Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a customer loyalty metric that measures the likelihood of customers recommending a product, service, or organisation to others, calculated by subtracting the percentage of Detractors (scores 0-6) from the percentage of Promoters (scores 9-10) on a 0-10 scale.
What NPS Measures
NPS was introduced by Fred Reichheld in a 2003 Harvard Business Review article and has become one of the most widely used metrics in customer experience research. It measures customer loyalty - specifically the willingness to recommend, which Reichheld argued was the single most reliable predictor of growth.
NPS is used across CX programmes, EX surveys, product feedback cycles, and brand tracking studies. It is deployed as a relationship survey (periodic, unprompted) or a transactional survey (triggered after a specific interaction). The distinction significantly affects how NPS scores should be interpreted and benchmarked.
The NPS Question
The standard NPS question is: "On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend [company/product/service] to a friend or colleague?"
The question must use a 0-10 scale with 0 labelled "Not at all likely" and 10 labelled "Extremely likely." Deviating from this wording or scale produces scores that cannot be benchmarked against industry NPS data. The follow-up open-text question - asking why the respondent gave that score - is optional but essential for actionable insight.
Calculating NPS
Respondents are categorised into three groups based on their score:
- Promoters (9-10) - loyal enthusiasts likely to recommend
- Passives (7-8) - satisfied but unenthusiastic, vulnerable to competitor offers
- Detractors (0-6) - unhappy customers who may actively discourage others
NPS = % Promoters minus % Detractors. The result ranges from -100 to +100. An NPS above 0 is acceptable, above 50 is excellent, and above 70 is world-class.
NPS in Survey Platforms
Most professional survey platforms have a dedicated NPS question type. In Qualtrics, the NPS question type applies the correct scale labelling and integrates with dashboard widgets for live score tracking. In QuestionPro and SurveyMonkey, NPS is also a native question type with built-in analytics.
When converting an NPS survey document using Pirai AI, the NPS question is identified automatically and mapped to the platform's native NPS question type, preserving the correct scale and standard wording.
Frequently Asked Questions
NPS benchmarks vary significantly by industry. Above 0 is generally acceptable, above 50 is excellent, and above 70 is world-class. Always compare NPS scores within the same industry and methodology rather than against global averages.
Relationship NPS surveys are typically sent quarterly or bi-annually. Transactional NPS surveys are triggered after specific events. Sending NPS surveys too frequently leads to survey fatigue and declining response rates.
NPS must use a 0-10 scale. Using a 1-10 scale changes the structure and produces scores that cannot be benchmarked against standard NPS data.
Yes. Upload your NPS survey document to Pirai AI and select any supported platform. Pirai AI maps the NPS question to the platform's native NPS question type where available.
Deploy Your Survey to 27+ Platforms
Convert Word, PDF, and Excel survey instruments to Qualtrics, REDCap, SurveyMonkey, and more. No manual programming required.
Start Converting Free