Many organizations use net promoter score (NPS) as part of an overall system exclusively focused on driving the action of a product or service. David Highbloom, a 25-year entrepreneur with extensive experience in business models that accentuates competitive customer service landscapes, says a net promoter score is often undervalued. Launching NPS programs from varying angles allows a company to learn what respondents think about an entire value proposition. Bruce Temkin had this to say about NPS “While many organizations use NPS, they’re only successful when it’s deployed as part of an overall system that’s focused on driving action.” To get a sense of the different NPS approaches, the following four types can be examined in companies across the nation.
The first level is survey & report. Companies often start asking the right questions but take no action. If organizations stay in this stage, NPS programs fail or continue to operate with little impact. The ask & respond method adds another layer but still lacks meaningful change. This NPS level incorporates some operational data to understand better the people they’re contacting and helps identify improvements to business processes and even some company culture changes.
Highbloom says that organizations that continue with meaningful NPS programs understand what drives people toward and away from their product or service. This is called listen & improve and requires a cohesive connection between NPS and other experience data elements. This level of NPS increasingly incorporates operational data to understand various performance drivers of individual customer segments better.
The most advanced NPS program a company can enlist is learn & adapt. This level integrates key elements into processes that become second nature. NPS is used to drive the ongoing discovery process that uncovers information points and the shifts in customer attitudes across all customer segments, operating units, and touchpoints. With this advanced NPS program level, insights drive real-time adjustments and are a part of most strategic decisions.
NPS is an important metric to understand how your business is performing. NPS is not only focused on business revenue but also on satisfying and projecting customer needs. Highbloom says that by delivering excellent customer service and the right approach, companies can boost NPS scores and build stronger relationships effectively.
