Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) Industry Benchmarks

If you’re new to Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT), a good starting point is seeing how you compare to peers in your industry. To do so, you can rely on the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). 

The ACSI is the only national economic indicator that measures customer satisfaction across the U.S. economy. Their data is used by researchers, organizations, analysts, investors, etc. to get a pulse on CSAT across industries.

According to the ACSI, the current overall U.S. Customer Satisfaction Score is 74.4%. However, when it comes to industry, CSAT varies. 

A new list of benchmarks is published each year by ACSI, with minor quarterly updates. 

Below is the complete list of the newest CSAT benchmarks.

• Airlines: 75%

• Ambulatory Care: 74%

• Apparel: 77%

• Athletic Shoes: 79%

• Automobiles and Light Vehicles: 78%

• Banks: 78%

• Breweries: 84%

• Cellular Telephones: 80%

• Computer Software: 76%

• Consumer Shipping: 77%

• Cooperative Energy Utilities: 73%

• Credit Unions: 77%

• Department and Discount Stores: 76%

• Financial Advisors: 77%

• Fixed-Line Telephone Service: 70%

• Food Manufacturing: 82%

• Full-Service Restaurants: 79%

• Gasoline Stations: 73%

• Health and Personal Care Stores: 76%

• Health Insurance: 72%

• Hospitals: 69%

• Hotels: 76%

• Household Appliances: 79%

• Internet Investment Services: 78%

• Internet News and Opinion: 74%

• Internet Retail: 81%

• Internet Search Engines and Information: 76%

• Internet Service Providers: 65%

• Internet Social Media: 70%

• Internet Travel Services: 77%

• Investor-Owned Energy Utilities: 72%

• Life Insurance: 78%

• Limited-Service Restaurants: 78%

• Municipal Energy Utilities: 72%

• Personal Care and Cleaning Products: 83%

• Personal Computers: 78%

• Property and Casualty Insurance: 78%

• Soft Drinks: 82%

• Specialty Retail Stores: 78%

• Subscription Television Service: 64%

• Supermarkets: 78%

• Televisions and Media Players: 80%

• U.S. Postal Service: 73%

• Video Streaming Service: 76%

• Video-on-Demand Service: 68%

• Wireless Telephone Service: 74%

Click here to download the current industry benchmarks. And if you want to see quarterly benchmark updates, just visit their website.

If your industry didn’t make it into the ACSI list, comparing yourself to the overall US customer satisfaction score of 74.4% is a good starting point.

While it helps to know where you stand relative to your peers, the key to success is to focus on always improving your own score and customer experience. 

Your customers’ expectations are not necessarily being set by what your industry does. Trends, competitors, and expectations change. 

So, as you’re monitoring your CSAT score, you should also be collecting feedback, acting on it, and implementing other strategies that will actually improve the experience; this will ultimately lead to a better CSAT score and other desirable business outcomes.

If you’re on the hunt for a CSAT calculator that will help you measure your score and prove the possible revenue impact of satisfaction, we’ve got just the right thing for you: Our free CSAT interactive calculator. Check it out! You’ll even get custom recommendations based on your score.

One more thing—We recently partnered with TEDx Speaker and CX expert Jeannie Walters to launch a webinar where we discussed how leading brands are measuring CSAT and using these insights to improve the customer experience. You can access the full CSAT video tutorial for free. 

Learn how GetFeedback can help you exceed customers’ expectations—start your free trial today.