The Dangerous Game Of Survey Score Inflation — And Smarter Alternatives

CX programs were meant to uncover insights and improve outcomes, yet many have drifted into a fixation on survey scores. These metrics capture only a small fraction of customers, lack statistical rigor, and often fail to reveal clear causality. As a result, organizations chase numbers that are easy to inflate but difficult to act on, mistaking measurement for meaning and undermining the true purpose of CX.

This obsession has fueled a cycle of manipulation, where scores are boosted through coaching, selective sampling, or even pressuring customers. Root causes include tying compensation to metrics and lacking authority or tools to drive real change due to CX program immaturity. The fallout is significant: distorted data, eroded trust, employee burnout, and missed opportunities to resolve genuine issues. To break free, CX must shift from score-chasing to insights-driven action, focusing on outcomes and fostering a culture of customer obsession. Programs that evolve into strategic engines of insight will define the future of loyalty, growth, and innovation.

• Identify the common ways organizations inflate survey scores — intentionally or not.
• Identify the root causes of survey score obsession.
• Identify the business impacts of survey score inflation.
• Learn alternative solutions to overcome the challenge of survey score obsession.

Target audience level: intermediate