What is NPS (Net Promoter Score)?

NPS (Net Promoter Score) measures customer loyalty by asking one question: "How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?" on a 0-10 scale. Subtract the percentage of detractors (0-6) from the percentage of promoters (9-10) for a score from -100 to +100. It's a relationship-level signal, not an interaction-level one.

Diagram: the NPS 0-to-10 scale split into detractors (0-6), passives (7-8), and promoters (9-10), with the formula NPS = % promoters minus % detractors.

How NPS works

Respondents are grouped by their 0-10 answer: promoters (9-10) are loyal enthusiasts, passives (7-8) are satisfied but unenthusiastic, and detractors (0-6) are at risk of churning or spreading negative word of mouth. NPS is the promoter percentage minus the detractor percentage, so passives count toward the total but not the score.

What's a good NPS?

Anything above 0 means you have more promoters than detractors. Above 30 is good, above 50 is excellent, and above 70 is world-class — but benchmarks vary widely by industry, so compare against your sector and your own trend rather than a universal bar.

How support moves NPS

NPS reflects the whole relationship, but support is one of its strongest levers: fast, accurate, low-effort help turns at-risk detractors into passives and passives into promoters over time. Pair NPS with the follow-up question "What's the main reason for your score?" to learn exactly what to fix.

Formula

NPS = % Promoters (9-10) − % Detractors (0-6)

Example: If 60% of respondents are promoters and 10% are detractors, NPS = 60 − 10 = 50.

Calculate your NPS with our free NPS calculator →

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Questions about NPS

What is a good NPS score?

Above 0 is net-positive, above 30 is good, above 50 is excellent. Benchmarks vary by industry, so weigh your trend and sector context over any universal threshold.

How often should I survey NPS?

Quarterly is common for relationship NPS. Surveying too often fatigues customers; quarterly gives enough movement to act on while keeping response rates healthy.

Related terms

CSAT vs NPS

CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score) measures how happy a customer was with a specific interaction, asked right after it happens. NPS (Net Promoter Score) measures long-term loyalty to your whole company, asked periodically. CSAT is transactional and tactical; NPS is relational and strategic. Most support teams track both.

CSAT

CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score) is a metric that measures how satisfied a customer was with a specific interaction, product, or service. You collect it by asking a short "How satisfied were you?" survey, then score it as the percentage of responses that are positive. It's the most direct, immediate read on support quality.

Customer Retention Rate

Customer retention rate (CRR) is the percentage of existing customers you keep over a period, excluding any new ones you acquired. It's the inverse of churn and a direct measure of how well you hold onto the customers you already have — usually far cheaper than winning new ones.

Browse the full customer support glossary →