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Lucas@QAComet
Lucas@QAComet

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Why Net Promotor Score (NPS) is ubiquitous in tech

Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a ubiquitous metric for gauging customer satisfaction and product quality. But why has this simple survey question become so prevalent? And how can it effectively measure customer perception of product quality?

NPS gained popularity because of its simplicity and accessible insights. You start by surveying customers by asking, "How likely are you to recommend our product to a friend or colleague?" and letting them select a value from 0-10. When calculating NPS, responses are categorized into three categories: Promoters (score 9-10), Passives (7-8), and Detractors (0-6). The final NPS is calculated by subtracting the percentage of Detractors from Promoters.

NPS = %Promoters - %Detractors

This straightforward calculation gives an easy benchmark for customer sentiment about your product.

But how does NPS measure perception of product quality? If a customer is in the Promoters category, they are likely bragging to their friends about how awesome your product is. If your survey yields a high NPS, many of your users love your product and think it's valuable enough to stake their reputation on it. This indirect measure often correlates strongly with actual product quality.

However, NPS isn't without limitations. It doesn't provide specific feedback on what aspects of the product drive the score. That's why many startups augment NPS with follow-up questions interviews. For example, your Detractors likely have useful feedback for how you can improve your product. This information can help you steer your development team to new features and improvements. Ignoring negative feedback can be perilous to your startup's success.


Curious how you can improve your product without frustrating customers? Check out QAComet, we offer fractional QA services for startups with plans starting at $999/month.

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