Natasha Berman.
May 16, 2024
A suitable NPS (Net Promoter Score) survey tool is a must-have investment in understanding your customers, making better product decisions, and driving sustainable growth. But with so many options available, where do you even start? This comprehensive guide is your roadmap, written especially for product managers, marketers, and project managers. We’ll break down everything you need to know about NPS – from the basics to choosing your ideal NPS survey software and turning those insights gained into a customer-winning strategy.
Contents:
Net Promoter Score, or NPS, is a powerful metric directly linked to your business’s growth potential.
At its core, NPS answers the question, “How likely are you to recommend our company to a friend or colleague?” Customers respond on a scale from 0 (very unlikely) to 10 (extremely likely). Based on their answers, customers fall into three categories:
NPS is also a key performance indicator with tangible benefits for those building great products:
Product marketing managers find NPS scores invaluable for gathering authentic marketing fuel. Positive reviews and testimonials gained directly from happy customers provide powerful social proof. Understanding the reasons behind those high scores also helps them craft compelling messages highlighting what customers love about the product, attracting potential users.
Here’s why NPS should be on your radar:
Beyond the apparent benefits, a high NPS often leads to revenue increase, lower customer churn and higher employee morale.
While the classic “How likely are you to recommend us?” question is the foundation of NPS, there’s more to consider. Understanding the different types of NPS surveys will help you choose the right timing and focus to make the most of customer insights. Let’s break them down:
Transactional NPS zeroes in on the customer’s feelings immediately following a specific interaction with your company. Typical examples include:
Transactional NPS pinpoints precise “hotspots” of delight or frustration in the customer journey. It gives you immediate, actionable feedback to fix pain points before they escalate and cause churn.
Think of relationship NPS as your customer satisfaction checkup. It assesses how customers feel about your company, not just a single touchpoint, and is typically sent out quarterly or annually.
Relationship NPS gives you a sense of your overall brand health. A gradual decline might indicate problems brewing, even if individual interactions are okay. This signals that you should step back and look for larger trends impacting the customer experience.
Using a combination of transactional and relationship indicators, NPS provides a multidimensional view of customer sentiment. This level of insight is vital in making proactive, data-driven decisions that fuel lasting customer loyalty.
True customer-centricity and better customer experiences (CX) come from the strategic way you analyze feedback and translate it into meaningful action.
Let’s look at hypothetical examples inspired by real-life situations where companies successfully leveraged NPS data to enhance their CX, boosting customer satisfaction and loyalty.
NPS is your organization’s direct connection to the hearts and minds of your customers. By diligently analyzing both the scores themselves and the rich qualitative insights, you’ll gain clarity on how to make targeted CX improvements. This commitment fosters an authentic customer-first culture, leading to increased satisfaction, loyalty, and a thriving business.
Choosing the right NPS score tool can be nerve-wracking. Finding a platform that not only collects customer feedback but also enables you to uncover insights is a must. Below are some key considerations that will guide you toward the perfect fit.
As a busy team, you require a tool with an intuitive interface. Can you quickly design and launch NPS surveys without relying on dedicated developers? This factor directly impacts how often you measure NPS.
Beamer NPS tool, no code required installation.
A well-integrated NPS score tool is a powerful asset. Look for smooth connections with your existing systems:
Consider the degree of flexibility you require:
Beamer NPS customization options.
Your needs depend on the maturity of your NPS program:
Beamer NPS detailed analytics dashboard.
While seemingly small, the tone of the survey impacts response rates. Some tools are purely functional; others allow for a more playful and engaging experience. Does this align with your brand voice?
Look carefully at pricing tiers and potential limitations (number of surveys, responses, etc.). Can the NPS score tool accommodate your anticipated growth in terms of both usage and sophistication of your NPS analyses?
Best for: Segmented in-app NPS surveys that seamlessly blend with your product.
Why:
Free trial / Free plan: Offers a basic free plan.
Best for: B2B companies needing robust security and compliance.
Why: Features like secure storage and HIPAA compliance make it ideal for sensitive industries.
Free trial / Free plan: Yes, a free plan is provided.
Best for: Omnichannel survey delivery and automated feedback workflows.
Why: Allows clients to reach customers anywhere they interact with the client’s business, and instantly act on responses.
Free trial / Free plan: Yes, 14 days. A limited free plan is also available.
Best for: User onboarding with integrated NPS surveys.
Why: This NPS score tool combines guidance with feedback collection to streamline product adoption and boost satisfaction.
Free trial / Free plan: Yes, 14 days.
Best for: Insights across the entire customer journey.
Why: Built-in analytics help businesses link NPS trends to specific customer touchpoints.
Free trial / Free plan: Yes, 10 days.
Best for: Engaging, mobile-first surveys.
Why: Optimized design ensures high response rates on smartphones and tablets.
Free trial / Free plan: Offers a basic free plan.
Best for: Contextual feedback and immediate issue resolution.
Why: Links survey responses to customer profiles and enables in-app messaging, empowering swift action.
Free trial / Free plan: No free trial, but they offer a demo.
Best for: Lightweight, user-friendly NPS integrated with email.
Why: Easy collection of feedback after every interaction by adding surveys to your email signature.
Free trial / Free plan: Yes, 14 days.
Best for: A free plan with essential NPS features.
Why: NPS measurement without investment, with the option for advanced features as add-ons.
Free trial / Free plan: Offers a basic free plan.
Best for: Multilingual NPS surveys.
Why: Automatic translation functionality ensures you can gather insights from a global audience.
Free trial / Free plan: Yes, limited to 100 responses.
Best for: Versatile survey formats.
Why: Easy creation of NPS surveys as polls, popups, sidebars, or embedded within your app.
Free trial / Free plan: Offers a basic free plan.
Best for: Small companies and startups on a budget.
Why: Simple and affordable solution with basic NPS functionality to get started.
Free trial / Free plan: Offers a basic free plan.
Best for: Customer success teams needing integrated NPS data.
Why: Combines NPS with other vital customer health metrics within a customer success platform.
Free trial / Free plan: No free trial, but they offer a demo.
Best for: Multi-channel feedback collection.
Why: Allows businesses to reach customers via email, SMS, in-app widgets, and website surveys for a comprehensive view of sentiment.
Free trial / Free plan: Yes, 14 days.
Best for: Gathering detailed qualitative feedback alongside NPS scores.
Why: Provides easy, optional open-ended questions after the NPS rating, giving context to the numbers.
Free trial / Free plan: Offers a basic free plan.
Best for: Generating customer reviews and testimonials.
Why: Sampling services help you gather authentic reviews that build social proof alongside your NPS score.
Free trial / Free plan: No free trial, but they offer a demo.
Best for: Access to extensive customer experience resources.
Why: Beyond its NPS tool, Hubspot offers a rich library of blogs, videos, and guides on CX best practices.
Free trial / Free plan: Offers a basic free plan.
Best for: Deep insights into the customer journey.
Why: Tracks customer sentiment across touchpoints, linking insights back to your NPS data.
Free trial / Free plan: No free trial, but they offer a demo.
Best for: Businesses seeking recognition and awards.
Why: Highly awarded customer experience platform, with NPS as a key metric. Good if industry awards are important to you.
Free trial / Free plan: No free trial, but they offer a demo.
Best for: Combining NPS with website behavior analysis.
Why: Provides visual heatmaps and session recordings alongside NPS surveys. Helps you pinpoint areas of your website driving dissatisfaction or causing customer friction.
Free trial / Free plan: Offers a basic free plan.
Best for: Highly customizable email surveys.
Why: Advanced design options for branding and tailoring email surveys to your specific needs.
Free trial / Free plan: Yes, 14 days.
Best for: Instant feedback analysis.
Why: Real-time dashboards help you spot emerging trends and address issues quickly.
Free trial / Free plan: Offers a basic free plan.
Best for: Direct customer communication via web-based texting.
Why: Customers can text feedback from your website, opening a personal feedback channel for fast follow-up.
Free trial / Free plan: Yes, 14 days.
Best for: Businesses wanting a multichannel feedback suite with NPS as a key component.
Why: Alongside robust NPS survey features, it also offers tools for customer satisfaction (CSAT), employee feedback, and market research surveys.
Free trial / Free plan: Yes, 14 days.
Best for: Closing the customer feedback loop effectively.
Why: Prioritizes actioning feedback, with workflows to empower teams based on NPS insights.
Free trial / Free plan: Offers a basic free plan.
Best for: Integrating NPS with Salesforce.
Why: Seamlessly connects NPS data into your existing Salesforce CRM for a comprehensive view of customer sentiment.
Free trial / Free plan: A free trial is available.
Best for: Ecommerce and Shopify stores.
Why: Designed specifically for online retailers, and easily integrates with Shopify for post-purchase NPS surveys.
Free trial / Free plan: Yes, 14 days.
Best for: Targeted website surveys and intercepts.
Why: Offers advanced targeting logic to show NPS surveys to specific visitor segments at key moments.
Free trial / Free plan: Offers a basic free plan.
Best for: Connecting NPS with financial metrics.
Why: Allows you to link customer sentiment with revenue and churn data for a holistic view of business impact.
Free trial / Free plan: Yes, 30 days.
Best for: Capturing and acting on customer insights.
Why: Robust feedback collection features and offers a digestible overview of insights.
Free trial / Free plan: Yes, 14 days.
Remember, there’s no single “best” NPS tool. It’s about finding the solution that best matches your company’s practical needs, goals, and nature.
While the classic NPS question is powerful in its simplicity, there are smart variations to consider to get even more valuable insights!
“Why did you give that score?” is a good starting point, but encourage specific feedback by rephrasing it to something like, “What’s one thing we could do to make your experience even better?”
Pairing NPS with other targeted questions for context adds richness. For example
Be mindful of survey length – the more questions you ask, the lower your response rate might be. Select the additional questions that align best with your current improvement goals.
A one-size-fits-all approach for NPS distribution won’t maximize your results. Let’s look at the most common channels and their ideal use cases:
Remember that your customer base isn’t consistent in how they interact with technology. To get the most representative NPS data, employ a multichannel approach:
As such, a multichannel strategy maximizes your reach but also creates a potential for data silos. Make sure your NPS solution tool can centralize data — seeing every customer’s feedback journey, regardless of where they left their scores, is crucial for meaningful analysis. Moreover, the tool must identify and segment customers to ensure you’re not bombarding one customer with repetitive surveys.
Some NPS tools update dashboards in near real-time. This level of instant access to feedback offers unique advantages:
Get Ahead of Customer Sentiment with Real-Time NPS.
You don’t have to spend a fortune to implement an NPS score tool. Consider starting with freemium options where reputable providers offer basic NPS functionality for free or at a low cost, allowing you to experiment and get familiar with the process. If your immediate need centers around a specific area like in-app surveys, feature-focused NPS score tool can be a cost-effective way to address that requirement.
Open-source solutions provide customization possibilities for the more technically inclined teams, but they’ll likely require some development resources to set up and tailor to your needs.
Even with a limited budget, a smart approach can maximize the value of your NPS survey tools. Start by focusing on the essentials – keep your initial surveys short and targeted for the highest impact. We suggest prioritizing transactional NPS, as you’ll get the most immediate and actionable feedback from surveys sent right after customer interactions.
Also, don’t underestimate the power of “low-tech” solutions like well-crafted emails triggered after key moments in the customer journey. Before investing in specialized software, this approach can be highly effective while you build your NPS program.
Choosing the right NPS survey software or tools is crucial for gaining customer insights that fuel better product decisions and long-term growth. This guide has been your roadmap, designed with product managers and marketers in mind — so what are your next steps?
Beamer’s NPS survey tool is designed to help you gather real-time customer insights directly within your product. Our in-app surveys:
Start your free trial today and watch customer feedback transform into business growth!
Natasha Berman.
Head of Demand Generation
Natasha Berman is a dedicated marketing leader, recognized for steering robust, collaborative, and data-driven marketing organizations to success. Her core belief is that PLG success is realized at the intersection of an exceptional product, a streamlined sales process, and a data-driven marketing strategy. Her passion for understanding how technical users engage with products is key to building critical experiences in the buyer's product journey.
This article is about Customer Engagement + customer feedback + Product Management + User Engagement + User Feedback
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Net Promoter®, NPS®, and the NPS-related emoticons are registered trademarks of Bain & Company, Inc., Satmetrix Systems, Inc., and Fred Reichheld. Net Promoter Score℠ and Net Promoter System℠ are service marks of Bain & Company, Inc., Satmetrix Systems, Inc., and Fred Reichheld.