csat

CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score)

Post-trip customer satisfaction rating. Leading indicator of retention, referrals, and long-term viability.

Target: ≥4.6/5

Why 4.6: Industry benchmark for “excellent” travel service. Above this = strong word-of-mouth growth.

Scale:

• 5 = Excellent (exceeded expectations)
• 4 = Good (met expectations)
• 3 = Okay (acceptable but not impressive)
• 2 = Poor (didn’t meet expectations)
• 1 = Terrible (actively unhappy)

Month 3 milestone: CSAT ≥4.6/5 proves product-market fit, not just early traction.

How Measured

Survey sent: 24-48hr after final round played

Delivery: LINE message (quick reply buttons for rating)

Questions:

1. Overall experience: 1-5 scale
2. Booking ease: “How easy was it to book?” (1-5)
3. Course quality: “Were the courses as described?” (1-5)
4. Transport (if used): “How was the transport service?” (1-5)
5. Value for money: “Was it worth the price?” (1-5)
6. Open feedback: “Anything we could improve?”

CSAT = Average of Question 1 (overall experience)

NPS (Net Promoter Score) = separate question: “Would you recommend GolfOkay to a friend?” (0-10 scale, calculate promoters - detractors)

Why CSAT Matters

Retention (Repeat Booking Rate)

Data from travel industry:

• CSAT 4.5-5.0: 60-70% book again within 6 months
• CSAT 4.0-4.4: 30-40% book again
• CSAT <4.0: 10-20% book again

GolfOkay repeat customer value:

• First booking: ฿25K margin
• Repeat booking (6 months later): ฿25K margin
• CAC for repeat customer: ฿0 (no acquisition cost)
• Repeat customers = 2x LTV at 0 marginal cost

Maintaining CSAT ≥4.6 = 65% retention = strong unit economics

Referrals (Word-of-Mouth Growth)

CSAT 5.0: Customer actively tells friends (“You HAVE to use GolfOkay!“)

CSAT 4.5-4.9: Customer recommends if asked

CSAT 4.0-4.4: Customer unlikely to recommend (neutral)

CSAT <4.0: Customer actively warns others (negative word-of-mouth)

Referral rates:

• CSAT 5.0: 40-50% refer ≥1 friend
• CSAT 4.5-4.9: 20-30% refer
• CSAT 4.0-4.4: 5-10% refer
• CSAT <4.0: 0% (negative referrals)

GolfOkay growth model relies on referrals:

• Expat community is tight-knit (Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai)
• Golfers talk about courses, deals, experiences
• If CSAT high → organic growth via WhatsApp groups, LINE groups, expat forums

Brand Reputation (Online Reviews)

CSAT correlates with review behavior:

• CSAT 5.0: 30-40% leave positive review (Google, TripAdvisor, Facebook)
• CSAT 4.5-4.9: 10-20% leave review
• CSAT 4.0-4.4: 5% leave review
• CSAT <4.0: 40-50% leave negative review (motivated by complaint)

Online reviews matter for acquisition:

• Potential customers search “golf booking Thailand”
• See GolfOkay with 4.8/5 rating (50+ reviews) vs competitor with 4.2/5 (20 reviews)
• Higher rating = higher conversion

Drivers of CSAT

1. Response Time (Quote & Confirmation)

Correlation:

• <12hr quote time: 4.7/5 CSAT avg
• 12-24hr quote time: 4.4/5 CSAT avg

• 24hr quote time: 3.9/5 CSAT avg

Why: Fast response = “they’re on top of things” perception. Slow = anxiety and doubt.

Action: Hit <24hr quote SLA consistently.

2. Course Quality (Expectations vs Reality)

Problem: Customer books based on photos/description. Arrives and course is worse than expected.

Impact: Immediate CSAT drop to 3.0-3.5 even if booking process perfect.

Solution:

• Accurate course descriptions (don’t oversell)
• Recent photos (not 10-year-old promo shots)
• Honest condition reports (“Note: Course doing green renovation, may see some work”)
• Set expectations (“Budget course, not championship level”)

Better to under-promise and over-deliver than vice versa.

3. Communication Quality

High CSAT drivers:

• Proactive updates (“Your driver will arrive at 6:30am tomorrow”)
• Clear e-vouchers (no confusion at course)
• Responsive support (reply to LINE messages within 2-4hr)

Low CSAT drivers:

• Customer shows up, course has no record (e-voucher not sent to course)
• Driver late, customer missed tee time (no communication)
• Customer confused about what’s included (unclear package details)

Action: Over-communicate. Send confirmation 24hr before, driver contact details, course contact info.

4. Problem Resolution

Reality: Things go wrong. Course double-booked, driver flat tire, weather cancellation.

CSAT impact depends on response:

• Problem + fast resolution: CSAT 4.5+ (“They fixed it quickly”)
• Problem + slow resolution: CSAT 3.5-4.0 (“It got resolved eventually”)
• Problem + no resolution: CSAT 1.0-2.0 (“They left me hanging”)

Action: Empower manual_desk operators to fix issues immediately:

• Alternative course at same price (if original course cancels)
• Backup driver dispatched (if primary driver unavailable)
• Partial refund / credit for next booking (if issue not fixable)

Show customer you care more about solving problem than avoiding blame.

5. Value for Money Perception

Not about being cheapest. About customer feeling they got fair value.

High value perception:

• Price matches quality (great course = premium price okay)
• Included extras (free water in transport, caddy tip pre-paid)
• Smooth experience (no hidden fees, no surprises)

Low value perception:

• Price higher than expected (hidden fees revealed at payment)
• Course disappointing for price paid (overpromised)
• Better deal found elsewhere after booking (price transparency issue)

Action: Transparent pricing up-front. No hidden fees. If course disappoints, offer credit for next booking.

CSAT by Customer Segment

International Tourists (Expected: 4.5-4.8/5)

High satisfaction drivers:

• No language barrier (English support)
• Hassle-free (transport, courses, everything handled)
• Value vs home country (Thailand cheaper than Japan/Korea)

Risks:

• Cultural misunderstandings (Thai course etiquette different)
• Transport delays (Bangkok traffic)
• Weather (monsoon season cancellations)

Expats (Expected: 4.6-5.0/5)

High satisfaction drivers:

• Convenience (don’t need to call courses themselves)
• Access to courses they didn’t know about (local knowledge)
• Repeat customer relationship (remember preferences)

Risks:

• Price sensitivity (locals know what “should” cost)
• Comparison shopping (can easily check competitor rates)
• High expectations (familiar with Thailand, less forgiving)

Corporate Groups (Expected: 4.7-5.0/5)

High satisfaction drivers:

• Stress-free logistics (company organizer doesn’t want headaches)
• Professional service (reflects well on organizer)
• Custom packages (special requests accommodated)

Risks:

• Coordination complexity (12 people, varying skill levels, schedule changes)
• Higher stakes (if fails, organizer looks bad to boss/colleagues)

CSAT Recovery Strategies

If CSAT drops below 4.5:

1. Identify root cause: Which question dragged down score? (booking, course, transport?)
2. Segment analysis: Which customer type unhappy? (tourists vs expats vs corporate)
3. Fix systemic issues: If transport rated low across 10 customers → transport problem, not isolated
4. Follow-up with detractors: Call customers who rated 3.0 or below, ask what happened, offer credit

If CSAT between 4.5-4.6:

1. Close to target, need fine-tuning
2. Look for “4” ratings (good but not excellent): What would make it 5?
3. Add small touches: Free upgrade, caddy tip included, airport lounge voucher
4. Improve communication: More proactive updates

If CSAT ≥4.7:

1. Doing well, maintain quality
2. Ask for referrals: “Glad you enjoyed! Mind referring a friend?”
3. Request review: “Would you share your experience on Google?”
4. Learn what’s working: Which courses, which operators, which packages getting 5.0s?

Month 3 CSAT Milestones

Target: ≥4.6/5 average across 20+ completed packages

Breakdown target:

• Booking ease: 4.7/5
• Course quality: 4.5/5 (lowest - depends on course not platform)
• Transport: 4.8/5 (if used)
• Value for money: 4.6/5
• Overall experience: 4.6/5

Response rate target: 60%+ (12+ responses out of 20 customers)

If CSAT met: Product-market fit validated. Can scale volume confidently.

If CSAT missed: Operational issues need fixing before scaling (don’t grow broken process).

Competitive Context

Golfasian: No public CSAT data, but reviews show 4.2-4.5/5 avg (slow response times hurt score)

Golfsavers: 4.0-4.3/5 (limited inventory, no transport, no support)

Club Thailand Card: 3.8-4.0/5 (opaque pricing, poor digital experience)

GolfOkay target 4.6/5+ = differentiation. Not just cheaper or faster, but better overall experience.

See Also

• sla - Response time SLAs directly impact CSAT
• manual_desk - Human touch in operations drives satisfaction
• hybrid_integration - Seamless experience across API + manual bookings
• unit_economics - CSAT impacts retention, which impacts LTV and profitability