“How likely is it that you’d recommend our company to a friend or colleague?”
That’s the question—dubbed “The Ultimate Question” by creator Fred Reichheld—at the center of the Net Promoter Score survey. But the truth is a good NPS process is far more than one question; it’s a comprehensive survey that asks about each touchpoint a customer has with your brand.
Here’s how to implement a complete NPS feedback process.
Step 1. Create a Survey Around Customer Touchpoints
Always begin your NPS survey with two core questions:
- How likely is it that you’d recommend [company/product] to a friend or colleague?
- What is the primary reason you gave that score?
Most companies get that right. But then they stop, which is a mistake.
Take the time to map out the key touchpoints customers have with your brand and ask participants how satisfied they are with each of those touchpoints.
Betts’ touchpoints might include a hiring manager’s experience with sales, the interview process, the post-interview follow-up, or the negotiation process. Solicit feedback on each of those with a question like, “On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you with the interview coordination experience with Betts?” You should end up with 5-8 questions like this, bringing the total survey length to 7-10 questions.
Step 2. Follow Up with Respondents
Survey participation is only half the battle. Follow up with all respondents, especially Detractors (those who rate you 0-6) and Promoters (9-10), asking them for more detailed feedback. Doing so lets you diagnose problems on a deeper level and reinforce wins with your successful customers (ask for testimonials at this point).
Once you’ve gathered qualitative and quantitative input, look for major trends and themes. And take the time to see which customer touchpoints most impact your overall NPS. That will help you focus.
Step 3. Communicate Results
Send an email to all respondents (you can also include those who didn’t respond) thanking everyone for their participation. You don’t have to disclose your overall NPS, but explain the bullet points of what you heard—both positive and negative—and what you plan on doing about it. Most customers will forget what you’re planning on doing about the feedback, but they’ll immediately come to see you as a company that values customer feedback. The gesture of the follow-up can itself nudge customer sentiment in a positive direction.
Step 4. Repeat in 4-6 Months
About 4-6 months after your initial survey you’ll have had the chance to implement the changes outlined in Step 3 and be ready to ask for NPS input again. Send another email to your customers explaining what you did, and ask for their participation again. If you responsibly react to customer feedback and communicate what you’ve done you should see an even higher participation rate the second time around.
Written by Michael Stapleton, Vice President of Marketing at AnyPerk
Michael is the VP of Marketing at AnyPerk, where he’s responsible for building brand awareness, shaping go-to-market strategy and driving growth. He deployed his first NPS survey five years ago and has never looked back.