CSAT Low Score Follow-Up
Low-score follow-up sent within 24h. Recovery action taken if customer engages. Pattern data aggregated weekly for leadership.
Before you start
- CSAT survey running post-resolution
- Threshold for low-score follow-up (typically <=3 on a 5-scale)
- Apology and recovery template approved
- Low-score CSAT response (score, comment if any)
- Original ticket and resolution path
- Customer context
The steps
- Detect low scores within 24 hours — When a CSAT score below threshold is recorded, trigger this SOP within 24 hours. Don't wait — the customer's frustration is fresh and addressable. Old detection = lost recovery opportunity.
- Pull the full ticket context — Re-read the ticket: original issue, resolution path, time-to-resolution, agent communication tone, any escalations. Identify what likely caused the low score — slow, confusing, didn't actually fix, agent tone.
- Send a personal follow-up — Reach out from a senior support agent or manager (not the original agent — could feel awkward). Open with: 'I saw your feedback on ticket [X]. I want to understand what we got wrong and make it right.' Personal, not templated.
- Listen and validate — If they reply, listen without defending. Acknowledge their experience: 'You're right, that was [specific issue].' Don't justify. Validation precedes any solution offer.
- Offer a concrete recovery action — Match the action to the issue: if technical fix is incomplete, prioritize the root cause; if communication failed, schedule a direct call with senior support; if a refund is warranted, process it. Recovery is action, not just words.
- Feed pattern data to support leadership — Aggregate low-score reasons weekly: by agent, by team, by issue type. If a single agent has chronic low scores, it's a coaching issue. If a topic has chronic low scores, it's a product or process issue. Patterns drive the fix.
If it goes wrong
Follow-up perceived as a fishing expedition for higher scores
Tone matters. 'I want to understand what we got wrong' is genuine. 'Would you mind updating your review?' is fishing. Coach the difference.
Same root cause produces low scores month after month
Pattern review surfaces it — but if leadership doesn't act, escalate. Repeating low-score recovery without fixing root cause is treating symptoms.
Recovery offer is generic and doesn't address the actual problem
Match the action to the issue specifically. Generic credit offers when the issue is communication failure don't recover trust.
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