How to Calculate the Net Promoter Score (NPS): Formula & Methods

The Standard NPS Formula

The standard NPS formula is: subtract the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters. To calculate the NPS, gather customer feedback by asking the standard NPS question: “How likely are you to recommend us on a scale of 0 to 10?” If 80% of respondents are promoters and 10% are detractors, you have an NPS of 70.

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What are Promoters in NPS?

Promoters in NPS are those who respond to the question “How likely are you to recommend this product/company to a friend or colleague?” with a rating of 9 or 10. Due to their high customer loyalty, promoters are likely to stick with your company and act as brand ambassadors through word-of-mouth, contributing to business growth.

What are Detractors in NPS?

Detractors are those who answer the NPS question with a score between 0 and 6. They are dissatisfied customers who are unlikely to recommend your products and may even discourage others from purchasing from you. One of your main goals should be to reduce the number of detractors by improving the customer experience along their journey.

What About Passives?

Between the detractors and promoters are the passives, who rate the NPS question with a score of 7 or 8. They can be considered “passively satisfied” with your product or service. However, they are not particularly loyal and can be easily swayed by competitors. It’s important to consider what you can improve to turn passives into promoters.

3 Methods to Calculate NPS

Here are three main methods to calculate the Net Promoter Score:

1. Calculate NPS in Excel/Google Sheets:

This method is ideal if your raw NPS data consists only of numeric scores from 0 to 10, which need to be categorized into promoters, detractors, and passives.

2. Use an Online Calculator:

If you have already counted the number of responses for each rating from 0 to 10, you can use an online NPS calculator.

3. Use a Survey Tool with NPS Functionality:

If you’re using a survey tool with built-in NPS features, it will automatically calculate your NPS score. Of course we would love if you give our product nps-hero.com a try.

Bonus Method: The Math Behind NPS Calculation

If you’re interested in how NPS works — or you’d like to calculate it manually — you can use the following formula: percentage of promoters minus percentage of detractors. For example, if 56% are promoters and 12% are detractors, your NPS is 44. And there you have your NPS score calculated manually.