Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a customer loyalty metric built around one standard question: how likely someone is to recommend you on a 0–10 scale. Responses are grouped into promoters (9–10), passives (7–8), and detractors (0–6), and the score is calculated as %promoters minus %detractors.
The standard NPS question asks how likely a customer is to recommend your product or service to a friend or colleague on a 0–10 scale.
“How likely are you to recommend [Company/Product] to a friend or colleague?” (0–10)
Labels: 0 = Not at all likely, 10 = Extremely likely
NPS categorizes 0–6 as detractors, 7–8 as passives, and 9–10 as promoters.
| Group | Score range | How to interpret |
|---|---|---|
| Detractors | 0–6 | Unhappy or at-risk; can discourage others. |
| Passives | 7–8 | Satisfied but not loyal/enthusiastic; can switch. |
| Promoters | 9–10 | Loyal enthusiasts; more likely to recommend. |
NPS is calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters: NPS = %promoters − %detractors.
Example: 200 responses, 80 promoters (40%), 60 detractors (30%) → NPS = 40 − 30 = 10.
Promoters = 80 / 200 = 40%
Detractors = 60 / 200 = 30%
NPS = 40% − 30% = 10
Note: NPS ranges from -100 to +100 when expressed as a whole number.
The best NPS surveys are short: the rating question plus a single follow-up that explains the score is a common best practice. Use branching follow-ups so promoters, passives, and detractors each get a question that makes sense for them.
Q1 (NPS): “How likely are you to recommend [Company/Product] to a friend or colleague?” (0–10)
Q2 (Open text): “What’s the main reason for your score?”
VividSurvey lets you set up branching logic so promoters, passives, and detractors each get the right follow-up question—no manual segmentation needed.
Promoter follow-ups are about identifying what to preserve and amplify (value moments), and optionally inviting advocacy.
“What do you like most about [Product]?”
“Which feature or part of the experience is most valuable to you?”
“What almost stopped you from becoming a fan?”
“If you had to describe us in one sentence, what would you say?”
Optional: “Would you be willing to leave a review?” (Yes/No)
Optional: “Who else should try us?” (Open text)
Promoter micro‑surveys (1 question)
“What’s one thing we should never change?”
“What’s the #1 reason you’d recommend us?”
“Which competitor did you choose us over, and why?”
Passives are satisfied but not enthusiastic, so the follow-up should aim to uncover what’s missing to become a promoter.
“What could we do better to earn a 9 or 10?”
“What’s the main thing holding you back from recommending us?”
“What feature or improvement would make the biggest difference?”
“Where do we fall short compared to your ideal solution?”
“How well does our pricing match the value you receive?” (Too high / Fair / Great value)
Detractors are unhappy customers and often represent churn risk; a good program uses follow-ups to find the failure point and trigger recovery.
“What happened that led to this score?”
“Which of these best describes the issue?” (Quality / Speed / Support / Pricing / Bug / Policy / Other)
“How can we make this right?”
“Did you contact support?” (Yes/No) → If yes: “How was it handled?”
Optional: “Can we follow up to resolve this?” (Yes/No + email/phone)
Detractor diagnosis (fast)
“Which step was most frustrating?” (Onboarding / Checkout / Delivery / Using the product / Support / Other)
“Was the issue resolved?” (Yes/Partially/No)
“What would have prevented the issue?”
Keeping the NPS question itself standard helps comparability, but adding context in the follow-up can make responses more actionable.
SaaS
“What’s the main job you use [Product] for, and how well does it do it?”
“What’s missing that would make you recommend us more confidently?”
“Which competitor would you choose instead, and why?”
Ecommerce
“What part of your order experience most influenced your score?” (Product / Delivery / Packaging / Support / Returns)
“Did the product match expectations?” (Below / Met / Exceeded)
“What would make you recommend us next time?”
Services / Agencies
“How confident are you in our team after this engagement?” (Low → High)
“What would improve communication or delivery?”
“What’s one thing we should do differently in the next project?”
Marketplace / Two-sided
“Were you rating the product, the seller/provider, or the platform?” (Product / Provider / Platform)
“What should the platform improve to earn a higher score?”
“What nearly made you leave the platform?”
NPS is most valuable as part of a VoC system where low scores trigger follow-up and systemic fixes.
“Can we contact you to learn more?” (Yes/No)
“What’s the best way to reach you?” (Email/Phone)
“What outcome would you consider a successful resolution?”
NPS is easy to run and easy to misunderstand. It works best when treated as a trend metric and paired with follow-up questions that reveal drivers.
A follow-up question helps you identify what to fix and what to preserve, rather than guessing from the score.
Track NPS by key cohorts (new vs established customers, plan tier, region, product line) so you don’t hide problems in the average.
NPS indicates relationship strength, but CSAT/CES often diagnose specific touchpoints like support, delivery, and refunds.
Detractors can represent high churn risk and negative word of mouth, so follow-up and recovery are critical.