The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) collects survey data at the individual customer level to provide insights across the entire customer experience. These data are aggregated to produce customer satisfaction benchmarks (or scores) for about 400 major companies that provide goods and services to U.S. consumers.
The ACSI produces customer satisfaction benchmarks for about 40 industries and 10 economic sectors, which together represent a broad swath of the U.S. national economy. Each industry-level customer satisfaction benchmark consists of the average of that industry’s company scores, weighted by company revenues. Likewise, each sector-level customer satisfaction benchmark consists of the average of that sector’s industry scores, weighted by industry revenues.
The national ACSI score measures U.S. overall customer satisfaction and is an aggregation of all sectors and industries measured by the ACSI. Specifically, the national ACSI score represents the average of all sector scores, weighted by each sector’s contribution to the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP). The national ACSI score is updated each quarter and serves as an indicator of the health of the U.S. economy.
The ACSI surveys customers of companies and users of government services randomly via email. Potential respondents are asked questions about their purchase and use of specific products and services bought within specified, recent time periods (these periods vary according to the product or service). Those who qualify as respondents are then asked from which company or which brand they have purchased, and responses to the ACSI survey questions are coded as a customer interview for that company. The ACSI conducts more than 200,000 interviews annually.
Only the customer satisfaction (ACSI) score for each company measured in the Index is published. ACSI’s array of products and services are available to companies that want to obtain the full story behind the published scores. ACSI clients gain access to confidential, detailed results, including more than 30 data points that encompass the complete arc of their customer’s experience. ACSI’s proprietary technology helps clients benchmark their own results against industry peers and perform cross-industry benchmarking with best-in-class companies.