Satisfaction is up. The unhappy customers stopped answering.

A rising satisfaction score with a falling response rate is not good news: it is often the first clean signal that something is going wrong.

By Steve 5 min read
Abstract bridge artwork for Satisfaction is up. The unhappy customers stopped answering.

A pattern worth watching: the satisfaction score climbs for three consecutive quarters while renewals soften. Nobody is lying. The survey is administered the same way each time, the questions haven’t changed, the arithmetic is correct. And yet the number is moving in the opposite direction to the business. The usual explanation offered is lag: the score reflects sentiment that hasn’t yet shown up in revenue, or revenue that reflects sentiment from a year ago. Sometimes that is true. More often something structural is happening: the measure is drawn from a…

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Important: General information only. Rialto Bridge articles describe patterns and considerations that may apply to a business; they are not financial, legal, tax or accounting advice, and they take no account of your particular circumstances. Consider your own situation and seek advice from a qualified professional before acting.

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