Satisfaction indices
What the seven satisfaction indices mean, how they are calculated, and where you choose them.
Raw numbers are hard to act on. "You received 847 smiley responses last week" tells you very little. An index condenses those responses into a single, comparable score — track it over time, compare it across locations, and suddenly you know where to focus.
How Smiley Buttons Map to Values
Each smiley button represents a level of satisfaction. The five-button configuration uses the following mapping:
| Button | Meaning | Color |
|---|---|---|
| :rage: | Very dissatisfied | Dark red |
| :worried: | Dissatisfied | Light red |
| :neutral_face: | Neutral | Yellow |
| :slightly_smiling_face: | Satisfied | Light green |
| :grinning: | Very satisfied | Dark green |
The two-button configuration uses only the first and last: :rage: (very dissatisfied) and :grinning: (very satisfied).
Where You Choose an Index
The index is set per smiley block, not per Stream. When you add a Smiley block to a stream, an Index dropdown appears below the smiley configuration. The default is Insights Index.
NPS blocks always use the NPS index — there is no dropdown.
If your stream has multiple smiley or NPS blocks, each one can use a different index. In the stream's Settings tab, the Sentiment index selector lets you pick which block represents the overall experience for that stream. That block's index becomes the primary score shown on the Overview and in reports.
The Seven Indices
Ombea's own index. Each smiley button is assigned a point value, and the index is the average score across all responses.
Button values:
| :rage: | :worried: | :neutral_face: | :slightly_smiling_face: | :grinning: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 25 | 50 | 75 | 100 |
Formula: Total score / Total number of responses
Example: 10 responses — three :grinning: (3x100), four :slightly_smiling_face: (4x75), two :neutral_face: (2x50), one :rage: (1x0). Total score = 300 + 300 + 100 + 0 = 700. Index = 700 / 10 = 70.
Range: 0-100. Higher is better. This is the default index for new smiley blocks.
The industry-standard loyalty metric. Each smiley button maps to one of three NPS categories:
| :rage: | :worried: | :neutral_face: | :slightly_smiling_face: | :grinning: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detractor | Detractor | Detractor | Passive | Promoter |
Formula: % Promoters - % Detractors
Example: 100 responses — 40 :grinning: (Promoters), 30 :slightly_smiling_face: (Passives), 30 others (Detractors). NPS = 40% - 30% = +10.
Range: -100 to +100. Above 0 is positive. Used automatically on NPS blocks.
NPS uses only three of the five smiley buttons (:rage:, :neutral_face:, :grinning:). The :worried: and :slightly_smiling_face: buttons are hidden on NPS blocks.
A percentage-based measure of how many responses are positive. Common in support and service contexts.
Positive responses: :slightly_smiling_face: and :grinning:.
Formula: (Number of positive responses / Total number of responses) x 100
Example: 80 responses — 50 are :slightly_smiling_face: or :grinning:. CSAT = (50 / 80) x 100 = 62.5%.
Range: 0-100%.
Measures how easy an interaction was. Each button is assigned a score from 1 to 5.
Button values:
| :rage: | :worried: | :neutral_face: | :slightly_smiling_face: | :grinning: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Formula: Total sum of scores / Number of responses
Example: 50 responses with a total score of 195. CES = 195 / 50 = 3.9.
Range: 1-5. Higher means less effort. Not available for two-button smileys.
The percentage of responses that are positive or very positive.
Counted responses: :slightly_smiling_face: and :grinning:.
Formula: (Number of :slightly_smiling_face: and :grinning: responses / Total number of responses) x 100
Range: 0-100%.
The strictest measure — only counts the most positive responses.
Counted responses: :grinning: only.
Formula: (Number of :grinning: responses / Total number of responses) x 100
Range: 0-100%.
The most generous measure — counts every response that is not negative.
Counted responses: :neutral_face:, :slightly_smiling_face:, and :grinning:.
Formula: (Number of :neutral_face:, :slightly_smiling_face:, and :grinning: responses / Total number of responses) x 100
Range: 0-100%.
Which Should I Use?
| Index | Best for | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Insights Index | General feedback, quick comparisons | 0-100 |
| NPS | Customer loyalty, external benchmarking | -100 to +100 |
| CSAT | Transaction-specific satisfaction | 0-100% |
| CES | Process ease, service interactions | 1-5 |
| PAS | Tracking positive sentiment | 0-100% |
| VPS | Tracking top-box excellence | 0-100% |
| NAS | Minimising dissatisfaction | 0-100% |
Most users start with the Insights Index and add NPS when they need to benchmark against competitors. PAS, VPS, and NAS are useful when you want a simple percentage-based view of your smiley data.
Good to Know
If your smiley block uses only two buttons (:rage: and :grinning:), NPS and CES are not available. The remaining five indices (Insights, CSAT, PAS, VPS, NAS) still work. For the Insights Index, :rage: = 0 and :grinning: = 100.
Once you save a block with 5 smileys or 2 smileys, you cannot change it — and the available indices are locked in. If you need a different configuration, delete the block and create a new one.
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