South Africa, March 12 -- Of course not. That's just not how we talk or communicate. Yet, brands and companies continuously rely on these arbitrary ratings to assess customer experience. When a company calls to ask for feedback, how do you respond? If the experience was just "okay," do you say it was fine?

Post-purchase customer calls or automated surveys have become standard for high-value purchases such as cars, designer apparel, real estate, insurance, or healthcare insurance, but here's the real question: What is a company supposed to do with "fine" or "4/5"?

Some argue that because surveys assign numerical values to experiences, it makes them scientific and measurable. But if a customer rates their experience a 4 / 5, what does tha...