Collecting customer feedback is a crucial business practice. The key is to listen carefully to your customers’ responses and act on them quickly.
It is a metric that companies track regularly. It helps them focus on the twin goals of creating more promoters and reducing detractors.
What is Net Promoter Score?
Net Promoter Score (NPS) is the metric that measures customer loyalty using a single question: “How likely are you to recommend our product/service to a friend or colleague?” Based on their responses, customers are divided into promoters (9-10), passives (7-8), and detractors (0-6).
NPS is a compelling metric for measuring overall business health. It quantifies word-of-mouth traffic, the most valuable marketing type for any business. It also helps companies identify their happiest customers, who can become brand evangelists and help fuel growth.
Unlike traditional online surveys that are often biased toward what the company wants to hear, NPS gives customers the freedom to share their genuine opinions, which allows businesses to validate or course-correct their decisions. Additionally, recurring NPS surveys allow companies to track and monitor customer satisfaction over time.
NPS has proven itself as a reliable indicator of customer loyalty and growth. Reichheld’s research found that companies with a high ratio of promoters to detractors grow faster than those with low scores. However, it’s important to remember that NPS is a prediction of future behavior and thus can be inaccurate. For example, customers who say they’re very likely to recommend your business may only do so in the short run. However, a low NPS signals that something needs to be fixed and acted upon.
How to Calculate NPS?
As a standard metric used by companies across industries, NPS provides a benchmark for how your company is doing and what a good NPS should look like. But to truly understand how your NPS ranks, it’s essential to compare it against industry averages and competitors.
Essentially, NPS is calculated by asking a straightforward question in a customer survey: “How likely are you to recommend our product or service to a friend or colleague?” Customers then rate their likelihood on a 0-10 scale. It’s customary for businesses to ask respondents to provide a reason for their rating, although this isn’t required.
Passives (score 7 or 8) are satisfied customers who may recommend your business, but they’re not likely to go out of their way. These customers are vulnerable to competitive offerings, so focusing on making your experience exceptional and converting them into Promoters is essential.
Detractors (scores 0-6) are unhappy customers that are unlikely to buy from you again and will discourage others from doing the same. It’s critical to pay attention to this group of customers and turn them into Promoters or at least reduce their churn rate, which can be cheaper and more efficient than attracting new customers. You can do this by analyzing the results of your NPS survey and using insights to improve your business.
How to Turn Detractors into Promoters?
Detractors are a dangerous breed that can tarnish your company’s image and lead to customer churn. It’s not practical to convert all detractors into promoters, but you should work hard to nip negative sentiment before it gets out of hand. Fortunately, NPS surveys and other feedback collection tools like churn prediction software and customer health monitoring platforms help spot detractors quickly.
NPS measures customer loyalty and growth by asking, “How likely is it that you would recommend [brand] to a friend or colleague?” Customers who respond as promoters (9-10) are loyal enthusiasts who will continue to buy from you and help grow your business. Passives (7-8) are satisfied but unenthusiastic and could be swayed by competitive offerings. And detractors (0-6) are unhappy and can damage your brand through negative word of mouth.
Increasing your number of promoters is crucial for long-term business success. The best way to do this is to create a great product or service that customers want to tell their friends and colleagues about. Also, be sure to listen to the feedback of detractors and turn their experience around. You can do this by responding to their concerns promptly, making them feel special, and fixing the issues that turned them into detractors in the first place. Lastly, you must survey your customers again after incorporating their feedback into your processes and products. It will show them you’ve taken their complaints seriously and changed their perceptions of your brand.
How to Use NPS Data
Once you have the results from your NPS survey, it’s time to analyze and interpret them. Start by looking at the overall score. Then break it down by identifying your promoters, passives, and detractors.
Once this is done, you’ll have a clear picture of your performance compared to other businesses in your industry. It’s important to remember that only some industries have the same average NPS; if you are in the consulting business, your NPS will differ from those in the logistics and transportation business.
Use this data to drive internal changes. By making NPS a key metric, you can ensure that all your teams work towards the same goal of increasing it. It will make them all more cohesive, encourage everyone to celebrate promoters and reduce the number of detractors.
In addition, it’s helpful to understand the NPS of each product or service within your company. This way, you can target specific areas that may need attention. For example, your customer support team has a low NPS and needs to focus on improving. You can then take steps to implement changes and increase their performance. It will lead to happier customers and increased business growth. Unlike traditional metrics, NPS is more easily tracked and analyzed. It provides the visibility you need to make informed decisions about your customer experience strategy.
