PRODUCT TOOLKIT

Builder Dashboard:
Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)

Understand your Zillow Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) score — and why it matters.

Today’s consumers have high expectations. How do you know if you’re meeting them? A Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) score is gathered by short, simple surveys that measure a customer’s satisfaction with your business, a purchase or interaction with you. Improve your buyer experience — which is what really matters — and you improve your CSAT.

As part of Zillow’s continuing efforts to help builders deliver outstanding buyer experiences, we now provide your CSAT in the Builder Dashboard. You already measure your in-person customer service; we measure your response time to online inquiries through Promoted Communities and offer support when you want to improve it.

Why your CSAT matters

Knowing how satisfied your customers are during their home-buying journey helps you improve your service; you can (and should) conduct CSAT surveys throughout the process, including after a prospective buyer’s initial contact with you, after interactions with your team and certainly after purchasing their home. You can calculate your CSAT by asking a simple question, like “How satisfied are you with your experience?” Customers use a survey scale from 1-3, 1-5 or 1-10. It’s easy to get started with CSAT surveys, which typically generate a high response because they only ask a few questions.

With real data to inform your interactions, you’ll know where and how to give buyers an outstanding experience they’ll be happy to share with others. That’s free marketing for you.

How Zillow calculates your CSAT

Zillow measures interactions a home shopper has with you on a scale of 1-5. A few days after a home shopper submits a contact form on your Promoted Communities listing, we send a follow-up email to a random selection of shoppers asking if they were able to connect with the builder after one day.

Why Zillow collects CSAT data

You spend a lot of time marketing your listings with gorgeous photos and rich details, but a listing can only go as far as the engagement it generates. Once you’ve hooked a prospective buyer, we want to share with you what happens after they click “Contact builder.”

The CSAT data we collect provides insight and transparency into how well your teams (on-site sales counselors or sales center representatives) follow up with and engage these prospective buyers.

When we share the data with you, we ensure it’s informative and actionable. You can make positive changes only when you know how well your team performs today.

How can I find my CSAT?

We provide your score in the Customer Satisfaction tab in the Builder Dashboard. It includes your:

• Missed Connection rate — this rate is displayed as the percentage of respondents who submitted an inquiry and have not heard back from you within one day.
• Unconfirmed On-Site Tours — this rate is displayed as the percentage of respondents who submitted an inquiry and have not received a tour schedule confirmation within one day (for builders who use On-Site Tour Booking).
• Satisfaction rating — how satisfied home shoppers were with their overall experience with you.

How can I improve my CSAT?

Improve your response time
Reply to inquiries as quickly as possible. According to the Zillow Group New Construction Consumer Housing Trends Report 2018, of new construction buyers who contact a sales center, nearly half (46%) expect a response within a few hours or less. People don’t like to wait, and if you can shorten the time it takes to answer their question they’ll be happier with their experience.

Solve their concerns quickly
Customers love hearing “I can certainly help you with that” when they have a question because they know they don’t have to go far to get an answer. Keep your sales team trained, informed and skilled in problem-solving so they can quickly resolve customer issues.

Ask a specific question
To accurately gauge what delighted or dismayed your customer, you have to ask the right question at the right time. For each step along the home-buying journey, ask questions to identify what specifically went right (or wrong) at that moment. For example, after touring a model home, ask prospective buyers about their satisfaction with the salesperson’s knowledge, time spent and even their demeanor. Getting specific data from multiple touchpoints helps generate a more complete view of how buyers perceive you.

Want help improving the buyer experience? Share these best practices with your online sales counselors:

• Why You Need an Online Sales Counselor — Your First Step Toward Conversion
• Best Practices for Your Sales Center Staff
• Checklist: Home Tour Follow-Up

Contact your Zillow representative to learn more about your CSAT score and ways to improve it, or log in to Builder Dashboard.