Create a Net Promoter Score℠ question

Ask participants how likely they are to recommend your products, services, or organization to someone else.

Use the Net Promoter Score℠ (NPS®)1 question to gauge the loyalty of customers and the quality of your customer relationship. An NPS® question asks participants to rate on a scale from 0 to 10 how likely they are to recommend something. This rating is then used to classify participants into the following categories:

  • Detractors: Participants who rated something from 0 to 6, indicating they would not recommend it.
  • Passives: Participants who rated something from 7 to 8, indicating neutral feelings.
  • Promoters: Participants who rated something from 9 to 10, indicating they would recommend it.

The numeric ratings are also aggregated into the Net Promoter Score℠ (NPS®). The NPS® is calculated by by subtracting the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters. The NPS® can range from -100 (every participant is a detractor) to +100 (every participant is a promoter). An NPS® close to 0 means the number of Detractors and Promoters is roughly equal.

Net Promoter Score from the participant's perspective

Sample modern view:

Sample classic desktop view:

Sample classic mobile view:

  1. From the Survey Builder Toolbox, under Questions, do one of the following:
    • Drag the Net Promoter Score question to the Table of Contents.
    • Click the Net Promoter Score question.
  2. In the Table of Contents, click the Net Promoter Score question.
    Result: The Edit Pane appears.
  3. Optional: Edit the Question name.

    Question names:

    • Should be unique.
    • Can contain symbols and all alphanumeric characters.
    • Are not displayed to participants.
  4. In the Question text field, enter the question text.
    Note: The recommended character limit is 2500.

In the Answers area, you can see a preview of what the default answer options look like. Participants are presented with scalar buttons from 0 to 10, with the default labels "Not at all likely" on one end and "Extremely likely" on the other.

You cannot modify the scale as NPS® is an industry-standard question type with a standard score calculation, but you can use custom labels on the scale, or ask follow-up questions.

  1. Optional: Use custom labels on the scale.
    1. Select Add custom labels.
    2. Type a label for Lowest value.
    3. Type a label for Highest value.
  2. Optional: Add follow-up questions.
    Open-end follow-up questions allow participants to provide additional comments or context for their ratings.
    1. Select Add open-end follow-up question.
      Note: This option also controls whether open-end follow-up responses appear in reporting exports. If you clear this option, the responses are excluded. Select this option to include the responses in exports.
    2. Choose a Question Text Option:
      • Single: Ask all participants the same open-end follow-up question.
      • Multiple: Ask detractors, passives, and promoters different open-end follow-up questions.
    3. Type the appropriate question text.

      While adding question text, you may encounter an error message that says "Maximum 100 characters." This is a suggested character limit to keep question text concise. However, this is not a hard limit. You can still have a follow-up question that exceeds 100 characters. If you are concerned about how the follow-up question will appear, try testing it across different device types.

    4. Select or clear Follow-up question response required.
  3. Optional: Select Treat follow-up question response as sensitive data.
    This option controls whether the Open End follow-up responses are purged for members who have become inactive. For more information, see Sensitive data.
    Note: Admins can change this setting. To change this setting as a Power User or an Author, you must have Can access sensitive data enabled.
  4. Once you have authored your question, you can also:
  5. Optional: To preview the question in desktop or mobile view, in the Edit Pane, click Preview.
    Result: A preview of your survey appears, starting with the selected question.
    Note: Preview in mobile view simulates the mobile experience. For best results, preview your question on a mobile device.
1 Net Promoter, NPS, and the NPS-related emoticons are registered U.S. trademarks, and Net Promoter Score and Net Promoter System are service marks, of Bain & Company, Inc., NICE Systems, Inc. and Fred Reichheld.