Which would NOT be a part of the PCI DSS compliance validation process?

The PCI DSS compliance validation process is focused on ensuring that organizations handle cardholder data securely. This includes specific requirements such as identifying vulnerabilities, assessing security measures, and reporting compliance with the standards established by PCI DSS.

Submitting the PCI DSS Self-Assessment Questionnaire is an essential part of the validation process, as it helps organizations evaluate their security posture and confirm adherence to PCI DSS requirements. Having an Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV) perform external vulnerability scans is also a requirement, as it helps identify any vulnerabilities that could be exploited and ensures that the security of systems handling cardholder data is regularly tested. Providing merchant compliance status reports is necessary for transparency and accountability to stakeholders, showing their current state of compliance with PCI DSS.

In contrast, collecting customer satisfaction surveys does not pertain to the compliance validation process under PCI DSS. While understanding customer satisfaction can be valuable for business operations, it is not relevant to ensuring compliance with data security standards aimed at protecting cardholder information. This highlights that customer feedback mechanisms, while important in their own right, fall outside the scope of PCI DSS validation.