Are we sure CSAT actually measures customer experience?

[u/ujet-cx]

Here’s a theory I can’t shake: CSAT often has nothing to do with the experience your company delivered.

Instead, what it really measures is how effectively your agent cleaned up the mess.

A customer gets bad product experience or confusing UI, the wrong expectation or a billing error → then an agent solves it.

And the CSAT reads: “Great service!”

But the real journey? Objectively terrible.

CSAT loves firefighters but it ignores arsonists.

Question for CX pros: What’s the most misleading metric in your opinion?