When a score is enough, and when it isn’t

Scores are good at measuring and poor at explaining. A satisfaction score or a recommendation score tells you which way things are moving. It rarely tells you why.

When a score is enough

• You need to track one number over time, the same way every time.
• You need to compare groups on the same measure.
• You already know the reasons, and only need to know how many people share them.

When you need the reason

• The score moved, and nobody can say why.
• You are about to make a decision that is expensive to reverse: a relaunch, a price change, a new pack.
• The people you most need to hear from don’t write easily, or don’t write in English.

Use both

You don’t have to choose. Keep the score you already track, and add one spoken follow-up: “Why did you give that score?” Each answer is transcribed and tagged with themes, so the reasons arrive grouped instead of as a pile of comments to read one by one.