By Nathan Van Allen
In our previous article, we examined how coaching customer satisfaction (CSAT) to a number can lead to wasted time and effort, employee dissatisfaction, and difficulty improving CSAT results. In this article, we will discuss what leaders should do to ensure efforts lead to a better customer experience. That starts with uncovering the key drivers of CSAT.
What are CSAT key drivers?
CSAT key drivers are the specific things, like agent actions, process results, and certain metrics, that best predict a customer’s satisfaction score. You find them by analyzing customer survey data, usually with multiple regression, to see which factors matter most.
Why CSAT is an output, not an input
CSAT reflects what happens after a customer’s experience with your agents, processes, and technology. You cannot change it directly with a single action.
Think of it like earning more money. If you told a financial advisor you wanted to earn more, you would expect a plan, such as changing jobs, learning a new skill, or investing differently. You would not accept advice to “just earn a little more each month.” But that is what many contact centers do when they tell agents to raise their CSAT score by Friday.
Agents need coaching on the actions that lead to better results. That is where real improvement happens. In our consulting experience, when CSAT does not improve despite hard work, it is usually because people confuse outputs with inputs.
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How driver analysis works (the math, made simple)
To improve a result, you need to know what actions or factors drive it and how they relate. Some are clear metrics on your dashboard. Others are agent behaviors you see in quality checks. Some are very important, some are not, and some only seem important because they are linked to something else that matters more.
Here is a simple example to make the math easier to understand.
Imagine you want to predict which rookie basketball players will do well in the pros. Height might seem important, and so might hand size. But since height and hand size are related, counting both as separate signals would be a mistake. Multiple regression helps by looking at many factors at once and finding out which ones truly predict success, removing those that only seem important because they are tied to another factor.
In this example, hand size might end up being more important than height once you account for their relationship. But hand size alone is not enough. You also need to consider shooting accuracy, decision-making, durability, work ethic, and how well the player fits into a team. The more relevant factors you include, the better your predictions become.
The same idea works for contact center interactions. CSAT is the result you want to explain. Some factors that affect it include issue resolution, average handle time, escalation rate, channel mix, and many agent behaviors you track in quality checks. For example: Did the agent find the real reason for the contact? Did they offer all possible solutions? Did they confirm the next steps? Did they respect the customer’s time?
You can test each of these factors. Once you know which ones really affect the results, you have a clear plan for agents to follow, as well as any process issues to address and update.
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Two ways to identify CSAT key drivers
1. Run a key driver survey.
A key driver survey is a structured customer survey that asks about overall satisfaction and specific things you think might matter, like resolution, ease, accuracy, time, or agent professionalism. Analyzing the responses using methods like multiple regression, Classification and Regression Trees (CART), or chi-square tests shows which factors most strongly predict overall satisfaction.
2. Analyze your existing CX data.
If you already have survey and quality data, you can analyze it the same way. As COPC Inc. points out, running a multiple regression on your existing customer survey will reveal which factors drive satisfaction and should be included in your quality form.
The results can be surprising. We have seen many clients think they know what matters to their customers, but the analysis often shows something different—and the difference is usually big.
A proof point from our consulting work
In one project, our analysis showed that “Respect my time” was much more important than any other driver of satisfaction. The client had been treating every attribute on their quality form as equal and coaching many behaviors, but one group of behaviors mattered more than all the others combined.
Once you know these key factors, a strong quality program becomes essential for managing customer satisfaction. Knowing what matters helps you focus on your coaching and makes it much more effective. Having the right information from the start makes all the difference.
In the example above, this meant coaching behaviors that respect the customer’s time before focusing on anything else. The client did not need a completely new quality program. They needed one built around the key driver that the data had already shown.
That is the value of doing the analysis. Without it, you are guessing which inputs to coach. With it, you are coaching the ones that actually move the score.
How key drivers change coaching and quality programs
When you know the real drivers, your quality program becomes the tool that links coaching to CSAT. A high-quality form, built around the most important customer attributes identified through driver analysis, will predict CSAT rather than drift away from it.
The shift looks like this:
- Your quality form should focus on the most influential attributes that truly drive satisfaction, not a long list of every possible agent action.
- Coaching should start with the behaviors driving poor performance, not just those that happened during the most recent interaction.
- Use process and technology improvements to address drivers that cannot be fixed through agent coaching alone.
In one project, a client had been trying to improve CSAT for some time, but CSAT scores remained low, and DSAT remained high. We identified the key drivers, redesigned the quality form to focus on them, and built a coaching program around the weakest drivers. This led to about a 40-point increase in CSAT and a 30-point drop in DSAT, not by chasing the score, but by coaching the right actions.
Organizations that use the COPC Customer Experience (CX) Standard, which is based on this driver-focused approach, often see double-digit improvements in Top Box CSAT, First Contact Resolution, and quality, along with shorter average handle times.
The point is not the headline numbers. The real value comes from coaching the right actions, not just pushing harder for better scores.
How to find your CSAT key drivers: a 5-step process
If you want to bring this approach into your operation, the sequence is straightforward:
- Validate your CSAT survey questions. Make sure you are asking about the attributes that regression analysis can meaningfully analyze, not just an overall score.
- Run a driver analysis on existing data or stand up a key driver survey if you do not have what you need.
- Rebuild your quality form around the customer-critical attributes that the analysis surfaces.
- Realign coaching to focus on problem behaviors first.
- Use process and technology improvements to address driver-level problems that coaching alone cannot fix.
The steps are not complicated, but doing the analysis well takes care of the tasks. Most organizations need help with change management when redesigning quality forms and coaching, and we have helped clients with this work for over thirty years. Our CX metrics team is here to support it.
CSAT does not improve just because you ask agents to raise it. It gets better when you find the real drivers, build your quality program around them, and coach what truly matters.
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Frequently asked questions about CSAT key drivers.
What is a CSAT key driver?
A CSAT key driver is a specific input — agent behavior, process outcome, or operational metric — that statistically predicts a customer’s overall satisfaction score. Key drivers are identified through regression analysis of customer survey data and used to focus coaching and quality programs on what actually moves CSAT.
How do you identify the key drivers of customer satisfaction?
Two methods. First, run a key driver survey that asks customers about overall satisfaction and specific attributes, then use multiple regression, CART, or chi-square analysis to identify which attributes predict overall satisfaction. Second, analyze your existing CSAT survey data the same way if it already includes attribute-level questions. Both approaches isolate the inputs that independently influence the output.
Why can’t you just coach agents to improve their CSAT score?
Because CSAT is an output metric, not an input. Telling an agent to raise their CSAT is like telling someone to earn more money without specifying how. Coaching has to target the underlying behaviors and process inputs that produce the score, which means you first need to know which inputs matter.
What are the most common drivers of CSAT in contact centers?
Across many COPC engagements, issue resolution and customer effort are generally universal attributes that connect to CSAT, but there is no one-size-fits-all list to draw from. The exact ranking varies by industry, channel, and brand promise, which is why every operation should do its own driver analysis to find out what matters to their customers rather than assume.
How does key driver analysis improve quality assurance?
Most quality forms have a list of items, all weighted about the same. A key driver analysis changes that. It shows you which items actually predict customer satisfaction, and which don’t.
With that insight, you can:
– Drop items that don’t move the needle on CSAT.
– Reclassify items that matter for other reasons (business risk, compliance).
– Weight the form so it emphasizes what customers actually care about.
The payoff: a quality score that tracks with customer satisfaction instead of drifting away from it. That’s what makes quality data genuinely useful for coaching agents and improving processes.
How long does it take to see results from a key driver approach?
The key driver analysis itself can be completed in a few weeks if usable survey data already exists. Visible CSAT improvement typically follows quality form redesign and the first full coaching cycle. In documented COPC engagements, organizations have seen substantial CSAT lifts within months of restructuring coaching around validated drivers.
About the Author
Nathan Van Allen, Senior Consultant
With 16 years in the customer experience industry, Nathan specializes in managing programs from launch to full operation, optimizing performance through process development, and leading Six Sigma initiatives. His collaborative, data-driven approach helps clients identify and prioritize improvement opportunities, earning the trust of organizations seeking COPC certification. From Baseline Assessments to Certification and Recertification, Nathan guides clients to achieve their unique visions for customer experience. His expertise has empowered organizations to successfully in-house customer care, boost CSAT scores, reduce abandonment rates, and save over $1 million annually.