What NPS is
NPS stands for Net Promoter Score, a metric created by Fred Reichheld and the consulting firm Bain & Company in the early 2000s. It's built on a single question:
The idea is simple: someone who recommends you puts their own reputation on the line, so it's a better signal of loyalty than asking whether they were "satisfied".
Promoters, passives and detractors
| Answer | Group | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 9 or 10 | Promoters | They come back and recommend you |
| 7 or 8 | Passives | They're happy, but would switch to a competitor for little |
| 0 to 6 | Detractors | They had a bad experience and may speak badly of you |
Note: a 6 isn't a "passing" grade in NPS. On this scale, everything from 0 to 6 counts as a detractor.
How to calculate NPS: formula and example
Passives are neither added nor subtracted, but they do count toward the total number of responses. An example with 200 responses:
| Group | Responses | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Promoters (9-10) | 120 | 60% |
| Passives (7-8) | 50 | 25% |
| Detractors (0-6) | 30 | 15% |
| Total | 200 | 100% |
NPS = 60 − 15 = 45. It's written without a percent sign: NPS is a number from -100 (all detractors) to 100 (all promoters).
NPS calculator
Enter how many responses you got in each group.
Enter your responses to see the result.
What's a good NPS?
It varies a lot by industry and country, so the most useful comparison is with yourself, month over month. As a general reference:
- Below 0: you have more detractors than promoters. There's a problem to address now.
- 0 to 30: more happy customers than unhappy ones, with plenty of room to improve.
- 30 to 70: a good result for most businesses.
- Above 70: excellent; your customers are your best advertising.
More important than the number is the trend, and what you do with each detractor.
Questions to pair with NPS
The number tells you how much, not why. Add one or two questions after it:
- "What's the main reason for your score?" (open text)
- "What did you like most?" with options: service, speed, quality, price.
- "What should we improve first?" (open text, optional)
For complete surveys by industry, see the customer satisfaction survey guide.
NPS vs. CSAT
| NPS | CSAT | |
|---|---|---|
| Question | Would you recommend us? (0 to 10) | How satisfied were you? (usually 1 to 5) |
| Measures | Long-term loyalty | Satisfaction with one specific experience |
| Calculation | % promoters − % detractors | % of 4 or 5 answers |
| Use it for | Your main monthly number | Specific parts: food, service, delivery |
Common NPS mistakes
- Averaging the answers. NPS isn't an average: it's the difference between two percentages.
- Only asking happy customers. The number comes out inflated and useless.
- Measuring it once a year. To act in time you need it weekly or monthly.
- Doing nothing with detractors. Each one is a customer you can win back if you reach out soon.
How SnapRate does it
In SnapRate the 0 to 10 recommendation question is just another question type in your survey. The dashboard calculates daily NPS and the CSAT of your star-rating questions, shows them as a trend and compares them month over month, by location or any other dimension you measure. If someone answers as a detractor, you can get a WhatsApp alert right then to reach out.
More on customer experience measurement.
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Frequently asked questions
By subtracting the percentage of detractors (answers 0 to 6) from the percentage of promoters (answers 9 and 10). For example, 60% promoters minus 15% detractors gives an NPS of 45.