Guide
What is a good NPS score?
Any NPS above zero means you have more promoters than detractors. Above 30 is generally seen as good, above 50 as excellent and above 70 as exceptional. But the number that matters most is your own score next quarter.
The short answer
Net Promoter Score runs from −100 to +100. These rules of thumb are widely used:
| NPS | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Below 0 | More detractors than promoters. Fixing the causes of unhappiness comes first. |
| 0 to 30 | Positive. More fans than critics, with plenty of room to grow. |
| 30 to 50 | Good. Most companies would be happy here. |
| 50 to 70 | Excellent. Customers are actively recommending you. |
| Above 70 | Exceptional, and rare. |
Not sure what your score is? Use the free NPS calculator.
Why industry benchmarks mislead
Published NPS benchmarks vary widely between sources, because they survey different companies, at different moments, in different ways. A few things move the score more than the quality of your product:
- Who you ask. Surveying only active, long-term customers gives a higher score than surveying everyone, including people who barely use you.
- When you ask. Right after a great support call, scores are higher than in a random email three months later.
- How you ask. In-app, email and phone surveys produce different scores for the same customers.
- Who answers. Low response rates tend to over-represent people with strong feelings, in either direction.
So a competitor’s published +60 is rarely comparable to your +35.
What to compare your NPS against
- Yourself, over time. Ask the same question, the same way, to the same kind of customer, and watch the trend month to month or quarter to quarter.
- Segments. Compare plans, regions, customer age or support team. The gaps tell you where to look.
- Before and after a change. A new onboarding flow or pricing change should show up in the score of the people who experienced it.
Five ways to improve your NPS
- Follow up with every detractor. A personal reply to a 3/10 often turns a critic around, and tells you exactly what went wrong. Route low scores to a person, not a dashboard.
- Ask “why?” One open question after the score is where the useful information is. Group the answers into themes and fix the most common ones first.
- Talk to passives. 7s and 8s are close to becoming promoters. Ask them what would make it a 10.
- Put promoters to work. Ask people who score 9 or 10 for a review or a testimonial while they are happy.
- Close the loop publicly. Tell customers what you changed because of their feedback. It makes the next survey worth answering.
How Rirofeed helps
Rirofeed calculates your NPS, the promoter, passive and detractor split and a 30-day trend on every NPS form. Written answers get a sentiment and keyword themes, detractor scores can alert Slack or open a RiroCRM ticket, and every score lands on the contact in your CRM. See NPS surveys.
Is an NPS of 20 good?
It is positive: you have more promoters than detractors. Whether it is good for you depends on your trend and who you surveyed. Focus on moving it up from here.
Is an NPS of 50 good?
Yes. An NPS of 50 is generally seen as excellent.
What is the highest possible NPS?
+100, which would mean every respondent scored 9 or 10. In practice, very few companies score above 70.
How often should I measure NPS?
Relationship NPS is usually measured once or twice a year per customer, or quarterly across your customer base. Transactional NPS can follow specific moments, like onboarding or support.
Find out how customers really feel.
Start free with ready-made NPS, CSAT and testimonial forms. Upgrade when you’re ready.