Methodology v2.0
How TheCustomerTest scores public companies on customer-centricity. Updated April 2026.
Overview
TheCustomerTest independently analyses the publicly available digital presence of listed companies — websites, annual reports, sustainability documents, investor communications — and scores each company on four dimensions using a defined evidence framework. No surveys, no self-reporting. Public evidence only.
Scores are integers from 0 to 10. Each dimension is scored independently and summed.
Scoring dimensions
💬 T1 — Customer Language max 3 points
Does the company speak about customers substantively on its public site? Most companies that mention customers in operational context should earn full marks here.
- T1a (1 pt): Customer or client mentioned in substantive context on any page
- T1b (1 pt): Customer language appears on 2 or more distinct page types (web + PDF counts)
- T1c (1 pt): Operational customer language — support, service, satisfaction, experience, success
🔄 T2 — CX Programme Evidence max 3 points
Does the company describe how it listens to and acts on customer input? Requires explicit CX discipline language, feedback mechanisms, or evidence of acting on feedback.
- T2a (1 pt): CX named as a discipline — customer experience, customer journey, customer-centricity
- T2b (1 pt): Customer listening or feedback mechanism described — surveys, VoC, feedback loops
- T2c (1 pt): Evidence of acting on feedback or CX in annual/ESG reporting — closed-loop, continuous improvement
📊 T3 — Measurement Proof max 3 points
Does the company name a customer metric and show results? This is the hardest tier — fewer than 10% of companies earn any T3 points.
- T3a (1 pt): NPS, CSAT, or named customer metric explicitly mentioned
- T3b (1 pt): Named metric visible on a public web page (not only in PDF)
- T3c (1 pt): Actual score or trend published — e.g. “NPS of 68” or “NPS improved to 78 from 66”
🏆 T4 — Commitment Depth max 1 point
A bonus point for companies that embed CX at a governance level. This is the hardest signal to earn and signals genuine operational commitment.
- T4 (1 pt): Named CX executive (CCO, VP CX), CX metrics in executive pay, named CX platform deployed across the business, or CX/NPS explicitly linked to business strategy and outcomes
Score calculation
Points are summed directly. No weighting or conversion formula.
Score = T1 + T2 + T3 + T4 (max 3+3+3+1 = 10)
Example: a company scoring T1=3 + T2=2 + T3=2 + T4=0 = 7/10 (Grade B).
A perfect 10/10 requires full marks across all tiers including a published NPS score and governance-level CX commitment. Currently, 4 companies achieve this.
Grade scale
| Grade | Score | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 10 | World class — full public evidence across all dimensions |
| A | 9 | Leading — exceptional public CX evidence |
| B+ / B | 7 – 8 | Strong — meaningful, visible CX commitment |
| C+ / C | 5 – 6 | Moderate — some evidence, limited metrics |
| D+ / D | 3 – 4 | Limited — language present, no programme evidence |
| E+ / E | 0 – 2 | Minimal — little or no public CX evidence |
Document age rule
Evidence from documents published more than 5 years ago is flagged as stale and excluded from scoring. A company that published NPS in 2018 but not since will not receive T3 credit. The evidence is noted in the report as historical context but does not contribute to the current score.
Data sources
Evidence is gathered from public sources only: company websites, investor relations pages, annual reports (10-K / 20-F), sustainability reports, earnings call transcripts, and SEC EDGAR filings. AI-assisted analysis is used to identify relevant pages and extract evidence; all scores are based on defined criteria.
Limitations
Companies with bot-protection or restricted website access may receive lower scores due to reduced evidence visibility. Scores reflect public digital evidence — not internal programmes, culture, or customer experience delivery. A company may run exceptional CX programmes without publicising them.
Companies can submit additional public evidence to challenge their score via the report page.
Version history
| Version | Date | Changes |
|---|---|---|
| v2.0 | April 2026 | Simplified to T1(3)+T2(3)+T3(3)+T4(1)=10. Integer scoring. Removed /13 rescaling. Added T4 Commitment Depth. Added document age rule. Tightened T3 to reduce false positives. |
| v1.0 | March 2026 | Initial release. T1(3)+T2(4)+T3(4)+B2B(2)=13 raw, displayed as /10. |