If you feel that you don’t have the time or resources for in-depth surveys with numerous questions, you could use the Net Promoter Score (NPS) instead.
The NPS is based on the idea that the answer to a single question will give you all the information you need to determine how satisfied your customer are.
The question? “How likely are you to recommend [your company] to a friend or colleague?”
The Net Promoter System divides every company’s customers into three categories: promoters, passives, and detractors. With the 0-10 point rating scale, customers are categorized as such:
- Promoter customers
- Passive customers
- Detractor customers
(Read more about the Net Promoter Score here.)
The Net Promoter Score is calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractor customers from the percentage of promoter customers. The higher the NPS, the better you’re doing.
Your NPS can be as low as −100, which would occur if every customer who responded to your survey was a detractor, or as high as +100, which would occur if everyone who answered the question rated you a 9 or 10 on the scale. Any positive NPS is considered good and a net promoter score of +50 is considered exceptional.
Essentially, the net promoter score measures the loyalty that your consumer has for your business.
And don’t forget – once you have the data telling you whether or not your customers are satisfied, don’t forget to follow up. Offer them a coupon for completing the survey. Take actions that show you take their feedback seriously and are trying to fix the things that they believe need fixing. Give them the feeling that their opinions and suggestions are valued.
