What is Net Promoter Score (NPS)?
NPS measures how likely customers are to recommend you, from one question answered on a 0 to 10 scale. The score is the share of promoters minus the share of detractors, so it runs from −100 to 100.
NPS in one question
Net Promoter Score is a loyalty metric built on a single question: “How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?” Customers answer from 0 to 10, and each answer falls into one of three groups. Promoters give 9 or 10, passives give 7 or 8, and detractors give 0 to 6.
Because the question stays the same, NPS is easy to follow from one quarter to the next and to compare between plans, countries or devices. The score says how loyal customers feel. A follow-up question such as “What is the main reason for your score?” says why.
Teams use NPS as a regular check on the whole relationship, a few times a year or after a milestone such as the first month. For single moments, such as a support chat or a checkout, customer satisfaction (CSAT) and customer effort (CES) fit better.
- Measures
- Loyalty and the likelihood of word of mouth
- Scale
- 0 to 10
- Groups
- Promoters 9 to 10, passives 7 to 8, detractors 0 to 6
- Score range
- −100 to 100
How to calculate NPS
Count the answers in each group and turn each count into a share of all answers. Subtract the share of detractors from the share of promoters, and the result is your Net Promoter Score.
Passives count toward the total, so they make both shares smaller, but they add to neither group. NPS is written as a whole number without a percent sign, such as 35 or −10.
NPS = % promoters − % detractors
Promoters answer 9 or 10 and detractors 0 to 6. With only promoters the score is 100, and with only detractors it is −100.
An NPS example
Say 200 customers answer the question in a month. 110 give a 9 or 10, 50 give a 7 or 8, and 40 give 6 or lower.
Promoters make up 55% of the answers and detractors 20%, so the score is 35. The 50 passives still matter: if 20 of them had given a 9, the score would rise to 45.
- Promoters, 9 to 10
- 110 answers, 55%
- Passives, 7 to 8
- 50 answers, 25%
- Detractors, 0 to 6
- 40 answers, 20%
- NPS
- 55 − 20 = 35
What is a good NPS?
Any score above 0 means you have more promoters than detractors. Beyond that, scores differ a great deal by industry, by country and by how and when the question is asked, so a number from another company tells you little about yours.
The most useful comparison is your own score over time and between your own groups of customers: a new plan against an old one, one country against another, or mobile against desktop. Look at the number of answers behind each score, since a few answers can move a small score by many points.
When to ask the NPS question
Ask once customers know you well enough to recommend you, and ask the same way each time so the scores stay comparable. Email suits customers who don't visit often, and a survey on your website or in your web app reaches the ones who do.
- After the first weeks of use, once the customer has seen the product at work
- A few times a year, to follow the relationship as a whole
- After a milestone, such as a renewal or the end of a project
- Away from a single support chat or purchase, where CSAT or CES says more
NPS compared with CSAT and CES
The three scores answer different questions, and many teams ask all three at different moments. NPS follows the relationship, CSAT a single interaction and CES how much work a task took.
| NPS | CSAT | CES | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asks | How likely to recommend | How satisfied with one interaction | How easy a task was |
| Scale | 0 to 10 | 1 to 5 | 5 or 7 points |
| Score | % promoters − % detractors | Share of 4 and 5 answers | Average, or the share who found it easy |
| Best for | Loyalty over time | A purchase, a delivery, a support chat | Sign up, checkout, getting help |
How Usertick measures NPS
Add the NPS question in the survey editor or start from the Net Promoter Score template, then ask it on your website, by email, by link and QR code, or as a conversation. In an email, customers pick their score in the message itself, and the survey opens with that score filled in.
Results shows the score with its change from the period before, the shares of detractors, passives and promoters for everyone and per device, and the score over time. Usertick reads every answer to the follow-up question and files it by theme and sentiment, so you can see why the score moved.
On every plan, an alert posts to Slack or Microsoft Teams when NPS falls below a line you set, and workflows can pass each detractor's answer to the right person, with 1 workflow per survey on Free.
Mistakes to avoid with NPS
Small choices that keep the results useful.
- 01
Asking right after one interaction
A score given minutes after a support chat says more about that chat than about the relationship. Ask CSAT there and keep NPS for the whole experience.
- 02
Leaving out the follow-up
A score without a reason gives no direction. Add one open question after the score, and keep it optional.
- 03
Comparing with other companies
Published averages come from different questions, channels and customers. Compare your score with your own past periods and between your own groups.
- 04
Acting on a handful of answers
A few answers can swing the score by many points. Check how many answers sit behind a change before you act on it.
Frequently asked questions
No. NPS is the difference between two percentages, so it is written as a whole number from −100 to 100, such as 35 or −10.
The method sets the line at 9, so only the most enthusiastic answers count as promoters. Passives still count toward the total, so a large group of them keeps the score lower than the promoters alone would suggest.
The more the better, since each answer moves a small score a lot. Usertick names a better or worse variant only once each side has 30 answers, and the Audience tab shows a group's score once the group has 5 answers.
Yes. Usertick can put the NPS question in the email it sends to a contact list. Picking a score opens the survey's page with that score filled in, and the customer sends it there with any follow-up questions.
eNPS asks employees how likely they are to recommend the company as a place to work. It uses the same 0 to 10 scale, the same groups and the same formula.
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