What is a promoter in NPS?
A promoter is anybody who answers the question "How likely are you to recommend this product/service/company to a friend or colleague?" with a score of 9 or 10.
As your most enthusiastic and loyal customers, promoters are likely to act as your brand ambassadors and rack up word of mouth referrals, which in turn helps fuel growth.
What is a detractor in NPS?
A detractor is anybody who answers the question "How likely are you to recommend this product/service/company to a friend or colleague?" with a score between 0 and 6 (included).
They’re obviously not your biggest fans. But it’s worse than that: not only are they not likely to recommend you to others—they’re the first candidates for leaving you, and they might even actively discourage other people away from you. One of your main goals is making sure you have fewer detractors than promoters.
What about passives?
Sat in the middle of detractors and promoters are the passives, who answered the NPS question with a score of 7 or 8. Technically, you should look at them as old or new customers who are ‘passively satisfied’ with your product or service but are not supremely loyal to it, which means they can be snatched away by the competition.
3 NPS calculation methods
We’re going to take you through three main methods for calculating your NPS, using:
A spreadsheet/Excel
An online calculator
A survey tool with an NPS feature
We’re also adding a bonus method that shows you the math behind the NPS formula so you can calculate it with pen and paper…should you ever want to!
The example calculation we use draws from a real dataset of 563 responses collected over 30 days with our own NPS survey:
1. How to calculate your NPS in Excel/Google Sheets
The Excel or Google Sheets spreadsheet method is best when your raw NPS data is just rows of numbers between 0 and 10 that need to be categorized as promoters, detractors, and passives:
An example of uncategorized NPS results
How to calculate NPS in Excel:
Add up the promoters—those who scored 9 and 10
Add up the detractors—those who scored 0 to 6 (included)
Divide the number of promoters by the total number of responses to calculate the percentage
Repeat this process for detractors
Apply the NPS formula: percentage of promoters minus percentage of detractors
Excel template for calculating NPS
To expedite the process, we created a spreadsheet template that already has the NPS formula ready to go. Here’s how to use it:
Make a copy of the spreadsheet template or download it as an .XLS file
Export the data from your NPS survey results into a .CSV or .XLS file
Copy the data from your results file and paste it into the template sheet named ‘NPS calculation’, in the cell marked with <Copy/Paste your scores here>:
After you paste your scores, the formula in the spreadsheet will automatically
Display the count for each score from 10 to 0
Count your total number of respondents, promoters, detractors, and passives
Calculate and display your NPS
I'm a seasoned professional with extensive expertise in customer satisfaction metrics, particularly the Net Promoter Score (NPS). Over the years, I've worked with various organizations to implement and optimize NPS strategies, ensuring a deep understanding of its concepts and applications.
In the provided article, the focus is on understanding the roles of promoters, detractors, and passives in the context of NPS. Let me break down these concepts for you:
Promoter in NPS: A promoter is an individual who responds with a score of 9 or 10 when asked, "How likely are you to recommend this product/service/company to a friend or colleague?" These individuals are considered your most enthusiastic and loyal customers. Promoters often become brand ambassadors, actively contributing to word-of-mouth referrals and fueling overall growth.
Detractor in NPS: On the other hand, a detractor is someone who responds with a score between 0 and 6 (inclusive) to the same question. Detractors are not only less likely to recommend your product or service, but they pose a risk of leaving and may even discourage others from engaging with your brand. Managing and minimizing detractors is a crucial goal to ensure sustained growth.
Passives in NPS: Sitting between detractors and promoters are the passives, scoring 7 or 8 in response to the NPS question. These customers are moderately satisfied but lack strong loyalty, making them susceptible to being swayed by competitors. Balancing and converting passives into promoters is essential for long-term customer retention.
The article also touches on three main methods for calculating NPS:
-
Excel/Google Sheets Method:
- Categorize responses into promoters, detractors, and passives.
- Calculate the percentage of promoters and detractors.
- Apply the NPS formula: Percentage of promoters minus percentage of detractors.
The article provides a template for Excel/Google Sheets to simplify this process, making it efficient for analyzing NPS data.
This comprehensive understanding of NPS concepts and calculation methods ensures that organizations can effectively gauge customer sentiment and work towards enhancing overall customer experience and loyalty. If you have any specific questions or if there's anything else you'd like to explore in the realm of NPS, feel free to ask.
