NPS Survey Template

An NPS (Net Promoter Score) survey is a standardized questionnaire that asks customers one core question — how likely they are to recommend the company, product, or service to a friend or colleague on a 0–10 scale — followed by an open-text question asking for the reason behind the score. Respondents are categorized as promoters (9–10), passives (7–8), or detractors (0–6), and the NPS is calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters.

Send it at consistent relationship intervals rather than after specific interactions — quarterly for SaaS and subscription businesses, 2–4 weeks post-purchase for ecommerce, and annually for long-cycle service relationships. Consistency matters more than frequency: an NPS sent at the same point in the customer lifecycle every period produces a comparable trend line, while ad-hoc timing produces scores that reflect recent events rather than overall relationship health.

NPS benchmarks vary significantly by sector. SaaS companies typically see scores between 30 and 50, with top performers reaching 60 or above. Ecommerce averages cluster around 45–55. Professional services and agencies range from 40 to 60. Any score above zero means promoters outnumber detractors, which is the baseline threshold. What matters most is your trend over time and your score relative to direct competitors — absolute benchmarks across industries are less actionable than your own trajectory.

Contact detractors — scores 0–6 — within 48 hours with a personal outreach from a customer success manager, not an automated sequence, to understand the specific issue and demonstrate responsiveness before churn risk increases. For promoters — scores 9–10 — follow up with a low-friction ask: a testimonial request, a referral program invitation, or a case study conversation. Passives at 7–8 are the highest-leverage segment for improvement — a targeted check-in on what would move their score to a 9 often surfaces the most specific and actionable product or service feedback.

An NPS survey measures overall relationship loyalty and the likelihood of advocacy — it answers 'how do you feel about us as a whole?' and produces a single benchmarkable score. A CSAT survey measures satisfaction with a specific interaction or touchpoint — it answers 'how well did this particular experience go?' NPS is a lagging indicator of relationship health tracked over time; CSAT is a leading indicator of service quality measured at the moment of interaction. Both serve different diagnostic purposes: NPS identifies at-risk accounts and advocates; CSAT identifies which touchpoints need immediate operational attention.