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Also known as: NPS
A loyalty metric derived from customers’ likelihood to recommend, categorizing respondents as promoters, passives, or detractors.
DESCRIPTION
Net Promoter Score measures customer loyalty by asking how likely customers are to recommend a product or company. Respondents are grouped into promoters, passives, and detractors; the score equals promoters minus detractors. NPS correlates with growth in some contexts and guides customer experience programs. It is often paired with open-ended feedback for diagnostics. Critics note sampling bias and overreliance on a single metric. Best practice triangulates NPS with behavioral metrics and retention. NPS programs require robust survey design, timing, and non-response management.
ALTERNATIVE DEFINITIONS
Wikipedia
Net promoter or net promoter score (NPS) is a management tool that can be used to gauge the loyalty of a firm’s customer relationships.
Frames NPS as a management tool for loyalty measurement.
Bain & Company
NPS measures customer loyalty and the strength of relationships by asking customers how likely they are to recommend your company to a friend or colleague.
Highlights the single recommendation question as the core of NPS.
NICE Satmetrix
Net Promoter Score, or NPS, measures customer experience and predicts business growth.
Positions NPS as predictive of growth and core to CX programs.
Qualtrics
Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a metric that measures customer loyalty by asking one simple question: How likely are you to recommend us?
Emphasizes simplicity and the single-question approach.
RELATED TERMS
Customer Satisfaction Customer Experience Retention Rate Churn Rate CSAT Voice of Customer Survey Methodology Loyalty Sampling Bias
COMPETING TERMS
Customer Satisfaction Score Customer Effort Score
RELATIONS
- Broader: Score
KNOWLEDGE AREAS
Data Products Data Visualization Domain & Business Context Data Science
TARGET AUDIENCE
AI Product Manager Business Analyst BI Specialist Data Analyst Chief Data Officer
EXTERNAL SOURCES
- Wikipedia - Net Promoter
- Bain & Company - Originators’ NPS resources
- NICE Satmetrix - NPS knowledge hub
- Qualtrics - NPS explanation and guidance
TOP QUESTIONS
How is Net Promoter Score calculated?
Subtract the percentage of detractors (0–6) from the percentage of promoters (9–10). Passives (7–8) are excluded from the score.
Category: Basics
What question defines Net Promoter Score?
“How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?” on a 0–10 scale is the canonical NPS question.
Category: Definition
What are common criticisms of Net Promoter Score?
Critics cite sampling bias, cultural differences in scoring, and overreliance on a single metric without behavioral validation.
Category: Opinion
How should Net Promoter Score be used with retention metrics?
Triangulate NPS with churn, repeat purchase, and usage to validate whether attitudinal loyalty translates into behavior.
Category: BestPractice
What is a mistake to avoid with Net Promoter Score?
Treating NPS in isolation and ignoring open-ended feedback can lead to superficial insights and misdirected actions.
Category: Mistakes
Why is Net Promoter Score still relevant?
Its simplicity aids program adoption, and when combined with verbatims, it guides CX improvements effectively.
Category: Relevancy
How often should I run Net Promoter Score surveys?
Use transactional NPS after key interactions and periodic relational NPS to track overall sentiment, avoiding survey fatigue.
Category: Management
What are alternatives to Net Promoter Score?
Customer Satisfaction Score and Customer Effort Score are common alternatives, often used together for a broader view.
Category: Alternatives
What sampling considerations apply to Net Promoter Score?
Ensure representative samples, control for channel bias, and monitor response rates to avoid skewed results.
Category: Requirements