Wondering what an NPS survey is?
A net promoter score (NPS) email survey is a quick and easy way to measure customers’ satisfaction with your brand. It will also let you know how likely it is that they are recommending you to acquaintances, friends, and family.
Despite being so quick and easy to use, an NPS survey offers valuable information and ways to improve and grow a business. And customers are alerted to new products and services that they might consider purchasing.
This article is about NPS email surveys and how to use them to your advantage, including what they are, best practices when creating one, and great tips on writing good NPS questions.
What is a net promoter score and how to measure it?
There are several ways to measure customer satisfaction. The most popular is using the customer satisfaction score (CSAT) or NPS tools.
The main difference between them is that CSAT measures customers’ short-term opinions (e.g., satisfaction with a current product or service) while NPS measures long-term loyalty.
With an NPS question, you can estimate customers’ overall brand loyalty and, without prompting, the likelihood that they recommend products to friends and acquaintances.
How does an NPS questionnaire work?
An NPS survey is a concise, single-question survey. All you need to do is simply ask the following question:
“How likely are you to recommend our brand to a friend or colleague?”
After that, respondents have the option to answer on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being highly unlikely and 10 being highly likely.
Based on this feedback, customers can be divided into three groups: detractors, passives, and promoters. Respondents who answer between 0 and 6 are classified as detractors, 7 or 8 are passives, and 9 or 10 are promoters.
Types of NPS customers and how they influence a business
An NPS promoter is the most valuable customer—the kind you need to hold onto. They are loyal to a brand and very satisfied with its products and services—so much so that they are very likely to spread the good word about it.
Passives are satisfied with products, but not as loyal. They are likely to switch to another brand if a competitor offers better conditions—such as favorable pricing, shipping terms, or features. If asked directly about your product, they may give good feedback, but they won’t give good reviews or take the initiative to talk about it.
An NPS detractor is a dissatisfied customer. They are a red flag for any business because they can create a significant negative impact on future success. Unfortunately, nothing spreads as fast as rumors; detractors are very likely to leave bad reviews and share their negative experiences.
How to calculate net promoter score
After data has been collected, all that is required is calculating the NPS. This is done by subtracting the percentage of promoters from the percentage of detractors.
For example, if there are 10 percent detractors, 60 percent passives, and 30 percent promoters, the score will be 30-10=20.
The NPS score scale goes between 0 and 100, with 100 being the highest score
But that is very unlikely to be reached. Why is that?
Having no detractors is not realistic. Not every customer will be satisfied with a company’s products or services. However, what can be done is sending NPS email surveys regularly, listening to customers’ thoughts and needs, and attempting to improve products by using the collected data.
Ascertain how many detractors you have, find out the reasons they are dissatisfied, and improve customer experiences in order to minimize negative reviews. Strive to turn every NPS detractor into an NPS promoter.
NPS survey best practices: Everything to know about an NPS email survey
An NPS survey is the easiest and most widely used method of measuring customer loyalty and employee satisfaction. Most companies—from big corporations like Microsoft and Apple to local businesses and shops that want to meet their customers’ needs and perform better—rely on them.
NPS is the leading indicator of a company’s future growth. It can also improve employee satisfaction, lower customer acquisition costs, allow comparisons of future growth versus competitors, and, most importantly, offer organic business growth via word-of-mouth marketing.
But to improve a business, it is imperative to know how to write a good NPS email survey. We will now discuss the best practices to get the results you need.
1. Branding an NPS survey: Make it unique and in accordance with your business’s style
It is important that an NPS email survey stand out. Use branding logos, themes, colors, and fonts to make the survey memorable. Also, pay attention to how your brand communicates with customers—stick with the same language in NPS email surveys.
Not sure how to design a survey? Get started by checking out one of our free templates.
But for the best results, use our white label survey feature. It is one of our many pro features that help you make the best-branded surveys.
2. Make an NPS email survey personal
Always use the respondent’s first name. This attracts their attention and also makes an email seem more important by making the information seem directed only to them.
It is also important to make customers feel like the email is sent by a person, not an automated system. Share some information about the person contacting them by sending the NPS survey from a personalized email address that includes a name and picture. Always introduce yourself by name in the body of the email.
3. Use friendly language and engage in conversation
When it comes to the wording of NPS questions, the most important piece of advice is to use straightforward and comprehensible language.
However, the way you talk to customers is also important.
It’s best to use informal language that will trigger emotions and create a friendly atmosphere. Explain why the survey is being undertaken and what kind of feedback is being gathered. Encourage respondents to reach out for additional information. End the NPS survey with a thank you so that they feel appreciated.
For an accurate NPS score, the wording of questions is definitely important. But the tone in which customers are addressed is also vital.
4. An embedded NPS question increases the response rate
We live in a high-paced society, with many daily tasks that need to get done. If a customer offers some of their valuable time to answer a survey and give feedback, you better make it worth their while.
That’s why it’s a good idea to embed the first NPS question in the body of the email. That way, respondents don’t have to follow a link and will finish the survey much faster.
This makes your surveys easier to complete. It will significantly increase the response rate, which will provide more information to work when trying to improve your business.
5. Use additional questions to better understand customers
It is not enough to simply calculate your overall NPS based on the percentage of detractors versus promoters. Knowing what to do with the data and how to use it to your advantage are the next steps.
That is why asking additional questions in an NPS survey is important— though you should be very careful when choosing an NPS follow-up question. Don’t burden respondents with unnecessary questions by making the survey too long.
Instead, focus on the information they’ve provided and formulate follow-up questions based on their answers.
6. Keep the survey short and to the point
It is advisable to ask only one follow-up question. If customers say they are not satisfied, ask them what could be improved. On the other hand, if they give a high score, ask why they like your brand so much.
Use our question branching feature to ensure every respondent gets the right NPS follow-up question. Also, avoid errors in surveying by making sure to use open-ended questions so customers can express their thoughts freely.
7. Make an NPS email survey mobile friendly
Google considers mobile devices its top priority—websites and pages get higher ranks if they are mobile responsive and user-friendly—since more and more people spend their time on phones. It’s now even common for many people to check their email on their phones.
So, make sure your NPS email survey is mobile-friendly. A non-responsive survey turns respondents away. An enjoyable survey will increase the response rate, providing more feedback.
8. Timing is crucial: Find the right time to send the NPS email survey
The timing of an email is of high importance. Good timing will yield a much higher response rate than one sent at the wrong time.
The right time is based on when customers are most active. Test this by sending surveys on different days and times and comparing response rates.
Studies show that the best time to send a survey email is 10:00 AM on a Tuesday, though this can be very dependent on an audience’s working hours and time zones. Considering every aspect—and testing different strategies—will provide a better idea of what works.
9. Send reminders—but don’t overdo it
Emails have a very short life span; they tend to get buried with the steady stream of incoming emails that constantly flood inboxes. It needs to be remembered that not all customers can answer an email when they get it. They might leave answering it for later—and then forget to do it.
That’s why an NPS follow-up email should be sent to remind them. But be careful not to overdo it. One follow-up email after 24 hours is more than enough. If they don’t answer after the second email, it’s best to leave them in peace.
When to send an NPS survey?
There is no uniform answer to the question of when to send an NPS survey—the optimal timing can vary based on specific business models and customer journeys. It’s essential to strike a balance between giving customers enough time to experience a product/service and not waiting too long, as their impressions might fade. Additionally, avoid bombarding customers with surveys, as this can lead to survey fatigue and negatively impact response rates.
The best time to send an NPS survey
Here are some common moments when you can consider sending an NPS survey:
- After a purchase: Sending the NPS survey shortly after a customer makes a purchase or completes a transaction can provide valuable insights into their overall shopping experience.
- After onboarding or first use: For subscription-based services or products that require onboarding, send the NPS survey after the customer has had a chance to explore and use the product/service.
- After customer support interaction: Following a customer support interaction—whether it was a helpdesk ticket, live chat, or phone call—send the NPS survey to gauge their satisfaction with the support received.
- After a key milestone: If a product/service involves several stages or milestones (e.g., completing a course module, finishing a project, etc.), send the NPS survey after customers reach significant milestones.
- After product updates or upgrades: Following a major product update or upgrade, gauge how well the changes have been received by customers.
- After an event: If events or webinars have been hosted, sending an NPS survey afterward can help measure attendees’ satisfaction.
- At regular intervals: For long-term customers or subscribers, consider sending NPS surveys at regular intervals (e.g., quarterly or annually) to track changes in their loyalty and satisfaction.
- After customer churn: When customers decide to cancel their subscription or service, send an NPS survey to gather feedback and better understand the reasons behind their decisions.
NPS survey questions writing guidelines
When making an NPS survey—whether customer satisfaction or an employee satisfaction survey—follow some basic guidelines that will help create better NPS survey questions:
- Keep your survey short and to the point.
- Start with the recipient’s name.
- Remind them how long you’ve been doing business together.
- Use simple language in a friendly tone.
- Ask one primary NPS question followed by an additional open-ended question.
- Thank them and sign your name at the end of the email.
NPS survey question examples
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our product/service to a friend or colleague? (0 = Not at all likely, 10 = Extremely likely)
- How likely are you to recommend our company to others? (0 = Not likely at all, 10 = Very likely)
- Considering your experience with us, how likely are you to suggest our product/service to someone you know? (0 = Not likely, 10 = Highly likely)
- How likely are you to promote our brand to others? (0 = Not likely, 10 = Extremely likely)
- Would you recommend us to your friends or family? Please rate us on a scale of 0 to 10. (0 = Would not recommend, 10 = Definitely would recommend)
- How probable is it that you would encourage others to use our services? (0 = Not probable at all, 10 = Extremely probable)
- How inclined are you to refer our product/service to others? (0 = Not inclined, 10 = Very inclined)
- Based on your experience, how willing are you to refer us to others? (0 = Not willing at all, 10 = Very willing)
- If a friend or colleague asked for your recommendation, how likely are you to recommend us? (0 = Not likely, 10 = Highly likely)
- Do you trust our company and its offerings enough to refer it to others? (0 = Do not trust at all, 10 = Fully trust)
- How likely are you to speak positively about our brand to others? (0 = Not likely at all, 10 = Extremely likely)
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how probable are you to recommend us to your professional network? (0 = Not probable, 10 = Highly probable)
- How often do you refer our product/service to others in your social circle? (0 = Never, 10 = Very often)
- Would you actively encourage others to try our new offerings? (0 = Would not encourage, 10 = Definitely encourage)
- How likely are you to recommend our customer support to someone facing similar issues? (0 = Not likely, 10 = Highly likely)
- Do you consider our brand worthy of endorsement to your online followers or subscribers? (0 = Not worthy, 10 = Absolutely worthy)
- How enthusiastic are you about recommending our product/service to others? (0 = Not enthusiastic, 10 = Very enthusiastic)
- If you were to recommend us, how confident are you that others would have a positive experience? (0 = Not confident, 10 = Very confident)
- How likely are you to write a positive review or testimonial for our brand? (0 = Not likely, 10 = Very likely)
- How inclined are you to share your positive experiences with our product/service on social media? (0 = Not inclined, 10 = Highly inclined)
NPS survey email examples and templates
Now that you know more about NPS survey best practices, we will provide examples of an NPS staff email, as well as an NPS webmail that can be sent to customers. Choose an NPS survey email template that best suits your goals and get started.
1. NPS customer survey template
Hi [name],
You’ve been using our services for [period] now. We very much appreciate doing business with you and having you as our client.
Could you spare some time to answer a quick survey? It will help us improve our services and offer you even better results in the future.
[embedded question]
Thank you!
All the best,
[Name & Surname]
Head of Customer Success at [Your company]
2. Employee NPS survey template
Hello [name],
You’ve been working in our company for [period]. We are so happy to have you on our team. :)
We are delighted with your results and team spirit, but we also want to know how you feel about working with us.
Take a little break and answer this quick survey for us. Help us improve your working experience.
[embedded question]
Thank you,
[Name]
Write engaging NPS surveys with SurveyPlanet
In business, to grow there is a constant need to consistently improve the customer experience and employee satisfaction. This is not always easy. But knowing your customers’ and employees’ needs, as well as the company’s weak spots, can help you improve services and offer a better customer experience.
The best way to do that is by conducting meaningful surveys. SurveyPlanet can be your ally in making surveys that matter. Enjoy all the advantages of our unique suite of features.
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash