ability to address friction points before it's too late. With TPO, you can take a proactive and forward-looking approach to managing customer expectations.

Using all three metrics will give you a better overview of customer satisfaction than using just one. But if you have to choose, we recommend focusing on Tickets Per Order.

Ready to get the most out of your North Star metric? Sign up for a free trial to explore OpenDesk's Analytics dashboard for data-driven insights.