CSAT measures how satisfied a customer was with a specific interaction. NPS measures how likely they are to recommend the company. A customer can give Amazing on an Intercom refund thread and still be an NPS detractor, or the reverse. They are not interchangeable, and they should not share a weekly review slot.
Definitions and Intercom math: what CSAT is. Loyalty survey: Net Promoter Score. Dissatisfaction queue: CSAT vs DSAT.
CSAT is the weekly ops number. Supportman's Friday report rolls up a 7-day Intercom ratings summary in Slack so the trend shows up without a dashboard login. NPS stays on a slower relationship survey.
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CSAT vs NPS at a glance
| CSAT | NPS | |
|---|---|---|
| Question | How satisfied were you with this conversation / order / call? | How likely are you to recommend us to a colleague? |
| Typical scale | Intercom: five emoji labels. Elsewhere: 1–5, with 4–5 = positive | 0–10. Promoters 9–10, passives 7–8, detractors 0–6 |
| Formula | Positive responses ÷ all responses × 100 | % promoters − % detractors (range −100 to +100) |
| Cadence | After the event; review weekly | Quarterly or at a relationship milestone |
| Owner | Support / ops | Product, success, or brand |
| Blind spot | Only respondents; not loyalty | Not tied to a ticket; slow to diagnose a queue problem |
When to use CSAT
Use CSAT when you need to coach a queue. Intercom conversation ratings land on a specific thread, teammate, and Fin vs human split. That is what a Friday review can act on: one DSAT, one reopen, one macro change.
Do not use CSAT as a loyalty KPI for the board. A week of high CSAT during a price increase can sit next to a falling NPS. Keep the numbers labeled.
When to use NPS
Use NPS when you want a relationship number: would they recommend the product, not this refund. Send it on a schedule that is not every closed ticket. Mixing NPS into the Intercom rating email trains people to skip both.
NPS passives (7–8) are invisible in a promoter-minus-detractor score. Read comments. A support miss can create a detractor even when CSAT last month looked fine — because CSAT never asked about the company.
Can you use both?
Yes, on different clocks. Weekly: CSAT, DSAT count, FRT, reopens. Quarterly: NPS plus a handful of detractor interviews. Do not average them. Do not put both questions on the same survey.
If you only have room for one program on an Intercom + Slack team, run CSAT (and DSAT routing) first. You already have the survey. NPS needs a separate send and a different owner. Metrics scorecard: customer service metrics.
Frequently asked questions
Is CSAT or NPS better?
Neither. CSAT is better for conversation-level ops. NPS is better for relationship and brand. Pick based on the decision you need to make this week.
Can CSAT and NPS be used together?
Yes, if they stay on separate surveys and cadences. Combining them in one email drops completion and mixes two questions.
What is the difference between CSAT and NPS?
CSAT is the share of positive ratings on a specific event. NPS is promoters minus detractors on a recommend question. One is a percentage around a ticket; the other is a −100 to +100 loyalty index.
Should support teams track NPS?
Not as their primary weekly metric. Support can contribute to NPS, but the number moves for product and commercial reasons the inbox does not control. Track CSAT and DSAT on the queue; read NPS comments when detractors mention support.