You cannot fix what you do not measure, and most subscription stores measure satisfaction inconsistently. The right set of metrics depends on what decisions you need to make — but a small disciplined set beats a sprawling dashboard every time.
The core satisfaction metrics
- CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score) — 1–5 or 1–7 rating tied to a specific touchpoint. Best for evaluating individual moments (first box, support reply, plan change).
- NPS (Net Promoter Score) — 0–10 recommendation likelihood, calculated as % promoters minus % detractors. Best for overall relationship health.
- CES (Customer Effort Score) — "How easy was it to..." rating. Best for diagnosing friction in self-serve flows.
- Retention / churn rate — the behavioral confirmation of satisfaction. The most honest metric because customers vote with their wallets.
- Support ticket volume and sentiment — leading indicator of dissatisfaction. Spike in tickets usually precedes a spike in churn.
Which metric for which moment
- First delivery — CSAT survey 3–5 days after arrival.
- Support interaction — CSAT immediately after ticket resolution.
- Overall relationship — NPS quarterly, with open-text follow-up.
- Self-serve flows — CES on the confirmation page (cancel, pause, swap).
- Long-term health — 90-day and 12-month retention rate.
Common measurement mistakes
Surveying too often (fatigue tanks response quality), surveying at the wrong moment (ask after the box arrives, not after the order is placed), and not closing the loop on low scores. A 2-star CSAT response with no follow-up is worse than not surveying at all — you have proven you do not care. See customer satisfaction survey for design specifics.