Strong NPS is the backbone of a thriving customer experience.
Net Promoter Score is a measure of how positively your customers rate you and your products. This metric is predictive of how likely they are to repurchase from you in the future, which makes a good NPS score a strong indicator of future success and growth.
Measuring your NPS is important because it enables you to identify areas for improvement and allows you to track customer sentiment over time. It also allows you to compare your performance to competitors and the industry as a whole. By actively tracking your NPS, you can quickly identify any issues, take corrective action, and ensure that your customers are satisfied. For instance, businesses with an NPS score of 50 or above are twice as likely as those with an NPS score of 0-10 to grow by up to 10% each year.
The NPS Question
Net Promoter Score (NPS) is measured by asking customers if they would recommend your company to a friend or colleague. The traditional Net Promoter Score question is always phrased in the following way:
How likely are you to recommend X Company to a friend or colleague?
1 – 10
Customers who reply with a score of 6 or lower are considered detractors. Customers who reply with a score of 9 or 10 are promoters. Those who answer 7 or 8 are passive. You can then use the NPS formula to calculate your overall score, which results in a number between -100 and +100.
NPS = (% of responses who are promoters) – (% of responses who are detractors)
For example, if you received 100 responses back from a recent NPS survey question, where 40 of them responded as Promoters, 30 were Passives and 30 were Detractors, then your NPS calculation would be 40 minus 30, for a score of 10.
Fred Reichheld dubbed this metric the “one number you need to grow.” His studies show that a high score leads to faster company growth. This is thanks to loyal customers who not only keep buying but also refer new customers. The standard NPS question is more than just a question; it’s based on years of thorough research. So, you can trust and act on the data you collect. This makes the results meaningful and worth your attention.
When to use NPS surveys
Knowing the right time to send out NPS surveys can greatly impact the quality of data you gather and the insights you gain. If you send a survey at the wrong time, you might get misleading or unhelpful results. This can set back your efforts to make your customer experience better. In this part, we’ll look at the two main kinds of NPS surveys—Transactional and Relational. We’ll also talk about the crucial moments in the customer journey when these surveys can be most effective.
Transactional NPS Surveys
What They Are:
Transactional NPS surveys are deployed immediately after a customer has had a specific interaction with your company, such as making a purchase or talking to customer support.
When to Use:
- Post-purchase: Within 24 to 48 hours after purchase
- After customer service interaction: Right after a support ticket is resolved
- Post-onboarding: Once a user has completed the onboarding process
Why They Matter:
Transactional NPS surveys are excellent for understanding the customer’s feelings about a particular transaction. They provide quick, actionable insights that you can use to optimize specific stages of your customer experience strategy, from sales and onboarding to customer support.
Relational NPS Surveys
What They Are:
Relational NPS surveys aim to gauge the overall sentiment a customer has towards your brand, independent of any specific transaction.
When to Use:
- Quarterly or bi-annual check-ins
- After a significant amount of time has passed since the last transaction
- On the anniversary of a customer’s account creation or subscription renewal
Why They Matter:
Relational NPS surveys provide a bird’s-eye view of customer sentiment, capturing trends over time. This allows customer experience professionals to understand long-term customer satisfaction and identify areas for strategic improvement.
Key Touchpoints in the Customer Journey for NPS Measurement
To effectively measure and manage customer experience, it’s critical to identify the key touchpoints in the customer journey where an NPS survey will be most impactful. Here are some critical touchpoints to consider:
- Initial Onboarding: This is an optimal time for a transactional NPS survey to understand the first impressions your service leaves on new customers.
- After a Major Update or New Feature Release: Collecting feedback after you’ve added new features or made significant changes helps assess if you’re moving in the right direction.
- Post-Support Interactions: Understanding the effectiveness of your support team through a quick transactional NPS survey can offer immediate insights into what’s working and what isn’t.
- Subscription Renewal: This is an opportune moment for a relational NPS survey to gauge overall satisfaction before a long-term commitment is made.
- Customer Churn: An NPS survey when a customer leaves can tell you why they’re going. This is crucial for enhancing your customer retention strategies, which can lower churn and boost loyalty.
Identifying the appropriate timing for each type of NPS survey ensures that you’re collecting relevant and timely data. The result is a continuous refinement of your customer experience strategies, allowing you to take more targeted actions.
Designing your NPS survey
Crafting an effective NPS survey involves more than knowing when to send it. Design elements—questions, length, language, and customization for specific customer segments-play crucial roles in obtaining valuable data. Poorly designed surveys can lead to low response rates and inaccurate insights. We’ll take a closer look at these design aspects that customer experience professionals should take into account when conducting an NPS survey.
Questions to Include
The NPS Question
The core of any NPS survey is the NPS question itself: “On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend [Your Company/Service/Product] to a friend or colleague?” This should always be the starting point of your survey.
Follow-up Questions
While the NPS question provides the score, it doesn’t give context. Including 1-2 follow-up questions can be helpful in understanding the reasons behind the score. Some common follow-up questions include:
- “What is the primary reason for your score?”
- “What could we do to improve your experience?”
- “Is there anything specific you’d like to highlight about your experience?”
Length of the Survey
The length of your NPS survey should be short enough to encourage completion but long enough to gather meaningful data. For transactional NPS surveys, stick to the core NPS question and one or two follow-up questions. Relational NPS surveys can afford to be slightly longer, but it’s best to keep them under 5 questions to ensure high response rates.
Language and Tone
Your survey should reflect the tone that aligns with your brand and resonates with your customers. If your brand voice is casual, use conversational language. If you serve a more corporate or formal customer base, stick to a professional tone. Regardless, the language should be clear, concise, and free of jargon to make it accessible to everyone.
Customizing NPS score questions for Different Customer Segments
By Customer Lifecycle Stage
Customers at different stages of their journey with your brand may have different perspectives. Consider modifying the survey to cater to new users, long-term customers, or those who have recently interacted with customer support.
By Product or Service Line
If your company offers multiple products or services, customizing your NPS surveys to address experiences related to each can yield more targeted insights.
By Geography or Demographics
Localization isn’t just about language; it’s also about cultural norms and expectations. If you serve a global customer base, adapting your surveys to fit different cultural expectations can be beneficial.
By B2B Client Hierarchy
If you’re a B2B organization, you may find it valuable to customize surveys based on the respondent’s position in the client organization. A decision-maker may have different feedback than an end-user, and both are valuable in their own right.
Designing your NPS survey with these factors in mind will help ensure that the data you collect is both accurate and actionable. The end goal is to provide customer experience professionals like yourself with the insights needed to continuously improve your customer relations and, by extension, your NPS scores.
When you might use a different NPS question
Even with Reichheld designing the one true NPS survey question, there are as many net promoter score question examples as there are customer support influencers online. Everyone has a different opinion on how to survey customers.
Why the Default Question Doesn’t Always Work
The standard NPS question assumes that customers have the freedom to recommend your service or product to others. This may not hold true in certain industries or scenarios:
Sometimes, the traditional NPS survey questions don’t make sense to use. For example, when working in an industry where customers are required to use a service, they may not have a chance to recommend the company to their friends or family. Or, as the funny tweet illustrates with a funny NPS survey example below, most of us don’t talk to our friends and family about our work tools. 
Tailoring NPS Questions for Specific Use Cases
If you find that the traditional NPS question doesn’t resonate with your customer base, it’s time to adapt. Customized NPS questions can gather the same core information—customer satisfaction and loyalty—but in a manner that is more relevant to your specific context.
For example, in a B2B setting, you might ask: “On a scale of 0-10, how satisfied are you with the ROI our product provides?” For mandatory services, you might consider: “On a scale of 0-10, how satisfied are you with the service quality you received today?”
By tailoring your NPS questions, you’re more likely to obtain actionable feedback that accurately reflects your customers’ experiences, allowing you to make data-driven decisions aimed at improving customer satisfaction.
29 Ready-to-Use NPS Survey Questions Templates
Creating effective NPS survey questions involves selecting the right template for your needs. Below are 28 ready-to-use templates specifically designed for various touchpoints in the customer journey. These NPS question examples can be easily integrated into your NPS software and customized to fit your branding and specific requirements.
The default Net Promoter Score template
- How likely is it that you would recommend X Company to a friend or colleague?
- Follow-up question: What could we improve?
Post-Purchase Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our product to a friend or colleague?
- Follow-up question:
- What is the main reason for your score?
- How was your checkout experience?
Product Onboarding Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how easy was it to get started with our product?
- Follow-up question: What could make the onboarding process better?
Customer Service Interaction Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how would you rate your recent customer service experience?
- Follow-up question:
- What did we do well?
- What can we improve upon?
Quarterly Relationship Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?
- Follow-up question:
- What do you like most about our products or services?
- What areas do you think we could improve in?
Event Feedback Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our event to a friend or colleague?
- Follow-up question:
- What was the highlight of the event for you?
- What could make our future events more valuable for you?
B2B Client Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how satisfied are you with our partnership?
- Follow-up question:
- What do you consider the strongest aspect of our business relationship?
- How could we serve you better moving forward?
Subscription Renewal Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to renew your subscription?
- Follow-up question:
- What benefits have you gained from your subscription?
- What could make you consider not renewing?
Feature Update Feedback Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how would you rate our recent feature update?
- Follow-up question:
- What do you like about the new features?
- Are there any issues or suggestions you have regarding the update?
Exit Survey for Churning Customers template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to return to our service in the future?
- Follow-up question:
- What made you decide to leave?
- What could we have done differently to keep you as a customer?
Software Update Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how satisfied are you with our recent software update?
- Follow-up question: What could have been done better in the update?
Training Session Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how valuable was the training session?
- Follow-up question:
- What was the most useful part of the training?
- What could make our training sessions better?
Customer Retention Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to continue using our services?
- Follow-up question: What is the primary reason for your score, and what could we do to improve your experience with our services?
Customer Referral Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to refer our services to others?
- Follow-up question: What would make you more likely to refer to us?
Annual Feedback Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how satisfied are you with our services over the past year?
- Follow-up question:
- What was the highlight of your experience with us this year?
- What could we improve in the coming year?
Pre-Sale Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how satisfied are you with your pre-sales experience?
- Follow-up question:
- What convinced you to consider purchasing from us?
- Is there anything that almost deterred you from purchasing?
Billing Experience Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how easy was it to understand your bill?
- Follow-up question: What could make the billing process smoother?
Online Community Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how valuable do you find our online community forums?
- Follow-up question:
- What do you gain from participating in the community?
- What could make our forums more engaging?
Educational Content Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how useful do you find our educational content (blogs, webinars, eBooks)?
- Follow-up question: What topics would you like us to cover more?
Mobile App Experience Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how would you rate your experience with our mobile app?
- Follow-up question:
- What features do you use the most?
- What could improve your mobile app experience?
Customer Onboarding Follow-Up Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how supported did you feel during the onboarding process?
- Follow-up question:
- What resources were most helpful?
- What additional support could we have provided?
Post-Trial Period Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how satisfied were you with your trial experience?
- Follow-up question:
- What convinced you to either subscribe or not subscribe?
- What features would you like to see added or improved?
Product Usability Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how easy is our product to use?
- Follow-up question:
- What aspects of the product are most intuitive?
- What usability issues have you encountered?
Partner Feedback Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend us as a partner?
- Follow-up question: What could make our partnership stronger?
Project Completion Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how satisfied are you with the completion of the recent project?
- Follow-up question: What could have been done differently?
Beta Testing Feedback Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how satisfied are you with the beta version of our product?
- Follow-up question:
- What did you like about the beta?
- What issues or concerns do you have?
Remote Support Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how would you rate your remote support experience?
- Follow-up question:
- What did the support team do well remotely?
- What could improve your remote support experience?
Webinar Attendee Survey template
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how would you rate our recent webinar?
- Follow-up question:
- What did you find most valuable about the webinar?
- What topics would you like us to cover in future webinars?
Employee NPS Survey template
- On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend [company name] as a place to work?
- What could we improve?
With these NPS survey examples, you’ll be set to collect feedback at all important customer touchpoints. This enables you to make data-driven decisions to enhance the customer experience.
Tips for Effective Survey Distribution
Once you have your NPS survey designed, the next crucial step is distribution. The medium through which you deliver the survey can significantly impact response rates and the quality of data you collect. Below are some distribution methods and best practices tailored for customer experience professionals.
Email Surveys
Best for: Transactional and relational NPS surveys
Tip: Use personalized subject lines and introduce the survey with a short explanation to encourage responses.
In-app Surveys
Best for: Website experience and feature update feedback
Tip: Position the survey non-intrusively within the user interface to encourage real-time feedback without disrupting the user experience.
Best Practices for Increasing Response Rates
- Use reminders sparingly: One or two follow-up reminders are generally enough.
- Offer incentives: A small discount or entry into a giveaway can boost response rates.
- Time it right: Distribute transactional surveys promptly after the transaction, while relational surveys should be timed to avoid busy periods or holidays.
By selecting the appropriate template and distribution method, you can increase both the quality and quantity of the feedback you receive. This, in turn, offers more actionable insights for continuous improvement in customer experience.
Conclusion
In conclusion, knowing how your customers feel is a must-have in today’s competitive world. Our detailed list of 29 NPS Survey Question Examples is here to help. Paired with advice on when and how to send them, this guide offers a complete toolkit for getting insights you can act on.
But remember, a successful NPS strategy goes beyond just asking the right questions. Acting on the feedback you get is crucial. Tailoring your NPS questions to your specific industry and needs can make the data even more useful.
So, go ahead and try out these templates and tips. They’ll help you fine-tune your approach to keeping customers happy and loyal.
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