NPS — Net Promoter Score — is the most widely used way to measure customer loyalty. It's also one of the most commonly misused. The mechanics take two minutes to learn; the habits around it are what make the number trustworthy. This article covers both.
How NPS works
You ask your customers one question: "How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?" They answer on a scale from 0 to 10. This is the whole survey:
Based on the number, every customer falls into one of three groups:
Detractors (0–6) — unhappy customers. They cancel more often, and some actively warn others away from you.
Passives (7–8) — satisfied, but not excited. They don't count toward your score at all, and they switch to a competitor without a second thought.
Promoters (9–10) — your fans. The people who genuinely recommend you to others.
The score itself is one subtraction: the percentage of promoters minus the percentage of detractors. An example: if 40% of your respondents are promoters and 25% are detractors, your NPS is 40 − 25 = +15.
The result lands somewhere between −100 and +100. Above 0 means you have more fans than critics. Above +50 is excellent in most industries.
One thing surprises everyone at first: a 7 or 8 — a "good" rating by school standards — counts for nothing, and a 6 counts against you. That strictness is on purpose. NPS only counts real enthusiasm.
The follow-up question is where the insight lives
The score tells you where you stand. It never tells you why. So always add one open question right after the scale — like this:
A customer who gives you a 6 and writes "I waited 4 days for a support reply" just handed you something concrete to fix. A thousand scores without comments give you nothing but a number to worry about.
Five habits that keep the number honest
Ask everyone, not just happy customers. If you only survey your most active users, the score comes out flattering — and useless.
Pick a rhythm and stick to it. Twice a year or quarterly works for most businesses. The change between rounds matters more than any single result.
Never change the wording. Even a small rewording means you can't compare this round with the last one.
Avoid charged moments. Sent right after a price increase or a heated support exchange, the survey measures that event — not the relationship. For single moments, use a satisfaction (CSAT) survey instead; see the feedback types article in this collection.
Compare yourself with yourself. Public industry benchmarks vary wildly depending on country and source. Your own trend, round over round, is the most reliable benchmark you have:
And about response rates: 10–30% of invited customers answering is normal. If you're far below that, the problem is usually the invitation (subject line, timing, how it looks on a phone) — not the customers.
What to do with the result
Three groups, three actions:
Detractors: a real person reaches out within a few days. This is the single most valuable activity in any NPS program — a rescued detractor often becomes your most loyal customer.
Passives: read their comments and look for the repeating pattern. They are usually one fix away from becoming promoters.
Promoters: ask them for a public review or a recommendation — now, while the enthusiasm is real.
You can run all of this in Survio with the ready-made NPS template: the 0–10 question, the follow-up question, and results split by group are there out of the box. And if you'd like those three actions to happen automatically, the automation article in this collection shows exactly how.