3 Tips to Improve your Net Promoter Score

We’ve reported extensively on the importance to brands of consumer trust and superior customer support, and for good reason. These two concepts go hand in glove. Today’s strongest companies honor their commitment to excellence in all consumer-facing practices. When they’re not working to surprise and delight their audiences, they’re closely monitoring their Net Promoter Score (NPS), a widely recognized tool that measures customer satisfaction through post-transaction surveys. (If you’ve ever answered the question “On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend to a friend?” then you’ve likely participated in an NPS survey.)

Responses to these surveys are categorized in three groups. Customers who answer the question with a 9 or 10 are considered Promoters. Passives give a score of 7 or 8. Those who provide a score of 0 through 6 are Detractors. To calculate the NPS, disregard the passives and subtract the percentage of Detractor responses from the percentage of Promoter responses. The result, which can range from -100 to 100, is the Net Promoter Score.

Earning a high NPS benefits both your consumers and your bottom line. Here are three tips to improve your NPS — and provide an optimal customer experience in the process.

Make it personal. Your support reps (whether internal or outsourced) need to foster a personal connection with those they’re serving. To assist, provide your team with tools and education that train them in emotional intelligence. The best support experiences take place when your customer knows that they’re being heard and can sense your genuine commitment to their needs. Help your team keep their cool even in the most challenging situations by empowering them with the ability to make the right choices for your customers. Providing support to your support team, through proper education and a valuable peer network, will pay off handsomely when they’re in the trenches with your customers.

Get your team on board. Make sure your support providers, along with the rest of your company, know that they’re a critical and appreciated part of the larger team. You’re all in it together. Share with them your NPS score and instill a solid understanding in why it matters and how it can be improved. Give each team member a sense of responsibility for your overall success. The easiest way to make that happen is to treat them well. An appreciated employee will pass a genuine sense of enthusiasm to your customers in each and every interaction. That sense of pride and ownership will speak to your audience more organically than any ad campaign ever could.

Earn the customer’s loyalty. It’s one thing to provide a satisfactory customer experience in a one-off situation. What’s truly valuable is focusing on the customer’s complete journey, ensuring that every touchpoint is optimal. Anticipate any problem points and work to remove those hurdles before your customers encounter them. Survey your customers, talk to them, and learn their pain points. Be proactive about providing the customer with all of the information they need, in whatever format they find useful, from tutorials to FAQs to videos. See them through the process; whatever it takes to ensure they feel confident and secure. A great overall experience is more likely to engender true customer loyalty.

Work on your NPS and your customers will thank you — with their loyalty. It’s about more than numbers. It’s a way to build stronger connections with your audience and to keep them loyal to your brand.