CSI Methodology
How we calculate the Cost & Service Index. Transparent scoring you can trust.
What Is the CSI?
The Cost & Service Index (CSI) is a composite score from 0 to 100 assigned to every business listing on TrueMovingCost. It measures how well a business performs across multiple dimensions that matter to consumers: cost transparency, service quality, customer satisfaction, and verification status.
The CSI is currently applied to 67,440+ listings across 4 categories. Scores are recalculated periodically as new data becomes available.
Data Sources
Overture Maps Foundation
Our primary source for business locations, addresses, and categorization. Overture Maps is an open geospatial data project backed by Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and TomTom, providing high-quality business point-of-interest data.
Key fields: Business name, address, coordinates, category, source IDs
Google Maps
We incorporate publicly available Google Maps data to supplement our listings with customer ratings and review volume, which are key inputs to the CSI quality dimension.
Key fields: Google rating, review count, business hours
Government Registries
State licensing boards, contractor registries, NPPES (National Plan and Provider Enumeration System) for healthcare, and other regulatory databases provide verification data.
Key fields: License status, credential verification, registration dates
Claimed Business Profiles
Verified business owners who claim their listing contribute first-party data including actual pricing, service descriptions, photos, and hours. This data carries the highest weight in our transparency score.
Key fields: Pricing ranges, service details, verified contact info, photos
Transparency Score
The Transparency Score is the foundation of the CSI. It measures how much information a business makes publicly available. Businesses that publish pricing, maintain complete profiles, and claim their listings score higher.
| Signal | Weight | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Published Pricing | 30% | Business has published price ranges or actual pricing for their services. |
| Profile Completeness | 20% | Percentage of profile fields filled out (phone, website, hours, description, photos). |
| Claimed & Verified | 20% | Business owner has claimed and verified the listing. |
| Review Presence | 15% | Business has customer reviews (minimum 3 required for full credit). |
| License Verification | 15% | Professional license or credential verified through government registry (where applicable). |
CSI Dimensions
The final CSI score is a weighted composite of four dimensions. Each dimension is scored independently on a 0-100 scale, then combined into the overall CSI.
Cost Transparency
35%How much pricing information the business makes available. Businesses that publish clear pricing, offer free estimates, or provide cost calculators score highest.
- Published price ranges
- Free estimate availability
- No hidden fees policy
- Itemized pricing breakdowns
Service Quality
30%Customer satisfaction based on review ratings and volume. Higher ratings and more reviews contribute to a higher score.
- Average customer rating
- Review volume and recency
- Rating consistency over time
- Structured dimension ratings
Responsiveness
20%How actively the business engages with customers. Businesses that respond to reviews and maintain updated profiles score higher.
- Review response rate
- Average response time
- Profile update frequency
- Active claim status
Trust & Verification
15%Third-party verification of credentials, licenses, and business standing. Verified businesses earn consumer trust.
- License verification
- Business registration
- Insurance documentation
- Years in operation
How Ratings Work
Score Ranges
Score Updates
CSI scores are recalculated periodically as new data becomes available. Major triggers for recalculation include: new reviews submitted, a business claiming its listing, pricing information being published, and license status changes. We do not accept payment to influence CSI scores.
Unscored Listings
Listings without sufficient data to calculate a meaningful CSI score will display "Not Yet Rated." This typically applies to new listings with no reviews and minimal profile information. As data accumulates, a CSI score will be assigned automatically.
Fairness & Independence
No Pay-to-Play
CSI scores cannot be purchased or artificially boosted. Paid features (when available) may enhance listing visibility but do not affect the CSI score calculation.
Algorithmic Consistency
The same scoring algorithm is applied uniformly to all businesses within a category. No manual overrides or exceptions are made.
Data Source Diversity
We rely on multiple independent data sources to reduce bias. No single source can disproportionately influence a score.
Dispute Process
Business owners who believe their score is inaccurate can contact us with supporting documentation. We will review the data and correct any errors.
Questions?
If you have questions about our methodology, want to report a data error, or need clarification on how your business is scored, we are here to help.
Contact support@siedata.dev