Net Promoter Score (NPS) was introduced by Fred Reichheld in a 2003 Harvard Business Review article and has since become one of the most widely used customer experience metrics in the world. At its core, NPS is simple: ask customers or employees how likely they are to recommend you on a 0–10 scale, subtract the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters, and you have a single number that tracks loyalty over time. Simple to collect, easy to benchmark, and fast to act on — but it has important limitations that any practitioner should understand.
Net Promoter Score — definition
Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a customer loyalty and satisfaction metric derived from a single standardised survey question: "On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend [company / product / service] to a friend or colleague?" Respondents are divided into three categories based on their answer. Promoters (9–10) are enthusiastic loyalists who are likely to recommend and drive positive word of mouth. Passives (7–8) are satisfied but unenthusiastic customers who are vulnerable to competitive offers. Detractors (0–6) are unhappy customers who may actively discourage others. The NPS is the percentage of Promoters minus the percentage of Detractors, producing a score between −100 and +100. A score of +100 would mean every respondent is a Promoter; −100 would mean every respondent is a Detractor.
How NPS is calculated
Send the standard NPS question
The core question is standardised: "How likely are you to recommend [X] to a friend or colleague?" on a 0–10 scale. A follow-up open text field ("What's the main reason for your score?") is optional but dramatically increases the diagnostic value of the survey — the number tells you the score, the text tells you why.
Classify respondents
Scores of 9–10 are Promoters. Scores of 7–8 are Passives. Scores of 0–6 are Detractors. These thresholds are fixed — do not adjust them for your context. The value of NPS as a benchmark metric depends on consistent application of the same classification rules.
Calculate: % Promoters − % Detractors
Express each group as a percentage of total respondents, then subtract. Passives are included in the denominator (total respondents) but excluded from the subtraction. Example: 50 responses — 30 Promoters (60%), 10 Passives (20%), 10 Detractors (20%). NPS = 60 − 20 = 40.
Sample size matters. An NPS of 40 from 10 responses is not meaningful. Aim for at least 30–50 responses before treating the number as statistically reliable.
Track it over time and against benchmarks
A single NPS measurement is of limited value. The metric's power comes from tracking it quarterly or after major product changes, and comparing your score to industry benchmarks and direct competitors. An absolute score of 30 might be below average in consumer software but excellent in insurance. Context determines whether the number represents a problem or a strength.
NPS benchmarks and eNPS
NPS scores range from −100 to +100. As rough benchmarks: below 0 indicates more detractors than promoters and requires urgent attention; 0–30 is adequate; 30–50 is good; 50–70 is excellent; above 70 is world-class and rare. Industry averages vary significantly — streaming services, luxury goods, and cloud software tend to score higher than insurance, banking, and cable providers. The eNPS (Employee Net Promoter Score) applies the same methodology to employees: "How likely are you to recommend this company as a place to work?" eNPS benchmarks are lower — an eNPS above 20 is generally healthy, above 40 is excellent — and it is used as a leading indicator of engagement and retention risk. Chooseday supports NPS-style rating questions alongside traditional voting options, so teams can collect 0–10 sentiment ratings as part of a broader decision or feedback process.
NPS vs decision voting — when to use each
NPS is designed for measuring loyalty and satisfaction over time — it answers "how do people feel about us?" rather than "which option should we choose?" Use NPS when you want to track a sentiment metric consistently over multiple measurement periods, benchmark against industry data, or identify customers or employees at risk of churning. Use a decision vote (majority, ranked choice, or dot voting) when you need to choose between specific options — a vendor, a feature, a process change, a meeting time. The two are complementary: you might use NPS to learn that employee satisfaction is declining, then run a decision vote to choose which retention initiative to prioritise. Chooseday supports both NPS questions and structured option voting, so you can collect the right type of input for each situation.
Frequently asked questions
Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a customer loyalty metric based on a single survey question: "On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend [company/product/service] to a friend or colleague?" Respondents are classified as Promoters (9–10), Passives (7–8), or Detractors (0–6). The NPS is calculated as the percentage of Promoters minus the percentage of Detractors, yielding a score between −100 and +100. It was introduced by Fred Reichheld in a 2003 Harvard Business Review article and is now one of the most widely used customer experience metrics globally.
Collect responses to the standard 0–10 recommendation question. Classify each response: 9 or 10 = Promoter, 7 or 8 = Passive, 0 through 6 = Detractor. Calculate: % Promoters − % Detractors = NPS. Passives are excluded from the calculation entirely — they are counted in the denominator when computing percentages but do not contribute positively or negatively to the score. Example: 60% Promoters, 25% Passives, 15% Detractors → NPS = 60 − 15 = 45.
NPS scores range from −100 to +100. Any score above 0 means more Promoters than Detractors, which is broadly positive. Scores above 50 are considered excellent, and scores above 70 are world-class. Industry benchmarks vary significantly: software companies average around 30–40, consumer electronics around 25–35, and financial services around 20–30. Absolute scores matter less than trends over time and performance relative to direct competitors in the same industry.
eNPS (Employee Net Promoter Score) is the NPS methodology applied to employees rather than customers. The question becomes: "How likely are you to recommend this company as a place to work?" The same 0–10 scale, Promoter/Passive/Detractor classification, and calculation formula apply. eNPS scores typically run lower than customer NPS scores, so benchmarks differ: an eNPS above 20 is generally considered good, and above 40 is excellent. eNPS is used as a leading indicator of employee engagement, retention risk, and organisational health.