NPS (Net Promoter Score)
NPS measures customer loyalty and likelihood to recommend, calculated from a 0-10 survey question grouped into Promoters, Passives, Detractors.
NPS measures customer loyalty and likelihood to recommend, calculated from a 0-10 survey question grouped into Promoters, Passives, Detractors.
Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a customer experience metric that measures customer loyalty and likelihood to recommend a company, product, or service. It is calculated from a single survey question — "How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?" — answered on a 0-10 scale.
NPS is the most widely used loyalty metric in B2B and consumer businesses because it correlates strongly with revenue growth, retention, and word-of-mouth referrals.
Survey responses are categorized into three groups based on the 0-10 score:
NPS = % Promoters − % Detractors
The result is a number between -100 and +100. Example: 100 responses, 60 Promoters, 25 Passives, 15 Detractors. NPS = 60% − 15% = +45.
| Industry | Average NPS | Top-Quartile NPS |
|---|---|---|
| BPO / Contact Centers | +25 | +50+ |
| SaaS / B2B Tech | +30 | +60+ |
| Financial Services | +20 | +45+ |
| Healthcare | +15 | +40+ |
| Telecom | -5 | +30+ |
| Insurance | +10 | +35+ |
A positive NPS indicates more Promoters than Detractors. Above +50 is generally considered excellent. Below 0 means more Detractors than Promoters and signals systemic CX issues.
NPS measures loyalty (likelihood to recommend, relationship-level). CSAT measures satisfaction with a specific interaction. CES measures effort required to get an issue resolved. Each answers a different question, and high-performing contact centers track all three. NPS shifts slowly; CSAT shifts fast and is more diagnostic for individual interactions.
NPS is a relationship metric driven by hundreds of micro-interactions over time. AI-powered call analysis can identify which specific call behaviors correlate with NPS movement: average handle time, first call resolution, agent tone, dead air, and resolution clarity. By auditing 100% of calls (instead of 2-5% sampling), AI QA surfaces the behavioral patterns that drive Promoters vs Detractors at the customer-segment level. Contact centers using automated call scoring can run NPS-correlated coaching: rather than coaching every agent on the same checklist, focus coaching on the specific behaviors most associated with NPS movement in that operation.
NPS varies widely by industry. For BPOs and contact centers, +25 is average, +40 is good, +50+ is top-quartile. SaaS averages higher (+30 to +60). Telecom and insurance trend lower. Compare against your industry benchmark, not absolute numbers.
NPS is a relationship metric — it should be measured periodically (quarterly or after key milestones), not after every interaction. For interaction-level satisfaction, use CSAT instead.
NPS measures overall loyalty and likelihood to recommend on a 0-10 scale. CSAT measures satisfaction with a specific interaction on a 1-5 or 1-10 scale. NPS is relationship-level and changes slowly; CSAT is interaction-level and changes call-by-call.
Indirectly. AI cannot predict whether a customer will recommend you, but it can identify the call behaviors and outcomes that historically correlate with NPS in your operation — and flag interactions that have those characteristics for follow-up.
Last updated: April 2026