An NPS score (Net Promoter Score) measures how likely your customers are to recommend you, from one question answered on a scale of 0 to 10. To calculate it, subtract the percentage of detractors (scores of 0 to 6) from the percentage of promoters (scores of 9 and 10). The result is a number from -100 to +100.
Example: 100 customers answer. 50 give a 9 or 10, 30 give a 7 or 8, and 20 give 6 or less. Your NPS is 50 - 20 = +30.
What is an NPS score?
Net Promoter Score was introduced by Fred Reichheld of Bain & Company in a 2003 Harvard Business Review article, as a simple way to measure customer loyalty. The idea: customers who would put their name behind a recommendation are likely to stay, buy more and bring others.
Every NPS survey starts with the same question:
How likely are you to recommend [company] to a friend or colleague?
Customers answer from 0 (not at all likely) to 10 (extremely likely), and fall into three groups:
| Score | Group | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|
| 9 to 10 | Promoters | Happy and loyal, likely to refer others |
| 7 to 8 | Passives | Satisfied but not attached, could switch for a better offer |
| 0 to 6 | Detractors | Unhappy, at risk of leaving and of telling others |
How to calculate NPS
- Count your answers.
- Work out the percentage of promoters (9 and 10).
- Work out the percentage of detractors (0 to 6).
- Subtract: NPS = % promoters - % detractors.
Passives count in the total number of answers, but not in either percentage. That's why moving a customer from 6 to 7 raises your score, while moving one from 7 to 8 doesn't change it.
A worked example with 240 answers:
| Group | Answers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Promoters (9 to 10) | 132 | 55% |
| Passives (7 to 8) | 60 | 25% |
| Detractors (0 to 6) | 48 | 20% |
| NPS | 55 - 20 = +35 |
NPS is written as a whole number, not a percentage: +35, not 35%.
What is a good NPS score?
Any score above 0 means you have more promoters than detractors. As a rough guide, many teams read it like this:
| NPS | How it reads |
|---|---|
| Below 0 | More unhappy customers than fans: fix this first |
| 0 to 30 | Good, with room to grow |
| 30 to 70 | Great |
| Above 70 | Exceptional |
Benchmarks vary a lot by industry, by country and by how you ask, so the most useful comparison is with yourself. A score that rises from +12 to +25 over two quarters says more than any average.
Two habits push NPS up without anything really changing: asking only happy customers, and asking right after a good moment. Ask everyone, on a regular schedule, and compare like with like.
The NPS question and the follow-up
The score tells you where you stand. The follow-up tells you why. After the 0 to 10 question, ask one open question:
- "What's the main reason for your score?"
- "What's one thing we could do better?"
- "What do you value most about working with us?"
Keep it to one or two questions. Every extra question lowers how many people answer.
Relationship NPS vs transactional NPS
- Relationship NPS asks all your customers how they feel about you overall, on a schedule, such as every quarter or twice a year. It tracks loyalty over time.
- Transactional NPS goes out after a specific moment: a support conversation closed, onboarding finished, a project delivered, an invoice paid. It tells you how that moment went.
Small teams often get more from transactional surveys, because each answer points to something specific to fix.
When and how to send an NPS survey
- Timing. Send it once the customer has had time to get value. For a new customer, that's after onboarding, not on day one.
- Channel. Email works for most business customers. A text gets more answers from people who live on their phones.
- One reminder. Send one reminder a day later to those who haven't answered, then stop.
- Frequency. Don't ask the same person more than once every 30 to 90 days.
- Who asks. Send it from a real person's name, and reply to every comment.
What to do with the answers
NPS only helps if someone acts on it:
- Call detractors within two days. Ask what happened and what would fix it. Many unhappy customers stay when someone listens.
- Thank promoters, and ask for a review or a referral while they're happy.
- Tag the reasons in the comments (price, support speed, a missing feature) and count them every month.
- Share the score and the top three reasons with the whole team, not just support.
Calling detractors back is one of the cheapest ways to lower your churn rate.
NPS vs CSAT vs CES
NPS is one of three common customer satisfaction metrics:
| Metric | Question | Scale | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| NPS (Net Promoter Score) | How likely are you to recommend us? | 0 to 10 | Loyalty over time |
| CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score) | How satisfied were you with this interaction? | 1 to 5, or stars | One conversation, delivery or visit |
| CES (Customer Effort Score) | How easy was it to get your issue solved? | 1 to 7 | Support and self-service |
Use NPS to track the relationship, and CSAT or CES to check single moments.
Run NPS surveys in Alori
Most teams run NPS in a separate survey tool, then copy the answers into their CRM by hand. In Alori, the all-in-one app, the survey lives in the same app as your customers, conversations and deals:
- Pick the scale. Stars, faces, thumbs, or the 0 to 10 NPS scale, with your own question.
- Pick the moment. After you close a conversation, after a job is marked done, or after an invoice is paid.
- Text first, or email. One reminder goes out the next day to those who haven't answered, and you choose how long before the same customer is asked again: 7, 30 or 90 days.
- Unhappy answers come back to you. They show up in Conversations, and whoever handled the customer is told, so a detractor gets a call, not a line in a report.
- Happy customers can leave a review, with a link to your Google review page.
Every answer shows in the customer's history, next to their conversations and deals.
Frequently asked questions
How is NPS calculated?
NPS = the percentage of promoters (scores of 9 and 10) minus the percentage of detractors (scores of 0 to 6). Passives (7 and 8) count in the total but not in either group. The result runs from -100 to +100.
What is a good NPS score?
Anything above 0 means more promoters than detractors. Many teams treat 30 and up as great and 70 and up as exceptional, but benchmarks vary widely by industry. Compare your score with your own past results first.
Can an NPS score be negative?
Yes. If more customers give you 0 to 6 than 9 or 10, your NPS is below zero. The lowest possible score is -100, when every answer comes from a detractor.
How often should you send an NPS survey?
Ask each customer no more than once every 30 to 90 days. Send relationship surveys on a fixed schedule, such as every quarter, and transactional surveys after specific moments, like a closed support conversation.
What's the difference between NPS and CSAT?
NPS asks how likely a customer is to recommend you, and measures loyalty to the company. CSAT asks how satisfied they were with one interaction, such as a support conversation. Many teams use both.
Hear from customers before they leave
Send the survey, see the score and call the unhappy customers back, all from one app. Alori is free to start, with no credit card. Build your app now.