Net Promoter Score (NPS)
The One Number You Need to Grow Your Business
Based on the groundbreaking Harvard Business Review research
What is Net Promoter Score?
Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a revolutionary customer loyalty metric that measures how likely your customers are to recommend your business to others. It's based on a single, powerful question:
"How likely is it that you would recommend our company to a friend or colleague?"
This simple question reveals profound insights about customer loyalty because when customers recommend you, they're putting their own reputation on the line.
How NPS Works
1. The Rating Scale
Customers rate their likelihood to recommend on a scale from 0 to 10:
2. Customer Categories
Loyal enthusiasts who will keep buying and refer others, fueling growth.
Satisfied but unenthusiastic customers who are vulnerable to competitive offerings.
Unhappy customers who can damage your brand through negative word-of-mouth.
3. Calculating Your NPS
NPS scores range from -100 to +100
Why NPS Matters for Your Business
🎯 Direct Growth Correlation
Harvard Business Review research shows NPS directly correlates with company growth. Businesses with high NPS scores consistently outgrow their competitors.
📊 Simple Yet Powerful
Unlike complex customer satisfaction surveys, NPS provides a clear, actionable metric that everyone in your organization can understand and work toward improving.
💰 Cost-Effective Growth
Promoters provide free marketing through word-of-mouth recommendations, reducing your customer acquisition costs while driving organic growth.
🔍 Early Warning System
Detractors alert you to problems before they spread, giving you the opportunity to address issues and prevent negative word-of-mouth.
NPS Benchmarks
How to Use NPS in Your Business
1. Regular Measurement
Survey customers regularly to track trends and identify patterns. Monitor NPS across different customer segments, product lines, or time periods.
2. Follow-Up Questions
Ask follow-up questions to understand the "why" behind the score. What drove promoters to rate you highly? What concerns do detractors have?
3. Close the Loop
Respond to feedback, especially from detractors. Address their concerns and show that you value their input. This can often convert detractors into promoters.
4. Make It Actionable
Share NPS results throughout your organization. Tie employee incentives to NPS improvement and use scores to guide strategic decisions.
Start Measuring Your NPS Today
Create NPS surveys in minutes with PollQR's easy-to-use platform
About the Research
This page is based on the seminal Harvard Business Review article "The One Number You Need to Grow" by Fred Reichheld, published in December 2003. The research revolutionized how businesses think about customer loyalty and introduced the Net Promoter Score methodology that thousands of companies now use worldwide.
The original research analyzed survey responses from 4,000 customers across multiple industries to identify which customer loyalty metrics best predicted business growth.