NPS, or Net Promoter Score, is a widely used satisfaction indicator. It rests on a single question: “On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend [business] to a friend?”
How to calculate it
- answers of 9 and 10 are promoters;
- answers of 7 and 8 are passives (they don’t count in the formula);
- answers of 0 to 6 are detractors.
NPS = % promoters − % detractors. The result ranges from −100 to +100.
Example: a bakery surveys 50 customers. 30 answer 9 or 10 (60%), 12 answer 7 or 8, 8 answer between 0 and 6 (16%). Its NPS is 60 − 16 = +44.
What it is for in a local business
The number alone says little. Its value is in following a trend over time and, above all, adding an open question (“What would make it a 10?”) to understand what to improve. Promoters are also the customers to ask for an online review or a referral.
Common mistakes
- comparing your NPS with another sector’s: levels vary a lot between activities;
- drawing conclusions from a dozen answers;
- asking the question and never reading or acting on the comments.
To build loyalty from this feedback, see the customer retention guide.
Go further
Related terms
Customer loyalty and referral
Customer loyalty covers what a business does so customers come back and recommend it: welcome, follow-up, loyalty card, newsletter and referral (a loyal customer brings a new one).
Google review
A Google review is the rating a customer leaves on a business’s profile: 1 to 5 stars, often a comment and sometimes photos, visible to everyone in Google Search and Google Maps.
Review response rate
The review response rate is the share of customer reviews a business has replied to over a given period: reviews with a reply divided by total reviews received.