Top NPS Survey Questions & Examples to Unlock Actionable Customer Insights

In the cutthroat world of business, every decision hinges on growth potential. But how do you truly gauge customer sentiment and predict future success?

Back in 2003, researchers stumbled upon a golden nugget – a single question with the power to forecast a company's revenue trajectory. This "Ultimate Question" became the cornerstone of the Net Promoter Score (NPS) system, and to this day, it remains the most potent tool for measuring customer loyalty.

But the NPS system goes beyond just a single question. The way you ask it, the follow-up questions you choose – all these elements significantly impact your results.

In this article, we will explore some of the top NPS survey question types with examples used to measure customer loyalty and experience in different scenarios and dig deeper into customer insights. You will get to learn how small changes in words can make your survey perfect to serve your purpose and connect with your audience to gather actionable feedback and valuable insights. Let's get started!

TL;DR

• Net Promoter Score (NPS) measures customer satisfaction and loyalty and gauges their willingness to recommend your business.

• NPS surveys consist of a rating feedback question and a follow-up question, allowing for a comprehensive understanding of the likelihood of customers to recommend your business.

• Different scenarios, such as rating for your business, product, support staff, employee NPS, etc can be addressed with tailored qualitative and quantitative NPS survey questions.

• You can use Zonka Feedback to streamline the process, ensuring timely and meaningful actions based on the NPS response that you receive. To understand how Zonka Feedback can help you create, send, and measure Net Promoter Score, sign up for a free 7-day trial or schedule a demo. 

Measure Customer Loyalty with NPS ❤️

Create NPS surveys, measure customer loyalty, and close the feedback loop with Zonka Feedback.

What is NPS Survey Question?

Imagine you're at a dinner party, raving to your friends about a fantastic new restaurant you just tried. That's the essence of what an NPS survey aims to capture – it gauges how likely your customers are to be your biggest fans.

The Net Promoter Score question or NPS survey question is a powerful punch in the world of customer experience and it boils down to one key question:

"On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend [your company/product/service] to a friend or colleague?"

The NPS survey question is generally followed up with an open-ended NPS follow-up question seeking reasoning for the score. While the NPS question hits the bull's eye for the quantitative score in your NPS survey, the follow-up NPS question helps you know the reason, which is crucial for taking action based on the feedback.

Why is NPS Survey Question Important?

Many studies have revealed that companies with higher NPS scores grow faster and have a quantifiable impact on revenue. According to research conducted by the London School of Economics, a 7% increase in NPS correlates to a 1% increase in revenue overall.

This means that if your company has a current NPS of 30 and annual revenue of $100 million. A 7% increase in NPS would bring your score to 37. Based on the research, this could potentially translate to a 1% increase in revenue, which translates to an additional $1 million in annual sales.

This is just one example, and the exact impact will vary depending on your industry, customer base, and retention but that being said, the importance of NPS survey questions for your business cannot be overlooked.

Here are some more reasons other than predictive business growth why the NPS survey question plays an important role in your feedback strategy.

• Identify Different Customer Types: The NPS score isn't just a single number. It segments your customers into distinct groups: Promoters (loyal advocates, score 9-10) who drive positive word-of-mouth, Passives (at-risk customers, score 7-8) who could churn without intervention, and Detractors (unhappy customers, score 0-6) who can damage your reputation. This intel allows you to tailor strategies for each group. You can delight Promoters with exclusive programs, proactively address Passives' concerns to prevent churn, and win back Detractors by resolving their issues.

• Provides Granular Insights: The standard NPS is powerful, but for laser focus, consider Transactional NPS(tNPS) that measures satisfaction with specific interactions (e.g., a new product launch), while Relationship NPS(rNPS) gauges overall customer loyalty. This granular data collected helps pinpoint areas for improvement in specific touchpoints or across the entire customer journey. With this information, you can identify a clunky checkout process through tNPS or a disconnect between marketing promises and customer experience through rNPS. This allows you to prioritize investments and track the impact of improvement initiatives.

• Benchmarking and Performance Tracking: By benchmarking your score against industry averages, you can see how you stack up against your competitors. Are you exceeding expectations or falling behind? This competitive intelligence helps you set realistic goals and identify areas where your rivals might be excelling. Imagine discovering that your industry average is 45, while your score sits at a disappointing 30. This knowledge can spark strategic discussions about customer experience improvements and resource allocation to close the gap.

• Driver Analysis with Follow-Up Question: The NPS question is just the first act. The real magic happens with the follow-up question. This is where Detractors can vent (valuable feedback), and Promoters can share their love (even more valuable). Analyzing these responses unlocks the "why" behind the scores. Imagine a Detractor mentioning a confusing user interface or a Promoter praising the exceptional customer service. This information can empower you to address specific pain points and reinforce positive experiences, leading to more satisfied and loyal customers.

Sample NPS Survey to Gauge Customer Loyalty

Here's a standard NPS survey template that consists of the standard NPS question and an open-ended question to let customers share their answers in their own words. You can always customize the NPS survey templates and get specific feedback, for example, the likeliness of your customers to recommend you based on customer support. 

While conducting an NPS survey, various important factors are responsible for its success. One among them is the phrasing of the Net Promoter Score question and the follow-up question.

Types of NPS Survey Questions You Can Ask 

The Net Promoter Score survey consists of two major questions out of which one is a primary question and another is the driver open-ended question. Using both in an NPS survey can get you the best response that you can use to analyze and act on feedback. Let's look at both types:

1. Primary NPS Survey Questions Examples

The standard NPS survey question is ‘How likely are you to recommend us to your friends and family?'. Based on what you're seeking the rating for, you can modify this question's phrasing to suit the scenario.

The Net Promoter Score survey question can be modified by changing its wording to ask the exact question you want to ask based on who you are surveying and when.

a. NPS Survey Question to Reduce Customer Churn for your Business

The NPS question acts as an early warning sign by identifying at-risk customers (scores 0-6) before they churn. This allows you to intervene proactively, address their concerns, and potentially win them back. If your customers are frustrated with a recent interaction and you can offer them a personalized solution, then why not? This proactive approach can significantly reduce churn rates and protect your valuable customer base.

While acquiring new customers is significantly more expensive than retaining existing ones, why not opt to save your company significant resources and boost your bottom line?

You can include this NPS survey question to eliminate the possible causes of customer churn.

"On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend our business to a friend or colleague?"

b. NPS Survey Question to Improve Customer Lifetime Value

Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) represents the total revenue a customer generates throughout their relationship with your company. The Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey can play a crucial role in improving CLV in two ways:

1. Cross-Selling/Upselling to Happy Customers: By identifying promoters, you can look out for opportunities where customers might benefit from additional products or services that complement their current purchases. If a customer expresses high satisfaction with your core product, you can reach out to them to inquire about their interest in a newly launched add-on feature that further enhances their experience. This approach allows you to increase customers satisfaction and revenue simultaneously.

2. Nurturing Loyalty of Unhappy Customers: While happy customers are valuable, unhappy customers represent an opportunity to improve and potentially convert them into loyal advocates. You can analyze their responses to identify specific pain points and take immediate action to address them. For instance, if a detractor mentions a frustrating customer service experience, you can follow up personally to resolve the issue and demonstrate your commitment to their satisfaction.

Here is an NPS survey question that you can use to enhance your customer lifetime value:

"On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend our product/service to a friend or colleague?"

c. NPS Survey Question to Optimize Product Development

The NPS survey question that focuses on product development is more than just a metric; it's a feedback loop that ensures your development efforts are aligned with customer needs.

It bridges the gap between creating innovative products and features that customers would truly value. The NPS survey questions specifically targeted towards beta testers who have used the new feature, allow you to get insights into the functionality and user experience of the new feature. This feedback can reveal any usability issues, highlight valuable aspects of the feature, and suggest potential improvements before a wider release.

Additionally, you have the added advantage of:

• Prioritizing Feature Development Based on Customer Needs: Features consistently receiving high NPS scores are clear winners. This data informs future development decisions, ensuring you prioritize features that resonate most with your customer base and drive adoption.

• Course-Correcting Underperforming Features: Features with low NPS scores might require further development or even scrapping altogether. By identifying these early on, you can reallocate resources towards features with higher customer value potential.

The NPS survey question that you can use to optimize your product development would include:

"On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend our product to a friend or colleague?"

d. NPS Survey Question to Enhance Customer Support

Customer support has a significant impact on customer loyalty and satisfaction, and that is why 73% of customers will switch to a competitor after multiple bad experiences. That is why investing in a data-driven approach to customer support through NPS surveys allows you to move beyond reactive issue resolution and build a customer-centric support experience that promotes loyalty and drives long-term business growth.

Even though we recommend using CES surveys for post-service feedback, Net Promoter Score surveys are also popularly used for this type of feedback. You can integrate NPS software with your Helpdesk tools and trigger NPS surveys when tickets are closed.

Here are some compelling reasons why your NPS survey question can be an effective tool for enhancing customer support.

• Identifying Service Gaps: Low NPS scores can reveal issues like knowledge gaps or inefficient processes. Addressing these improves support quality and prevents future frustration.

• Prioritize Training Needs: NPS feedback highlights areas for additional training, such as product knowledge or communication skills, empowering your team to deliver better service.

• Identify High-Performing Support Agents: NPS scores, coupled with additional customer feedback, can help identify top-performing support agents who consistently deliver exceptional service. Recognizing and rewarding them motivates the team and sets a high standard.

Include this NPS survey question if you want to use it to enhance customer support:

"Based on your recent interaction with our support staff, how likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?"

e. Employee Net Promoter Score Question

A key driver for your business success is attracting and retaining top talent. While traditional metrics often fall short in capturing employee sentiment, the Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) survey question offers a powerful tool to gain valuable insights into employee loyalty and engagement.

If your eNPS is high, there is a strong likelihood of employee retention, reducing costly turnover and its associated expenses. Also, employees who feel valued and motivated are more likely to go the extra mile for their customers, leading to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Once you have your eNPS in place, you can analyze it to identify areas for improvement within your company culture, such as recognition programs, career development opportunities, or work-life balance initiatives. This allows you to develop targeted action plans to address unhappy employees and improve overall engagement.

Your eNPS survey question would include:

"On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our company as a place to work to your friends or colleagues?"

f. Relationship Net Promoter Score Questions

A Relationship Net Promoter Score (rNPS) survey measures your overall customer satisfaction on an ongoing basis. These surveys provide a high-level view of your brand health from the customer's perspective.

If you have to conduct NPS surveys periodically, you can leverage NPS software that offers automation features where rNPS surveys can be automatically triggered after a certain time period. By doing so, you can monitor trends in customer satisfaction and measure the impact of your customer-centric initiatives.

You can utilize relationship NPS surveys for:

• Regular Customer Check-Ins: Conduct rNPS surveys quarterly or biannually to track overall customer sentiment and identify potential issues before they escalate.

• Understanding Brand Perception: Understand how customers perceive the brand as a whole, beyond individual transactions.

• Account Management: For B2B companies, rNPS can be used to measure satisfaction among key accounts periodically, helping to manage relationships better.

• Product Lifecycle Feedback: Gauge customer sentiment at different stages of the product lifecycle (e.g., after significant updates or changes).

The NPS survey question for relationship Net Promoter Score would be framed along these lines:

"Based on your overall experience with our company, how likely are you to recommend us to your business network?"

g. Transactional Net Promoter Score Questions

Transactional Net Promoter Score (tNPS) surveys are triggered after every key interaction with your brand — such as a purchase, upgrade, or delivery to understand the impact on customer sentiment. By strategically placing tNPS surveys throughout the customer journey, you gain insights into which touchpoints create Promoters, Passives, and Detractors. This allows you to identify areas for improvement and optimize each stage of the customer experience for maximum satisfaction.

Here are some prime moments to deploy your tNPS surveys:

• Post-Purchase: Right after a purchase, capture customer sentiment about the buying process and product expectations.

• Delivery and Fulfillment: Assess customer satisfaction with the delivery process and timeliness of order fulfillment.

• Customer Service: Following a support interaction, use tNPS to gauge customer satisfaction with the service received.

• Product Usage Feedback: Gather feedback after a customer uses a product or service for the first time to assess initial impressions and usability.

The NPS survey question for transactional Net Promoter Score would be framed along these lines:

"Based on your recent purchase of [specific product or service], how likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?"

2. Driver NPS Survey Question Examples

Driver NPS survey questions are those that follow up on the core NPS question and go beyond simply classifying customers as Promoters, Passives, and Detractors. They delve deeper into the "why" behind a customer's score. Imagine the core NPS question as a smoke alarm. It tells you there's a potential problem (low score), but driver NPS questions are like the firefighter. They help you identify the source of the issue (customer feedback) through open-ended inquiries.

While asking an open-ended qualitative feedback question after the core question should be your practice, keep in mind that asking between two and six questions usually gets you the most responses—and the most detailed results.

a. Standard Open-Ended NPS Survey Question for Follow-Up

The most basic NPS question for follow-up that most businesses add after an NPS score question is asking for the reason for the score. The reasoning-based open-ended survey questions can help you focus on the root of why customers become detractors, passives, or promoters. The standard follow-up NPS questions include:

"What is the primary reason for your score?"

There are several benefits of asking the reason for your score. 

• Turn Detractors and Passives into Promoters: Imagine a customer gives a low score (Detractor). The follow-up question reveals they had a frustrating experience with customer support. By understanding this "why," you can proactively reach out, address their concerns, and potentially turn them into a satisfied customer (Promoter) in the future. Similarly, a Passive customer who provides feedback on a confusing onboarding process can help you improve that experience for future customers.

• Close the Customer Feedback Loop Quickly: The "reason for the score" question is crucial for closing the loop. By understanding customer feedback, you can take action (improve customer support, streamline onboarding) and then follow up with the customer to demonstrate that their voice has been heard. This not only builds trust but also shows your commitment to improvement.

• Building Customer Loyalty: Addressing customer concerns promptly and proactively demonstrates that you value their feedback and their business. This promotes customer loyalty and encourages them to continue using your service/product and recommend it to others.

b. Open-Ended NPS Survey Question Gauging the Reason for Churn

Customer churn is like a dark room. You know people are leaving, but you can't see why. Open-ended NPS questions here would act like a light switch, illuminating the reasons for churn and allowing you to make necessary changes to keep the room bright and welcoming for your customers.

"What is one thing we could do to improve your experience with our company?"

Through open-ended NPS survey questions that gauge the reason for churn, you can identify patterns in the NPS feedback response.

• For example, by analyzing responses from Detractors and Passives, you can come across reasons such as poor customer service experiences, product features that don't meet customer needs, confusing pricing or billing issues, and a difficult onboarding process.

• You need to address these issues with targeted action plans such as improving customer service training, enhancing product features based on customer feedback, simplifying the pricing structure, and streamlining the onboarding process.

• Additionally, by understanding why customers leave, you can develop proactive retention strategies to prevent churn in the first place. This might include offering targeted support to at-risk customers, providing educational resources to help customers get the most out of your product, and implementing loyalty programs to reward long-term customers.

c. Open-Ended NPS Survey Question for Driving Product Roadmap

Through open-ended feedback from the NPS survey, you can easily target each segment of your customer base — Detractors, Passives, and Promoters — and identify the features they like and the ones they find problematic.

For example, Promoters can suggest to you the features they love the most, and the problems your product solves for them, Passives can reveal features they find just "okay" or missing functionalities altogether and Detractor frustrations reveal areas where your product falls short. Based on the NPS feedback, you can identify common pain points or cater to high-value Promoters to become development priorities.

Some open-ended NPS survey questions that you can include in your NPS survey include:

• What is one thing we could change about our product that would make you use it more often?

• What problem are you currently trying to solve that our product doesn't fully address?

• If you could add one new feature to our product that would make your experience even better. What would that feature be and why?

Through open-ended NPS survey questions, you can also:

• Validate Assumptions: Do you have assumptions about what features customers would love? You can validate those assumptions or get surprising insights. This data-driven approach ensures your product roadmap reflects real customer desires, not just internal speculation.

• Build a Customer-Centric Roadmap: Open-ended questions allow for continuous feedback loops, ensuring your product evolves alongside your customers' needs.

• Perform Iterative Development: By incorporating customer feedback throughout the development process, you can create a product roadmap that truly resonates with your target market.

d. Open-Ended NPS Survey Question for Customer Support

A quantitative NPS survey question must be complemented with a qualitative open-ended question. This would offer you with a more comprehensive understanding of customer sentiments. You can segment your customer groups and identify their concerns.

"What did you particularly appreciate about your recent interaction with our customer support team?"

For example, your Promoters can reveal that they had a great experience because the agents were knowledgeable and helpful. This reveals the positive aspects of your customer support - the areas that are your strengths and need to be maintained.

On the contrary, your Passives suggest that it took some time to connect with the customer support agent and Detractors reveal their frustration by highlighting the inability of the agent to offer any resolution.

The actionable steps that you can take to convert your Passives and Detractors into Promoters can include:

• Improve Agent Knowledge: Based on Detractor feedback, you might provide additional training on specific product areas.

• Streamline Processes: Passive feedback might suggest implementing a live chat option or a more efficient troubleshooting guide.

e. Open-Ended NPS Survey Question for Post-Purchase

You might have complex customer journeys that can extend well beyond the initial purchase. Open-ended NPS survey questions help you gather detailed feedback and understand the nuances of the post-purchase experience.

This could include satisfaction with various aspects such as product performance, delivery and setup, post-purchase engagement, customer support, and perceived value for money. By collecting open-ended NPS feedback at the post-purchase customer journey, you can identify recurring issues that can inform product/service improvements, enhance customer support, and improve customer relationships which would over time improve your NPS score.

Include any of these open-ended NPS survey questions to gauge post-purchase satisfaction:

• How would you describe the delivery and setup of the product you recently purchased?

• How do you think can we enhance our product to better meet your needs?

• How can we improve our customer support to make your experience better?

f. Open-Ended NPS Survey Question for eNPS

Open-ended questions following the core eNPS question unlocks crucial information such as whether employees are Promoters because of a positive company culture, strong leadership, or exciting work opportunities. Are they Detractors due to a lack of career development, low morale, or work-life balance issues?

Knowing the reason behind the eNPS score allows you to take targeted action.

• Positive feedback from Promoters highlights areas to maintain or amplify.

• Feedback from Passives provides insights into areas that are satisfactory but could be enhanced to turn these employees into Promoters.

• Detractor feedback reveals areas where significant improvement is needed to address employee concerns and prevent turnover.

By acting on employee feedback, you can create a more positive work environment, leading to increased employee engagement and productivity. This translates to a happier workforce and a stronger employer brand, attracting top talent in the competitive job market.

Here are some Employee Net Promoter Score survey questions that you can choose to add in your NPS survey based on your core NPS survey question.

• What changes or improvements would increase your likelihood of recommending our company as a place to work?

• Can you describe your experience with the work environment and company culture?

• How do you think can we improve the work-life balance at our company?

• How can we offer you more career development opportunities to hone your skills?

g. Open-Ended Questions for Detractors, Passives and Promoters

By tailoring open-ended NPS questions for each customer segment, i.e., Detractors, Promoters, and Passives, you gain a more nuanced understanding of their experiences. This valuable data allows you to refine your NPS survey goal which could focus on:

• Detractors: Understand their frustrations and identify areas for improvement.

• Passives: Understand their perspective, address their needs, exceed their expectations, and turn them into Promoters.

• Promoters: Understand what delights them and identify potential areas for further satisfaction and strengthen brand loyalty.

Here's how to frame open-ended questions for each segment:

For Detractors, your focus should be on the pain points they are facing and identifying areas for improvement. Your open-ended NPS survey question should open the door for feedback where they can express their concerns and suggest changes.

• What specific issue(s) did you experience that led you to give this score?

• What could we have done differently to earn a higher score from you?

• Is there anything else you'd like to share about your experience?

For Passives, you should aim to understand what aspects of their experience are just satisfactory and identify opportunities to enhance their satisfaction and loyalty

• What factors influenced your decision to give this score?

• What could we do to improve your experience?

• Were there any specific aspects of your experience that fell short of your expectations?

For Promoters, you should identify areas for advocacy and gather future improvement ideas.

• What did you enjoy most about your experience with our company?

• What would make you even more likely to recommend us to others?

• What new features or services would make you even more satisfied?

End your NPS Survey Question with a Thank You Message

According to a Rockefeller Corporation study, 68% of customers turn their backs on companies because they feel unappreciated. Always appreciate the efforts of your customers and connect with their emotions to develop long-term customer relationships. 

By incorporating personalized thank you messages within your NPS survey, you demonstrate a genuine appreciation for customer feedback, regardless of the score. This valuable data, coupled with emotional connection, empowers you to:

• Uncover Detractor Pain Points: Thank Detractors for their honest feedback. Express your respect for their suggestions and highlight your commitment to improvement. Let them know you'll be reaching out to explore their insights further, demonstrating a proactive approach to addressing their concerns.

• Example: "Thank you for your honest feedback. We highly respect your suggestions and are committed to continuous improvement. We'll be reaching out to explore how we can exceed your expectations."

• Engage Passives as Partners: Thank Passives for their valuable input. Emphasize the importance of their thoughts, ideas, and suggestions in shaping your product/service to be more business-centric. This positions them as partners in your success.

• Example: "Thank you for your valuable feedback. Your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions are crucial to us as we strive to develop a product that perfectly aligns with your business needs."

• Empower Promoters as Advocates: Thank Promoters for their enthusiasm. Let them know their feedback helps you deliver a best-in-class experience for all your customers. This reinforces their positive perception and encourages advocacy.

• Example: "Thank you for your enthusiastic feedback! We're thrilled you enjoy our product/service. Your insights are essential as we strive to deliver a best-in-class experience for all our valued customers."

When & Where to Implement NPS Survey Questions?

Now that you know the kind of NPS survey questions to ask in your NPS survey, you should also be aware of when and where you ask these questions can significantly impact the data you collect and the actionable insights you gain. Here's a breakdown of optimal timing for both Relationship NPS (rNPS) and Transactional NPS (tNPS) so that you can make the best of your NPS survey questions:

a. Relationship NPS Timing

Since the rNPS survey question would help you gauge overall customer sentiment and brand perception, a quarterly or biannual schedule is a good starting point.

For example, you can conduct quarterly rNPS surveys to all active customers and send targeted rNPS survey to new customers 30 days after onboarding to gauge their initial experience.

b. Transactional NPS Timing

Since tNPS surveys are tied to customer interaction, they are more one-off surveys timed to collect feedback immediately after that interaction has taken place. This approach captures the customer's experience while it is still fresh in their memory, leading to more accurate and actionable insights.

For example, you can send a tNPS survey via email to customers immediately after a support representative resolves their issue. This will allow you to identify opportunities for improvement within their support processes.

NPS Survey Channels to Get Maximum Customer Engagement

The survey channel you choose to deliver the NPS survey questions can significantly impact your response rate and the quality of the data you collect. Here's a breakdown of the most common NPS survey channels and how to leverage them for maximum customer engagement.

• Email: A versatile channel for sending personalized rNPS surveys to a large customer base at regular intervals. You can segment your email list and tailor the message accordingly. (e.g., quarterly surveys to all active customers, targeted surveys to new customers after onboarding)

• Website: Most suitable for tNPS survey questions, this survey channel offers an immediate opportunity to capture feedback after a specific interaction on your website. You can trigger pop-ups based on user behavior such as after completing a purchase, or visiting a specific page.

• In-app: Perfect for capturing immediate feedback on specific features or functionalities within your app. (e.g., after completing a task, or encountering a bug). You can trigger in-app surveys after key user actions such as completing a task, logging out, etc.

• SMS: A convenient option for short and simple surveys tied to a specific transaction such as after a support ticket is resolved. They have high open rates, convenient, and are accessible to most customers but keep in mind the timing to avoid inconveniencing customers.

• Offline: Suitable for collecting feedback in physical locations such as retail stores, events, hospitality venues, and other in-person settings. You can set up kiosks or tablets in your physical location where customers can quickly provide feedback.

Managing the NPS Process with Zonka Feedback for Scalable Customer Insights

If you have an extensive customer base, collecting manual feedback would be impractical for your Net Promoter Score methodology. Utilizing a CX survey tool like Zonka Feedback can help in resource optimization, efficient analysis of customer sentiments, and higher returns on customer experience investments.

This is done by maximizing on its potential features which offers advanced customer segmentation, sentiment analysis, NPS automation, and closing the feedback loop that works together to make your NPS program a success.

1. Tailor NPS Approach to Target Specific Customers

By using Zonka Feedback, you can segment your customer base using various criteria, creating a more nuanced understanding of their needs and behaviors. This can be followed up by asking the right question using appropriate nps question wording and addressing segment specific concerns with targeted solutions.

For example, say you run an e-commerce clothing company and you want to improve customer satisfaction and drive repeat purchases. You can start by segmenting your customer base using relevant criteria such as:

• Purchase History: Frequent Buyers vs. One-Time Purchasers

• Product Category: Focus on specific categories like Apparel vs. Accessories

• NPS Score: Promoters (Scores 9-10), Passives (Scores 7-8), and Detractors (Scores 0-6)

This segmentation would allow you to see a more nuanced picture. For example, you might discover that:

• Frequent Buyers (Apparel): Love the wide selection and fast shipping but might struggle with finding the right size due to limited size guides.

• One-Time Purchasers (Accessories): Unhappy with the return policy and might have encountered a slow and confusing checkout process.

• Detractors (Formal Wear): Dissatisfied with the quality of formal wear and might suggest offering more established brands.

With these insights, you can create targeted NPS surveys for each segment:

• Frequent Buyers (Apparel): Ask about their experience with sizing and offer a solution like implementing a more detailed size guide or a virtual try-on feature.

• One-Time Purchasers (Accessories): Acknowledge their concerns about the return policy and simplify the return process through the survey. Additionally, inquire about their checkout experience to identify areas for improvement.

• Detractors (Formal Wear): Express empathy for their experience and ask for specific feedback on the quality issues. Offer them a discount or store credit to encourage a second chance while considering expanding their formal wear brand selection.

By analyzing segment-specific NPS data, you can then develop personalized action plans for each segment:

• Frequent Buyers (Apparel): Develop a comprehensive size guide with detailed measurements and consider offering a virtual try-on experience to reduce size-related returns.

• One-Time Purchasers (Accessories): Simplify the return policy by outlining clear steps and offering a pre-paid return shipping label. Additionally, streamline the checkout process by minimizing unnecessary steps or offering guest checkout options.

• Detractors (Formal Wear): Investigate the quality concerns and potentially partner with more established brands to expand their formal wear selection while addressing the feedback received.

This results in a more positive and engaging customer experience for each segment for your customer base, leading to increased customer lifetime value and a competitive edge in the e-commerce landscape.

2. Automating the NPS Journey

Manually managing NPS surveys can be time-consuming and inefficient, therefore you must look out for NPS survey tools that offer automation features empower you to streamline the NPS process. This could include scheduling NPS surveys, triggering NPS surveys based on events, automating across website and in-apps, and staying updated on feedback and emerging issues with real-time alerts.

For example, if you run a food delivery app and want to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty and ensure a smooth delivery experience, you can utilize online survey tools like Zonka Feedback to automate the NPS process.

• Schedule NPS Surveys: You can schedule automated NPS surveys to be sent to customers 24 hours after each delivery. This captures fresh memories of the experience and maximizes response rates.

• Trigger NPS Surveys Based on Events: You can integrate Zonka Feedback with your delivery management system. This allows you to trigger an NPS survey immediately after an order is delivered, capturing real-time feedback on factors like delivery speed and food quality.

• Automate Website & In-App Surveys: You can also display a short NPS survey within the app upon order completion. This allows customers to provide immediate feedback on the ordering process and user interface.

• Receive Real-Time Alerts & Notifications: You can get instant alerts to your customer service team whenever a Detractor score is received. This allows for prompt intervention and proactive issue resolution, potentially turning a negative customer experience into a positive one.

This streamlined NPS approach translates to faster issue resolution, improved customer satisfaction, and ultimately, increased repeat business for your food delivery app. You can focus on delivering delicious food and a seamless user experience, confident that you have a system in place to continuously gather valuable customer feedback and make data-driven improvements.

3. Understanding Customer Emotions from NPS Survey Responses

By utilizing NPS software that allows you to dig deeper into customers sentiment, you can gain a comprehensive understanding of the emotions driving customer feedback. Customer comments and open-ended feedback hold a wealth of hidden insights. Zonka Feedback's AI-powered sentiment analysis empowers you to go beyond the NPS score and understand the real reason behind the feedback. You can identify the emotions, intent, and urgency in the feedback and uncover key themes for data-driven decision-making.

For example, let's say you run a travel booking platform and want to improve customer experience and drive loyalty. You have shared your NPS survey along with its driver question and you have feedback that looks something like this:

• Promoter (Score 9): "Amazing experience! The hotel recommendations were perfect, and the booking process was smooth."

• Passive (Score 7): "The trip was good overall, but the flight options were limited."

• Detractor (Score 3): "Disappointed! The customer service was terrible when I had to change my flight dates."

From these feedback, Zonka Feedback's AI-powered sentiment analysis would identify the sentiments, intent and entity of the feedback as:

• Sentiment Analysis: To assess the tone of customer feedback

  • Promoter: Positive sentiment with words like "amazing," "perfect," and "smooth."

  • Passive: Neutral sentiment with words like "good overall" but also identifies a negative aspect with "limited."

  • Detractor: Strong negative sentiment with words like "disappointed," "terrible," and "change."

• Intent and Urgency: To determine the customer's immediate needs and the priority of their issues 

  • Promoter: The intent is to praise the hotel recommendations and booking process.

  • Passive: The intent is to provide constructive criticism regarding limited flight options. There's a mild sense of urgency to improve this aspect.

  • Detractor: The intent is to express dissatisfaction with customer service during a flight date change. There's a strong sense of urgency to address this issue.

• Entity Recognition: Identify specific people, products, or services mentioned in feedback 

  • Promoter: AI tags "hotel recommendations" and "booking process" as key entities.

  • Passive: AI identifies "flight options" as a key entity needing improvement.

  • Detractor: AI recognizes "customer service" and "change flight dates" as critical entities for customer dissatisfaction.

With such information in hand, you can explore how your travel booking platform can improve services and drive customer loyalty. The subsequent steps would be:

1. Address Pain Points with Urgency: Identify and prioritize critical issues highlighted by customers to enhance their experience and loyalty.

• Detractor (Customer Service): The strong negative sentiment and urgency surrounding "customer service" and "change flight dates" demand immediate attention. Investigate the cause of the poor experience. Consider offering self-service options for flight changes or improving call center staffing to reduce wait times. Additionally, follow up with the Detractor to apologize and ensure their issue is resolved promptly.

2. Prioritize Based on Sentiment Strength: Focus on the intensity of customer sentiments to prioritize actions and allocate resources effectively.

• Promoter (Positive Sentiment): Showcase positive feedback about hotel recommendations and the booking process in marketing materials and customer testimonials. This reinforces your strengths and builds trust with potential customers.

• Passive (Neutral/Mildly Negative Sentiment): The "limited flight options" comment deserves attention but doesn't convey the same urgency as the Detractor's feedback. Explore expanding your flight search engine partnerships or implement filters for a wider variety of flight options based on customer needs.

3. Focus on Customer Intent and Entity Recognition: Understand customer intentions and identify specific entities in feedback to tailor responses and improvements.

• Promoter: Their intent is to praise specific aspects of your service. Consider a targeted loyalty program that rewards repeat customers who appreciate these strengths.

• Passive & Detractor: Their feedback highlights areas for improvement ("flight options" and "customer service"). Focus improvement efforts on these entities based on the identified intent (constructive criticism vs. dissatisfaction).

4. Promote Positive Customer Interactions: By addressing customer concerns and highlighting positive experiences, you create a more positive customer journey. This can involve:

• Personalized Communication: Reach out to Promoters with appreciation and explore loyalty program options. Respond to Passives with a plan to address their concerns regarding flight options. Proactively address the Detractor's issue and apologize for the inconvenience.

• Improved User Experience: Implement changes based on entity recognition – expanding flight options or improving customer service response times.

4. Closing the Feedback Loop for Boosting Loyalty

With Zonka Feedback, you can efficiently and effectively close the feedback loop, ensuring that customer feedback is not only collected but also acted upon.

With 71% of consumers stating that a quick response from customer service improves their experience with a brand, timely responses are crucial. Zonka Feedback helps ensure that every customer feels heard and valued through its automated response system and workflows. With this, you can:

• Automate Responses: Automatically send a thank-you email to customers as soon as they share their feedback. This immediate acknowledgment reinforces that their input is appreciated.

• Send Targeted Responses: Automatically send follow-up surveys to Detractors to understand their concerns in detail, or request testimonials from Promoters. This targeted approach shows customers that their feedback directly influences your actions.

• Get Real-Time Notifications: Automatically notify the relevant team members as soon as specific feedback is received. For example, direct complaints about food quality to the chef, or issues with customer support to the support team.

• Perform Task Tagging: Tag team members in responses to clarify responsibilities and ensure prompt action. This organization streamlines internal processes and ensures accountability.

• Take Integrated Actions: Integrate with business software to automate further actions, such as creating or closing customer support tickets based on feedback. This seamless integration enhances efficiency and ensures a holistic approach to feedback management.

Conclusion

NPS survey questions are a powerful tool for understanding customer loyalty and identifying areas for improvement. By asking the right questions, you can gather valuable insights that help drive strategic decisions and enhance customer satisfaction. However, the true value of NPS surveys lies in how you act on the feedback collected.

Zonka Feedback offers a suite of features that streamline the NPS process, including survey templates, multichannel NPS, automation tools, and centralized data management. This allows you to collaborate effectively across teams and focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences.

Sign up with Zonka Feedback for a free 7-day trial or schedule a demo to talk to our product teams and understand how you can use this NPS software to boost the loyalty of customers, reduce churn, and increase brand advocates.