NPS, or Net Promoter Score, is a metric that measures customer loyalty by asking how likely someone is to recommend a company on a scale of 0 to 10. Respondents are grouped into promoters, passives, and detractors, and the score is the percentage of promoters minus the percentage of detractors. NPS ranges from -100 to +100 and reflects the strength of the overall relationship, not a single interaction.
In short
- NPS measures loyalty and likelihood to recommend, making it a relationship metric rather than a transactional one.
- It comes from one question: how likely are you to recommend us, rated 0 to 10.
- Promoters score 9 to 10, passives score 7 to 8, and detractors score 0 to 6.
- The formula is percentage of promoters minus percentage of detractors, giving a score from -100 to +100.
- NPS shows how loyal customers are, but the conversations behind it explain why the number moves.
How NPS is calculated
NPS is based on a single survey question: “How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?” answered on a 0 to 10 scale. Responses are sorted into three groups, then the detractor percentage is subtracted from the promoter percentage. Passives are counted in the total but do not add to the score directly.
The formula in plain text is:
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Formula | NPS = % promoters – % detractors |
| Promoters | Customers who score 9 or 10 |
| Passives | Customers who score 7 or 8, not counted in the score |
| Detractors | Customers who score 0 to 6 |
| Range | -100 to +100 |
| Worked example | 60% promoters minus 20% detractors = NPS of 40 |
What is a good NPS score
Any NPS above 0 means you have more promoters than detractors. As a rough guide, a score above 20 is favorable, above 50 is strong, and above 70 is world class, but benchmarks vary widely by industry, so comparing against peers in your sector matters more than an absolute figure. As with most experience metrics, the trend over time is the most reliable signal of whether loyalty is improving.
How NPS relates to quality assurance
NPS is a lagging, relationship level metric: it tells you whether customers are loyal, but not which interactions built or eroded that loyalty. Quality assurance works at the interaction level, scoring what happens inside each conversation against your standards. Connecting the two lets you see how day to day service quality feeds the loyalty NPS measures.
Kaizo measures internal quality through its Internal Quality Score, or IQS, and connects that conversation quality to outcome metrics like NPS, so a shift in loyalty can be traced back to the handling behaviors that influence it. Kaizo is native to Zendesk and Salesforce, scoring conversations directly from the systems your team already uses.
Frequently asked questions
What is the NPS formula?
NPS equals the percentage of promoters minus the percentage of detractors. Promoters rate you 9 or 10, detractors rate you 0 to 6, and passives who rate 7 or 8 are left out of the calculation. The result is a score between -100 and +100.
What is a good NPS score?
Any score above 0 means promoters outnumber detractors. Broadly, above 20 is good, above 50 is strong, and above 70 is exceptional. Because benchmarks differ sharply between industries, comparing to peers in your sector is more meaningful than a universal target.
What is the difference between NPS and CSAT?
NPS measures overall loyalty and likelihood to recommend on a 0 to 10 scale, so it is relational. CSAT measures satisfaction with one specific interaction as a percentage, so it is transactional. Many teams track both to see the relationship and the moment-to-moment experience.
How does NPS relate to QA?
NPS tells you whether customers are loyal, but not which conversations shaped that loyalty. Quality assurance scores what happens in each interaction, so linking the two shows how service quality feeds the loyalty NPS reports, turning a lagging number into something you can act on.
Related terms
Connect NPS to what happens in your conversations
See how Kaizo scores the conversations behind your loyalty numbers, so a shift in NPS points to the service quality driving it.
