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Customer experience
29.04.2024

How is NPS calculated: a comprehensive guide to measuring customer loyalty 

The Net Promoter Score (NPS) has emerged as a standout metric for measuring customer loyalty due to its straightforward approach and profound insights. With loyalty often being the number one key for better life-time value, understanding and measuring customer satisfaction and loyalty is more critical than ever.  

This guide delves into the nuances how NPS is calculated, underscores its importance, and highlights how innovative companies like HappyOrNot – who provides official, in-the-moment NPS surveys through its kiosks and online tools – are transforming the collection and analysis of NPS data to drive business success. 

What is net promoter score NPS?

Net Promoter Score (NPS) assesses customer loyalty, satisfaction, and the health of a company’s customer relationships. It is a pivotal metric that simplifies the complex dynamics of customer interactions into a single question: “On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend our company/product/service to a friend or colleague?”  

NPS is most suitable for providing insights into long-term loyalty trends to help businesses gauge their customer base’s overall satisfaction and loyalty over time. 

Customers’ answers categorize them into Promoters (loyal enthusiasts), Passives (satisfied but unenthusiastic customers), and Detractors (unhappy customers). This categorization helps businesses understand their customer base’s loyalty spectrum and tailor strategies accordingly. 

The origin of NPS

Since its inception in 2003, the net promoter score has been a go-to-tool and metric for how companies approach customer experience and loyalty across the globe.  NPS distills complex customer emotions and sentiments into one single criteria, guiding companies in enhancing their customer engagement and satisfaction efforts. 

How to calculate NPS?

NPS can be calculated very simply. You simply subtract the percentage of Detractors from the rate of Promoters. Passives can be ignored as they are seen as neutral and have no impact on the end result. This calculation reveals a number ranging from -100 (if every customer is a Detractor) to 100 (if every customer is a Promoter), offering a numerical representation of customer loyalty and satisfaction. 

The formula to calculate NPS = Promoters percentage – Detractor percentage is elegantly simple yet powerful in quantifying customer loyalty. 

Understanding the NPS scale

The NPS scale, from -100 to 100, provides a nuanced view of where a company stands regarding customer loyalty and satisfaction. A score above 0 indicates positive customer loyalty. An NPS score of above 50 is excellent, and above 70 is considered world-class, setting a high benchmark for customer loyalty and satisfaction. Using the NPS score, companies can evaluate their performance and set targets for improvement, aiming for higher loyalty and satisfaction levels. 

Analyzing NPS survey results

Delving into the results of NPS surveys involves more than simply calculating a score. It requires a deep analysis of the reasons behind the scores, identifying the key drivers of customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction, and recognizing trends over time.

With traditional NPS surveys sent to the customer after the transaction, this can be hard to achieve though. This is where truly innovative in-the-moment NPS surveys, such as the HappyOrNot NPS® surveys, come into play. They help businesses understand the nuances of their customer relationships, guiding strategic decisions to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty. 

Addressing unhappy customers through NPS

One critical benefit of using survey respondents’ feedback is their ability to pinpoint unhappy customers, allowing companies to address their concerns proactively. Doing these fixes quickly can stop the issues from becoming big problems. This is why it can be important to get feedback in the moment of the experience and not days, weeks, or even months after the event.  

By understanding and responding to the input from Detractors, businesses can undertake measures to improve their NPS score and overall customer satisfaction. This responsive approach can transform unhappy customers into satisfied ones, contributing to a more positive overall customer experience and enhancing brand loyalty.  

Enhancing customer base through NPS

A strategic focus on NPS can lead to an enhanced customer base by increasing the proportion of Promoters while having fewer Detractors and converting Passives into Promoters. This approach improves the overall customer experience and builds a loyal customer base. By leveraging NPS insights, companies can tailor their strategies to meet customer needs and expectations, driving satisfaction and loyalty. 

HappyOrNot: revolutionizing NPS data collection

HappyOrNot stands at the forefront of innovative solutions for instantly collecting and analyzing customer feedback, including NPS data. When looking to get a more robust and comprehensive view of customer satisfaction with NPS, look at what the solution can offer.

HappyOrNot is a licensed NPS® survey provider, meaning we can connect customer satisfaction data with your other business KPIs using the same index and same calculation. What’s more, the HappyOrNot NPS® allows you to connect the reasons for feedback with the time and place, and even the demographics of who, thus forming a much more solid understanding of customer satisfaction and the necessary actions. 

Our user-friendly tools and products empower businesses to conduct NPS surveys in the moment of the experience both on premises and at online touch points, gather insightful data, and make informed decisions to improve customer experience. HON’s solutions are designed to fit seamlessly into any customer feedback strategy, offering real-time insights and actionable data to drive customer satisfaction and loyalty. 

The importance of NPS in customer retention and acquisition

Customer retention is a critical factor in increasing the life-time value of customers, and as such, in growing the business. With its ability to reveal the willingness to recommend a company, product, or service, NPS is a vital indicator of a customer’s propensity to stay loyal to a company.  

A high NPS score often correlates with higher retention rates in addition to the possibility of referrals, which contribute to the new customer acquisition. This highlights the importance of understanding and improving NPS for sustained business success.  

By prioritizing improvements in areas identified through NPS feedback, companies can enhance the quality of their customer service and product offerings. This way companies can foster a loyal customer base that is less likely to turn to competitors grow their customer base, and drive long-term growth and stability. 

The impact of NPS on customer loyalty

At its core, NPS is a barometer of customer loyalty, providing insights into the strength of a company’s customer relationship. High NPS scores indicate a strong base of loyal customers who are likely to continue doing business with the company and act as brand ambassadors. Conversely, low NPS scores can signal issues that may erode customer loyalty, allowing companies to address these areas and strengthen customer relationships. 

Insights with the NPS calculation formula

The NPS formula helps businesses aiming to navigate the seas of customer feedback and loyalty. Companies calculate net promoter scores by applying this standard formula, transforming raw data into actionable insights. The essence of this formula lies in its ability to distill customers’ complex emotions and opinions into a single, comprehensive metric. 

By subtracting the detractors from the percentage of promoters, businesses gain a clear view of their performance through the eyes of their customers. HappyOrNot provides visual Analytics to review this data from a diverse customer base, providing a foundation for strategies to increase the number of happy customers and convert unsatisfied customers into enthusiastic promoters. 

Build stronger bonds with relationship NPS survey

A relationship NPS survey goes beyond the transactional aspects of customer interaction, delving into the depth of the ongoing customer-company relationship. Relationship NPS surveys capture feedback that reflects customers’ overall satisfaction, loyalty, and general likelihood of recommendation, providing insights crucial for long-term success. By focusing on the relationship aspect, companies can identify high-level drivers of loyalty and satisfaction, and tailor their strategies to strengthen these bonds.  

The relationship survey acts as a powerful tool in the arsenal of NPS programs, offering a nuanced view of customer sentiment that transcends individual transactions. This in turn ensures a more holistic understanding of customer needs and expectations. 

Enhance response rates with in-moment survey tools

The choice of survey tool can significantly impact the total number of responses and the quality of feedback collected. Modern NPS program leverages advanced survey tools that facilitate easy participation for customers, encouraging more promoters to share their thoughts and experiences.  

These tools – like the HappyOrNot NPS® – often come equipped with features that calculate your NPS score automatically, removing the burden of manual calculation.  

Companies can boost engagement and gather a higher volume of valuable feedback by providing a user-friendly interface and ensuring that the survey question is presented clearly and concisely. The complexity of the 11-scale feedback metric can cause some customers and visitors to turn away from the survey while a more simple and clear scale, such as the HappyOrNot four Smileys, has proven to provide maximum amounts of honest feedback without the neutrality bias. 

Additionally, incorporating open-ended feedback sections within the survey allows companies to collect nuanced insights that numerical scores alone cannot provide, offering a richer, more detailed view of customer sentiment. 

Analyze NPS results with precision

Analyzing NPS results is a critical step in turning feedback into actionable insights. HappyOrNot Analytics offers visual dashboards that help identify patterns and trends that might not be immediately apparent, offering a view to the “what”, “when”, “where”, “why”, and the anonymous demographic “who” of the feedback.  

By calculating the NPS score, businesses can gauge the effectiveness of their customer experience strategies. A good NPS report highlights the current performance. It guides companies in setting realistic targets for improvement, focusing on reducing the number of detractors and increasing the base of enthusiastic customers. 

Leverage feedback for continuous improvement

The ultimate question “How likely are you to recommend our company / product / service to a friend or colleague?” at the heart of every NPS survey is designed to elicit feedback that can drive continuous improvement. Companies can identify critical areas where improvements are needed by carefully analyzing total responses and calculating the net promoter score. The insights gained from NPS surveys can be used to address the concerns of unsatisfied customers or to enhance the experience to convert more new customers into loyal promoters. 

Adaptation to feedback

An excellent net promoter score is a testament to a company’s commitment to excellence. At the same time, a willingness to adapt based on feedback demonstrates a dedication to customer satisfaction. As businesses strive for a high score, the focus remains on fostering positive relationships, gathering and acting on feedback, and ultimately, building a more substantial, loyal customer base. 

Gathering feedback: the first step in NPS calculation

Collecting feedback through NPS surveys represents the critical first step in calculating a company’s NPS. This feedback is essential for understanding customer perceptions, needs, and expectations clearly. By effectively gathering and analyzing this feedback, businesses can identify areas of strength and opportunity, guiding strategic decisions to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty. 

HappyOrNot: a partner in NPS success

HappyOrNot offers a suite of innovative tools and solutions designed to streamline the collection and analysis of NPS data. Our licensed products enable businesses to conduct efficient, official NPS surveys, gather actionable insights, and implement strategies to improve customer experience and loyalty. With HappyOrNot support, companies can elevate their NPS scores, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and customer-centricity. 

Conclusion

This comprehensive exploration of NPS calculation, its significance, and the role of innovative solutions like those offered by HappyOrNot underscores the importance of measuring and improving customer loyalty and satisfaction. By leveraging NPS or other customer satisfaction indexes as a critical metric, businesses can gain valuable insights into customer relationships, driving improvements that lead to sustained growth and success. 


Frequently asked questions 

What is NPS? 

NPS (Net Promoter Score) measures customer loyalty by asking about their likelihood of recommending your company. Score: -100 to 100. Higher is better. 

How is NPS calculated? 

NPS = % Promoters (score 9-10) – % Detractors (score 0-6). Passives (score 7-8) are neutral. 

Why is NPS important? 

NPS directly links to customer retention & growth. It helps prioritize improvement efforts. 

How can HappyOrNot help with NPS? 

HappyOrNot offers user-friendly tools to collect & analyze NPS data quickly, providing valuable insights. 

What is a good NPS score? 

Above 0 is positive, above 50 is excellent, and above 70 is world-class. 

 

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  • Customer experience

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