Customer satisfaction surveys are everywhere. Whether you buy something online, call a helpline, or visit a store, chances are you will be asked to rate your experience. But how reliable are these ratings? And what do they really tell us about the quality of customer service?

A new study by Callvu, the industry-leading Digital Customer Experience, or CX, platform, reveals some shocking truths about the manipulation of satisfaction surveys by both customer-service reps and consumers. The study, which surveyed 625 Americans in December 2023, shows that:

• Customer-service reps are pressuring consumers to give them higher ratings than they deserve, sometimes by offering perks or threatening consequences
• Consumers are not always honest in their ratings, either because they want to reward or punish the reps, or because they don’t care about mediocre service
• Satisfaction surveys are not capturing the true state of service delivery, and are often influenced by internal incentives that conflict with the goal of improving customer experience

Why Satisfaction Surveys Matter

According to a Microsoft study, 96% of consumers say customer experience is important in their choice of loyalty to a brand. Customer experience, or CX, is the sum of all interactions a customer has with a company, from the moment they discover it to the moment they leave it. CX includes not only the quality of the product or service, but also the ease, convenience, and personalization of the process.

Satisfaction surveys are one of the main tools that companies use to measure and improve CX. They allow companies to collect feedback from customers, identify pain points, and reward or coach their employees. Satisfaction surveys can also help companies to increase customer retention, loyalty, and advocacy, which can boost their revenue and reputation.

However, satisfaction surveys are only useful if they reflect the reality of customer service. If the data is distorted by manipulation, then the insights are unreliable and the actions are ineffective.

How Customer-Service Reps and Consumers Are Manipulating Satisfaction Surveys

The Callvu study found that customer-service reps and consumers are both guilty of manipulating satisfaction surveys, for different reasons and in different ways.

Customer-Service Reps

Customer-service reps are often evaluated and compensated based on the ratings they receive from customers. This creates a strong incentive for them to influence the ratings in their favor, even if it means being dishonest or unethical.

The Callvu study found that:

• 54% of consumers have been pressured by a customer-service rep to give them a better rating than they deserved
• 49% of consumers have been offered some kind of perk (such as a discount, a freebie, or a faster service) in exchange for a high rating
• 41% of consumers have been told that their rep would suffer consequences (such as a demotion, a pay cut, or a termination) if they gave them anything but the highest rating

These tactics not only undermine the validity of the satisfaction surveys, but also damage the trust and relationship between the customer and the company.

Consumers

Consumers are not always honest in their ratings, either. Sometimes, they have ulterior motives to reward or punish the customer-service reps, regardless of the actual quality of the service. Other times, they are indifferent or apathetic about the service, and don’t bother to give an accurate rating.

The Callvu study found that:

• 64% of consumers are more likely to give a rating if the service was good, while 32% are more likely to give a rating if the service was bad
• Only 51% of consumers give an honest rating if the service was mediocre, while others either don’t give any rating or give one that is higher than they felt the service deserved

These behaviors not only skew the satisfaction survey data, but also deprive the company of valuable feedback that could help them improve their service.

How to Collect Accurate Satisfaction Data and Improve Customer Experience

The Callvu study suggests that the solution to the manipulation of satisfaction surveys is to shift the focus from evaluating individual customer-service reps to improving the overall customer experience. This means:

• Redesigning the satisfaction surveys to make them more relevant, engaging, and convenient for the customers
• Reducing the reliance on ratings as the sole indicator of service quality, and using other metrics such as resolution time, repeat contacts, and retention rate
• Providing more training and support for customer-service reps, and rewarding them based on team performance and customer outcomes
• Investing in more digital service options, such as live chat, screen sharing, self-service tools, AI chatbots, and proactive services, that can enhance the customer experience and reduce the need for human intervention

By doing so, companies can collect more accurate and actionable satisfaction data, and deliver more consistent and satisfying customer experiences.