What is DSAT?
DSAT, or Customer Dissatisfaction, is a measure of customer dissatisfaction. It measures the percentage of customers who are dissatisfied with a product, service, or interaction with a company. Unlike CSAT (Customer Satisfaction) which focuses on the positive, DSAT highlights the negative aspects of the customer experience. DSAT is an important complement to other customer metrics, as it provides valuable information about problem areas and opportunities for improvement.
DSAT is often expressed as a percentage, where a higher figure indicates a higher degree of dissatisfaction. It is important to remember that DSAT, like other customer metrics, is a subjective experience. What is perceived as negative by one customer may be acceptable to another.
Why it is important to measure and understand customer dissatisfaction (DSAT)
Focusing solely on satisfied customers provides an incomplete picture. By measuring DSAT, the company gains valuable insights into what is not working. This provides an opportunity to identify and address problems before they escalate and lead to customer churn.
Reducing customer dissatisfaction directly leads to increased customer loyalty. Customers who feel that their problems are taken seriously and addressed are more likely to stay and continue doing business with the company. By understanding the causes of dissatisfaction, the company can also improve its products and services. This leads to a better customer experience overall, and ultimately to increased customer satisfaction (CSAT).
A high DSAT score can also be a warning signal of more serious problems. It could be system failures, a lack of communication, or poor service. By detecting these problems early, the company can avoid major damage to the brand and financial losses. Actively working to reduce customer dissatisfaction can also improve the company’s reputation. Customers who see that the company listens to their feedback and acts on it get a more positive image of the company.
Methods and strategies
There are different ways to measure DSAT. A common way is through surveys, where customers are asked to answer questions about their satisfaction with specific aspects of the product, service, or interaction. A scale is often used, for example from ”Very dissatisfied” to ”Very satisfied”.
Transaction-specific surveys are sent out immediately after a specific event, for example, a purchase, a support contact, or a delivery. This provides immediate feedback and makes it possible to identify problems in real-time. Regular customer surveys, for example, quarterly or annual, provide a broader picture of customer dissatisfaction over time.
It is also valuable to analyse customer complaints and support cases. This provides a deeper understanding of the specific problems that customers experience. Social media and online reviews are another important source of information about customer dissatisfaction. By monitoring these channels, the company can catch negative comments and act on them.
Finally, focus groups and in-depth interviews with dissatisfied customers can provide valuable qualitative insights into the causes of dissatisfaction.
By actively working to reduce customer dissatisfaction, companies can create a better customer experience, strengthen their competitiveness, and build long-term customer relationships. Brilliant is your partner on the journey – from measuring DSAT to creating an organisation where customer satisfaction is in focus.
Frequently Asked Questions about DSAT (Customer Dissatisfaction)
Isn’t DSAT just the opposite of CSAT?
Yes and no. Mathematically, they are often opposites, as DSAT is often calculated from the low ratings on the same scale as CSAT. But strategically, they have completely different focuses and purposes:
- CSAT (satisfaction) helps you understand what you are doing right and what you should continue doing. The focus is on building on strengths.
- DSAT (dissatisfaction) helps you identify your weakest links and the problems that are actively damaging your brand and driving customers away. The focus is on eliminating weaknesses and preventing customer churn.
Focusing on DSAT is a proactive strategy for risk management, while focusing on CSAT is a strategy for maximising positive experiences.
Why should we actively measure DSAT? Isn’t it enough to focus on increasing CSAT?
Focusing solely on increasing satisfaction can lead to missing critical problems. Here is why it is so important to specifically measure and act on DSAT:
- Greater impact: Research shows that negative experiences often have a stronger and more lasting impact on a customer’s memory and loyalty than positive ones (a psychological effect known as ”negativity bias”).
- A direct link to Churn: DSAT is one of the strongest warning signals for customer churn. Identifying and helping a dissatisfied customer is often the most effective way to prevent them from leaving.
- Opportunity for ”Service Recovery Paradox”: Successfully solving a problem for a dissatisfied customer can, in some cases, make them even more loyal than a customer who never had a problem. But this opportunity only arises if you first identify the dissatisfaction.
Reducing DSAT is often the quickest way to protect your revenue and your customer base.
How is a DSAT score calculated in practice?
DSAT is calculated as the percentage of customers who gave a low rating on a satisfaction scale. If you use the same 1 to 5 scale as for CSAT, the formula usually looks like this:
DSAT (%) = (Number of dissatisfied customers (ratings 1 and 2) ÷ Total number of responses) × 100
Example: If 15 out of 100 customers give a rating of 1 or 2, your DSAT value is 15%. Just like with CSAT, it is crucial to follow up with an open-ended question, such as ”What was the main reason for your dissatisfaction?”, to understand why the customer is dissatisfied.
What is a ”bad” or alarming DSAT score?
Unlike CSAT, where you aim high, the goal with DSAT is for it to be as close to 0% as possible. There is no universal standard for what is ”bad”, but you can think of it like this:
- The trend is most important: An increasing DSAT trend is a serious warning signal, even if the absolute number is still low.
- Context matters: A complex interaction, such as technical support, can naturally have a higher DSAT potential than a simple purchase. Compare DSAT for similar interactions.
- General warning level: Many companies see a DSAT that is consistently above 10-15% for a specific touchpoint as a strong indication of a serious systematic problem that needs to be addressed immediately.
We have identified a problem area with high DSAT. What are the concrete next steps?
Having data is good, but it is what you do with it that creates change. An effective process for handling a high DSAT value often looks like this:
- Triage and immediate response: Contact the individual dissatisfied customers directly (if possible). A quick and empathetic response to solve their specific problem can often turn the experience around. This is called ”closing the loop” at the individual level.
- Root cause analysis: Gather all the feedback from the dissatisfied customers. Is it about a specific product, a flaw in the process, a misleading instruction, or an individual employee’s attitude? Dig to find the real cause.
- Implement system improvements: Once the root cause is identified, address the problem at its source. This may mean updating a product, changing an internal process, improving staff training, or clarifying information on your website.
- Communicate and follow up: Communicate the improvements you have made (both internally and sometimes externally). Continue to measure DSAT for the specific area to ensure that your actions have had the desired effect.