You think your customers are loyal. But are they loyal enough to put their name on the line for you?
That’s what Net Promoter Score (NPS) really asks. One question, one number, endless insight into your customer relationships.
And in 2025, getting that number right is non-negotiable.
Ready to stop assuming and start calculating? Let’s break it down step by step, example by example, survey format by survey format:
What is net promoter score NPS?
Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a customer loyalty metric that measures how likely your customers are to recommend your product or service to others.
Based on a single-question survey and a 0–10 scale, it turns survey responses into clear signals about your customer relationships.
The NPS score is calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractors (unhappy customers) from the percentage of promoters (loyal customers), leaving out the passives.
The result? A sharp snapshot of your customer satisfaction, loyalty, and long-term customer retention potential – all in one number.
Check this out: satisfaction of loyalty – what to survey?
How to calculate NPS?
The number that reveals everything your customers won’t say out loud.
So, you’re sitting on a pile of survey responses, staring down your customer journey, and wondering:
“Do they love us? Or are they just being polite?”
Time to stop guessing. Let’s run the NPS calculation and get that cold, hard truth:
Step 1: Ask the question that turns customers into data
“How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?” This isn’t small talk. This is the heartbeat of your customer experience.
Use a scale – 0 to 10, or 1 to 5. Keep it clean. Keep it clear.
Step 2: Sort the truth-tellers
Now break the results into three camps:
- Promoters (9–10): fans for life.
- Passives (7–8): lukewarm.
- Detractors (0–6): ready to walk, or worse – talk.
That’s your net promoter system in action. It doesn’t coddle. It categorizes.
Step 3: Crunch the numbers
This is where NPS data turns into direction.
Use this formula:
NPS Score = % Promoters − % Detractors
Forget the passives, they’re neutral ground. Focus on love vs. loathing.
Step 4: Read the room (aka your NPS score)
What’s a good Net Promoter Score? It depends on your industry.
But let’s be honest: If your number’s negative, your customer experience has a leak.
Positive? You’ve got loyalty. 70+? You’re doing laps around the competition.
Step 5: Act like the number means something
NPS calculation gives you the headline. The real story’s in the why. Dig deeper. Look for patterns.
Compare over time. Connect it to retention.
Because a good overall NPS score calculation doesn’t end with a number. It starts with it.
NPS example
Let’s say you run a customer satisfaction survey and get 100 survey responses to the NPS question:
“How likely are you to recommend our service to a friend or colleague?”
The scale? 0 to 10.
Here’s how it breaks down:
- 60 people gave you a 9 or 10 → Promoters
- 20 people gave you a 7 or 8 → Passives
- 20 people gave you a score between 0 and 6 → Detractors
Now it’s time to do the math.
Step 1: Calculate percentages
- Promoters: 60%
- Detractors: 20%
(Passives don’t count here.)
Step 2: Run the NPS calculation
NPS Score = 60% – 20% = 40
What does a 40 mean? You’re doing well. People like you. Some may even love you.
Not a bad place to be—especially if you’re tracking your customer journey or watching for shifts in customer experience.
Is it a good Net Promoter Score? Better than zero. But now the real question is:
How do you turn your passives into promoters—and your promoters into superfans?
That’s where the net promoter system goes beyond the numbers.
NPS survey types
If you think an NPS survey is one-size-fits-all, think again.
You’ve got the question. Now you need the format that gets you the truth.
Here’s what you can choose from (and yes, SurveyLab does all of them, beautifully):
1. Button scale (classic and clean)
Let respondents click a number on a horizontal scale – 0 to 10, 1 to 5, you choose.
It’s fast. It’s clear. It’s the go-to for tracking customer loyalty over time.
2. Slider (for the commitment-phobes)
Let them drag a bar to their score. Feels smooth. Adds a little playfulness.
Great for keeping engagement high in long surveys.
3. Stars (because emotions matter)
Rate you like a movie—five stars or fewer.
Perfect for emotional reads on customer experience.
4. Drop-down menu (when space is tight)
Minimalist and compact. It gets the job done without taking over the screen.
Ideal for mobile surveys or embedded feedback forms.
5. Tiles (boxes or circles)
Big, bold clickable tiles make it easier on the eyes and thumbs. Visually appealing, especially for touchscreens.
Check this out: employee satisfaction vs employee engagement surveys
Now, why use SurveyLab?
SurveyLab is an online survey software that helps businesses and organizations create, distribute, and analyze surveys. It’s a flexible, cloud-based platform designed to support a variety of research needs, including:
- Customer experience surveys
- Employee and HR surveys
- Market research
- UX and digital feedback collection
The tool offers a wide range of professional features while staying easy to use. You can run surveys on any device – PC, mobile, tablet – and collect responses through multiple channels, including email, SMS, and QR codes. It supports multi-language surveys (including right-to-left scripts) and integrates with tools like Salesforce, Zendesk, Intercom, and custom CRMs.
Key highlights:
- 14-day free trial with access to all features
- Automation capabilities through CRM, BI, or eCommerce integrations
- Dedicated customer support and consulting services
- Used by over 85,000 customers worldwide, from small businesses to large corporations
SurveyLab doesn’t box you in. You get the full net promoter system, from building the survey to reading the results.
✔️ Pick your format – button, slider, stars, tiles…whatever fits your audience.
✔️ Choose your scale – 0–10, 1–10, 0–5, or even descending orders.
✔️ Multi-device ready – surveys adapt automatically to phones, tablets, and laptops.
✔️ Multi-language support – SurveyLab speaks your customers’ language. Literally.
Oh, and the NPS calculation? Done for you. Instantly. You get your overall NPS score, broken into Promoters, Passives, and Detractors, plus charts and insights that actually mean something.
You might also like:
NPS and what’s next? Questions you should ask yourself.
Things you should know about your NPS survey respondents.
Why NPS fails and is it still worth it?
Wrap up
Your NPS score isn’t just a stat. It’s a warning sign. Or a love letter. Or a customer screaming quietly into the void.
You can’t fix what you don’t measure. And if your net promoter system is stuck in a spreadsheet from three years ago, you’re already behind.
SurveyLab puts you back in control. Build the right survey. Collect real feedback. See the truth in your NPS data and do something about it.
Try SurveyLab for free and see how easy it is to turn that one question into your sharpest business insight. Because loyalty isn’t given. It’s earned and tracked.