What is NPS?
Net Promoter Score (NPS) is one of the most widely used measures of customer loyalty. It is based on a single question answered on a scale from 0 to 10: how likely is it that you would recommend us to a friend or colleague?
Based on the answers, respondents are divided into three groups. Promoters are loyal and happy to spread the word, passives are satisfied but not engaged, and detractors are unhappy. Because NPS is easy to measure and to compare over time, it is used by organisations of every size.
How NPS is calculated
Work out what share of the responses come from promoters and what share come from detractors. Then subtract the share of detractors from the share of promoters. Passives do not enter the formula directly, but they are included in the total number of responses. The result lands between −100 and +100.
Promoters
Loyal and happy to recommend you. Counted as plus.
Passives
Satisfied but not engaged. Not counted, but included in the total.
Detractors
Unhappy and may hurt your reputation. Counted as minus.
NPS = share of promoters (%) − share of detractors (%)
Example
Out of 200 responses, 120 are promoters (60%), 50 are passives and 30 are detractors (15%). That gives an NPS of 60 − 15 = +45.
What is a good NPS?
Anything above 0 means you have more promoters than detractors. As a rule of thumb, you can read the result like this:
- Below 0
- Needs attention You have more detractors than promoters. There are clear problems to address.
- 0–29
- Okay More promoters than detractors, but there is plenty of room to improve.
- 30–49
- Good A clear majority of your respondents feel positive about you.
- 50–69
- Very good Many of your respondents actively recommend you.
- 70 and above
- Excellent On par with the most loved brands. Make the most of your promoters.
What counts as a good NPS varies between industries. Compare with your own industry and with your previous measurements.
How to ask the NPS question
Use the standard wording and the full scale from 0 to 10 so your result can be compared with others. Label the end points “Not at all likely” and “Extremely likely”.
How likely is it that you would recommend us to a friend or colleague?
The score shows where you stand, but the follow-up question tells you why. So add an open question right after it:
What is the main reason for your score?
Other common follow-up questions are “What could we do to improve your experience?” and, for promoters, “What do you value most about us?”.