Net Promoter Score surveys are one of the best ways to gauge customer loyalty and NPS is a straightforward and important metric that can help you propel your business while also learning what you can do to improve your long-term growth. The Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey helps you understand how much your customer values your business because it answers the question, “Are you going to recommend our company to others? And why?”
Sending an NPS survey provides you with the feedback you need to understand where you stand with your customers and how you can improve. As with any KPI you measure, NPS comes with its own set of best practices. In this article, we look at eight of our suggested NPS survey best practices so you can use your score to move your business forward.
#1: Don’t Batch and Blast
You want to plan your NPS survey sends. Sending in one big batch isn’t the best idea because it doesn’t account for your customer’s stage in their relationship with your company.
Consider your NPS surveys like your automated email workflow. Send them at particular stages and according to specific triggers. For example, you might send one after a purchase, two purchases, etc. You’ll experience better insights by sending surveys based on specific triggers and at unique times in your customers’ lifecycle.
#2: Send at the Right Time
You also don’t want to send your surveys too early in your customers’ lifecycle. They need a chance to experience your products or services before they can offer an opinion on your business. If they haven’t spent much time with you, they may not be able to verbalize if and why they might recommend you.
#3: Measure Regularly
To be effective, you want to measure your Net Promoter Score on a regular basis. You might find that the first time you survey your customers isn’t as effective as the second time. Their opinions may have more time to form, and they might even have a chance to change their minds.
We suggest you measure NPS regularly so you can engage customers at different times during their lifecycle with your business.
#4: Use the Feedback
We hope this one is an obvious Net Promoter Score best practice because why measure something if you don’t plan to use the results? The worst thing you can do is measure your Net Promoter Score without sharing and using the feedback. Make sure you take action on the feedback, and that your first step is sharing it with your employees. You want to get buy-in from your employees because they are the front line and providers of the customer service.
Discuss your NPS regularly at team meetings and strategize ways to increase retention and overall company growth. You also want to look at ways to reduce your customer churn rate (the rate at which customers leave your business).
#5: Send Follow-Up Emails
First, you sent your NPS survey to your customers through email. If you followed step one, then you also sent it at the right time—perhaps after a purchase. Once your customers have completed your survey, you want to send them a follow-up email based on their score.
This is a great way to follow-up with your customers and let them know you value their opinions and will use their feedback to improve your business.
By following up, you let them know you appreciate their involvement. It also lets them know you are actively paying attention.
Your follow-up email after the NPS survey can include the following:
- Thank-you note
- Acknowledgment of their score
- If they left a positive score, ask them to leave you a Google review
- Offer them something free—a discount, whitepaper, video or other downloads
Remember that negative comments aren’t something to ignore. Your customers who complain really might be the ones who care because they are looking for something more. If you provide it to them, you might find that their next NPS is higher.
#6: Ditch your Pride
It can be difficult to look at negative NPS comments and know you have to change. Your gut instinct may be to ignore negative comments or disregard them, but that isn’t going to help you better your customer service and relationships. You want to concentrate on how you can improve, not on how you can change your customer’s mind.
#7: Use the NPS as a Tool
Another first instinct is to think of your NPS as market research. It’s not that at all. It’s a tool to use to change the way you do business. It’s something you can use to change your way of operating. Your Net Promoter Score helps you understand and improve your businesses’ operations. It helps you improve the entire customer experience.
Again, you want to involve your entire staff and make sure everyone is on board with improving the customer experience. Help your staff see the importance of your “promoters.” Help them understand what they need to do to keep these customers so they can help your business grow. You also want to help your employees understand your “detractors” and how they can help move them from the negative side to the positive promoter side. Finally, you want your employees to be aware of the NPS survey best practices so that they can help you stay on track.
#8: Improve Employee Engagement
How do you get your employees to buy into improving your Net Promoter Score? The best thing you can do is make sure your employees are engaged and fulfilled in their job. If your employees aren’t engaged, they can’t—and won’t want to—satisfy the needs of your customers.
Consider asking your employees the Net Promoter Score questions. If they are detractors and not promoters, do what you can to improve their experience so they can improve that of your customers.
Final Thoughts on NPS Survey Best Practices
Knowing your Net Promoter Score is important, but what you do with it is what sets your business apart from the competition. The most important NPS best practice is to make sure you act on feedback quickly.
Your business is about more than selling a product or service. It’s about creating happy, long-term customers who are loyal brand ambassadors and who are excited to share your product with their peers. To increase your growth and propel your business, you want to focus on your customers and doing what you can to improve their experiences. If you do this, your NPS will rise naturally.
Ready to get started with your free SurveyTown trial and try your hand at testing these Net Promoter Score best practices? Start with your free account today, and you can upgrade at any time.
Images: Tim Gauw