Discover the top 50 NPS survey questions and tactics to improve your customer feedback program and drive satisfaction.
The Net Promoter Score (NPS®) survey is deceptively simple—it contains just one question. But behind this single question is a long history, plenty of research, and much more information you should know to use effectively.
In this guide, we'll cover everything you need to know about Net Promoter Score survey questions, including 50+ examples and tips for getting started.
Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a widely-used metric that measures customer loyalty. It helps businesses assess overall customer sentiment and predict future growth.
NPS is a vital tool for customer relationship management, providing:
The NPS survey structure consists of the basic NPS question: ‘How likely are you to recommend a company, product, or service to a friend or colleague?’ with an answer scale of 0 to 10. Some surveys also include an open-ended follow-up question to gather qualitative feedback on the rating.
Get started with our easy to use NPS Survey Template, used by SurveyMonkey customers 147,000+ times.
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Related: Learn more about leveraging eNPS to improve employee engagement or launch an eNPS survey in minutes with our eNPS Survey Template.
Net Promoter Score surveys are a powerful way to gauge loyalty and satisfaction, but not all NPS surveys serve the same purpose. There are three primary types of NPS surveys, each designed to measure customer or employee sentiment in different contexts.
Transactional NPS surveys are triggered after a specific interaction or event, such as a:
tNPS surveys help businesses identify strengths and weaknesses at key customer touchpoints. Since tNPS surveys capture feedback in real-time, they are useful for making quick improvements to customer interactions.
Transactional NPS example
If customers report a confusing checkout process, the company can quickly simplify it by reducing form fields or adding a progress indicator. By tailoring NPS survey questions to specific stages and interactions in the customer journey, businesses can gather targeted insights that will reveal how to enhance customer satisfaction, loyalty, and overall experience.
Relational NPS surveys assess overall customer loyalty and perception of a brand over time. Rather than focusing on a single transaction, rNPS surveys ask customers how likely they are to recommend a company based on their entire experience. Businesses typically send rNPS surveys at regular intervals, such as quarterly or annually, to track trends in customer loyalty.
Relational NPS example
A subscription-based software company might send an rNPS survey every six months to gauge customer satisfaction with the platform, customer support, and overall value. If scores start to decline, the company can investigate whether issues like product usability, pricing, or support response times are affecting customer loyalty.
Related: Learn the difference between relational and transactional NPS and when to use each.
eNPS measures how likely employees are to recommend their company as a great place to work. A strong eNPS indicates high employee satisfaction and engagement, while a low score may signal issues with company culture, leadership, or workplace conditions.
Employee NPS example
If employees in a company’s annual eNPS survey indicate low scores due to poor work-life balance, leadership can take action by adjusting workloads, offering flexible work arrangements, or improving internal communication.
Related: Discover the 20 best eNPS survey questions to ask your workforce and how woom bikes achieved a 46 global eNPS.
The wording of the Net Promoter Score question plays a crucial role in ensuring the validity and reliability of responses. A well-crafted question helps eliminate bias, maintains consistency, and captures genuine customer sentiment. Below are five best practices for formulating effective NPS questions.
The NPS question should be straightforward, avoiding unnecessary complexity or ambiguity. Clarity ensures that all respondents interpret the question in the same way, leading to more reliable results.
Best practice:
What to avoid:
Pro-tip: Leverage customizable survey templates—like our Net Promoter Score survey templates—to enhance the quality of the insights you gather from different customer segments.
Leading questions subtly push respondents toward a particular answer, compromising the integrity of the results. Keeping the wording neutral prevents respondents from feeling obligated to answer in a certain way.
What to avoid:
The word “recommend” is a crucial aspect of the NPS question as it specifically measures customer loyalty. When you ask about recommending a product, you’re asking whether a customer would actively endorse your product or service to others, which is a key indicator of satisfaction and brand loyalty. Other verbs, such as “share” or “suggest,” can soften the commitment and lead to weaker customer sentiment.
Phrasing that includes emotional or overly enthusiastic language can bias respondents’ answers. Words like “amazing,” “love,” or “incredible” might make customers feel pressured to rate more highly, even if their experience wasn’t truly exceptional.
For example:
Consistency is key in NPS surveys. Use the standard 0-10 scale to maintain consistency in how data is collected, analyzed, and compared. Deviating from the typical scale can introduce discrepancies in responses and make it harder to interpret data across different surveys. Stick to the 0-10 scale for comparability and easier data analysis.
How long should NPS surveys be? Wendy Smith, senior manager, research science at SurveyMonkey, says:
At the heart of every NPS survey is the core question:
This question serves as the foundation for calculating your NPS and gauging customer loyalty. It is the one question that matters most and should always be included in the survey.
While the NPS question provides a strong indication of customer loyalty, follow-up questions help clarify why respondents rated you the way they did. Keeping follow-up questions to one to two ensures you’ll get valuable insights without overwhelming the respondent. For example:
Consider adding a few demographic questions to add further context to your NPS results. These questions can help you segment responses and uncover insights by customer profile.
Common demographic questions include:
Analyzing NPS survey responses helps businesses understand customer sentiment and take action to improve loyalty. By interpreting the scores and feedback, companies can identify strengths, address weaknesses, and enhance the overall customer experience.
Net Promoter Score is calculated using the formula:
The key to effective analysis is segmenting responses into:
Let’s dive into how to analyze promoter, passive, and detractor responses.
Analyze promoters to identify what drives their loyalty—whether it's service, product quality, or brand values. Look for recurring themes in their feedback and track engagement trends to maximize advocacy. Understanding their referral behavior and repeat purchases can help reinforce their satisfaction.
Passives provide insight into areas where expectations are met but not exceeded. Compare their feedback with promoters to pinpoint opportunities for improvement. Track sentiment changes over time to assess whether small enhancements—like better communication or added features—can increase their loyalty.
Detractors highlight weaknesses in the customer experience. Look for recurring issues such as pricing, usability, or service complaints to prioritize improvements. Segment their feedback to identify patterns and track whether intervention efforts, like targeted outreach or service recovery, successfully improve their perception.
Related: Discover tips for following up with NPS promoters, passives, and detractors to boost customer satisfaction.
Once responses are segmented, analyze open-ended feedback to uncover recurring themes. Consider grouping feedback into categories like product quality, customer service, pricing, or usability. Using sentiment analysis tools or manual review, identify trends that highlight what drives loyalty and what needs improvement.
Now let’s dive into how to take action on NPS survey data.
Collecting NPS survey data is just the first step—what you do with the feedback is what truly drives impact. Here are key ways to analyze and act on NPS responses to improve customer and employee experience.
Break down NPS responses by demographic data (e.g., age, persona, income), customer lifecycle stage, or other key factors to understand trends across different groups. This helps pinpoint where improvements are needed most.
Pro-tip: When implementing NPS strategies, it’s crucial to consider the diversity and size of your customer base to ensure that survey responses are representative of the overall customer population. Learn more about collecting demographic data in surveys.
Open-ended feedback provides valuable context. Analyzing recurring themes in customer comments can highlight common pain points or positive experiences that influence overall satisfaction.
Detractors (scores 0-6) indicate dissatisfaction. Reach out to these customers to understand their concerns, resolve issues, and prevent churn. Learn tactics to turn NPS detractors into promoters.
Promoters (scores 9-10) are your brand advocates. Encourage them to leave reviews, share testimonials, or participate in referral programs to amplify positive word-of-mouth.
Passives (scores 7-8) are neutral but can be influenced. Understanding what would push them toward becoming promoters can help increase loyalty—whether it’s better pricing, improved features, or enhanced service.
Use NPS feedback to drive specific changes, such as streamlining a frustrating onboarding process or enhancing customer support responsiveness. Small, targeted improvements can significantly boost satisfaction.
Regularly track NPS scores and qualitative feedback to identify shifts in customer sentiment and measure the impact of changes you’ve made.
NPS insights should inform broader business decisions, from product development to customer service training, ensuring that improvements align with customer expectations and drive long-term success.
Tracking and improving customer satisfaction is essential for any business looking to build loyalty and drive growth.
Ready to improve customer satisfaction? Get started with our Net Promoter Score Survey Template, or learn how you launch a successful NPS program with SurveyMonkey.
Net Promoter, Net Promoter Score, and NPS are trademarks of Satmetrix Systems, Inc., Bain & Company, Inc., and Fred Reichheld.
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