Identifying NPS Promoters and Passives

Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a customer satisfaction metric you can use to measure how likely customers are to recommend your products or services to others. NPS is calculated based on a single question: “On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend this product/service to a friend or colleague?” 

• Promoters are customers who respond with a score of 9 or 10. They’re highly satisfied with the product or service and are likely to recommend it to others. 

• Passives respond with a score of 7 or 8. Even though they’re satisfied with the product or service, they’re not as likely to recommend it as Promoters. 

• Detractors are customers who respond with a score of 0-6. They are unhappy with the product or service and are likely to discourage others from using it.

To find out more about NPS basics, including how to calculate your score and send the NPS survey, check out our blog posts:

• Net Promoter Score: What Is It and How to Calculate It
• How to Create a Net Promoter Score (NPS) Survey?
• Measure NPS Right: 10 Common Mistakes People Make When Measuring NPS
• NPS Analysis: Comprehensive Walkthrough of NPS Data

Benefits of following up with NPS Promoters and Passives

By actively engaging with your NPS Promoters and Passives, you create a sense of community around your brand. This advocacy can significantly contribute to your brand's reputation and help establish yourself as a leader in your industry. It also presents many other benefits, from a higher chance of upselling to improved customer experience.

Strengthening customer relationships

Following up with NPS Promoters and Passives can help you foster better relationships with your customers. It shows that you appreciate the time they took to complete the survey and that you take their feedback seriously. 

Promoters are the most likely to provide positive feedback and referrals, and following up with them can help reinforce their loyalty and show that their business is valued.

Even though NPS Passives may be less likely to provide referrals, following up with them might nudge them a little closer to becoming Promoters. 

Identifying opportunities for improvement

Following up with both NPS Passives and Promoters can help you identify areas for improvement. Even though Promoters are generally happy with your product or service, don’t assume that there is nothing they dislike about it. Following up with them can help you discover any problems and turn them into opportunities for a better customer experience.

Remember that you can also add an extra question to the NPS survey for respondents to elaborate on the basic question. Use it as often as you need, and don’t let it stop you from sending follow-up questions after a customer has completed the survey. 

Preventing NPS Passives from turning into Detractors

Following up with Passives might help prevent them from spreading negative feedback about your business, be it via online reviews or word of mouth if there are aspects of your product or service they dislike. 

Turning NPS Passives into Promoters

Oftentimes, Passives are the largest group among NPS respondents, and one of the best things about following up with them is that it might actually help turn them into Promoters. Even though customer satisfaction should always be your priority, this shift might be a welcome bonus indeed. 

Identifying brand advocates

Giving a high score in a quick survey and becoming a brand ambassador who goes out of their way to spread the good word about your business are two different things. 

However, the best way to start converting your most satisfied customers into advocates is to simply start a conversation. 

Following up with your Promoters to ask for referrals or reviews is a great way to leverage their enthusiasm to drive new business.

Increasing customer retention

Following up with NPS Promoters and Passives to let them know they matter to you will go a long way toward increasing their loyalty and boosting retention rates. 

This is particularly important with Passives. While Promoters, as the most loyal customers, are likely to continue using your products or services, Passives are easily swayed by a better offer. By following up with Passives and addressing any concerns they may have, you will be making sure more of them will stick around for longer.

Improving customer satisfaction

Following up with NPS Promoters will help you understand what drives their satisfaction and use that knowledge to improve Passives’ experience.

Listening to Passives’ reasons for why they didn’t select a top score, be it poor customer service experience or a malfunctioning product, will give you plenty of ideas on the steps to take to increase their satisfaction. 

Follow-up strategies for NPS Promoters 

The dos and don’ts

🟢 Thank your Promoters 

Thank your NPS Promoters for their feedback and close the feedback loop at the same time. This can be done in many ways. For instance, if a customer has shared a review, thank them on the same platform they used. You can also offer a gift card or a coupon via email, send a handwritten card, or share their review on your social media - the sky is the limit. 

🟢 Ask for a review or referral

NPS Promoters are more likely to recommend your company to others. Asking them to leave a review on your website or social media page can help boost your online reputation. You can also offer them discount codes for referring their friends and family to your business.

🟢 Offer a customer loyalty program

Promoters are loyal customers who are likely to continue doing business with you. Offering them a customer loyalty program can encourage them to continue their custom and reward them for their loyalty.

🟢 Provide exclusive content or offers

As your biggest fans, NPS Promoters deserve special treatment. Offering them exclusive content or offers can show that you appreciate their loyalty and value their business.

🟢 Follow up regularly

Regular follow-up with Promoters can help you maintain a strong relationship with them. This can be done through email newsletters, phone calls, or personalized messages. 

With Survicate, you can integrate natively with third-party tools such as Slack and HubSpot to receive notifications in real time, for instance when a customer selects a specific answer. This will help you follow up on any responses you receive immediately. 

🔴 Don’t overwhelm or pressure them

While it's essential to keep the lines of communication open, over-communicating with Promoters can be counterproductive. Overwhelming them with too many follow-ups, promotional messages, or survey requests can lead to annoyance and eventually damage the relationship. One email is a good starting point. See how they respond and take the conversation from there. 

🔴 Don’t bombard them with upsell offers

NPS Promoters are valuable customers, but that doesn't mean they want to be bombarded with upsell offers and promotions. While it's fine to suggest relevant products or services that might enhance their experience, be mindful of their preferences and avoid coming across as pushy or salesy. Remember that the goal of following up with NPS Promoters is to nurture their loyalty and encourage referrals, not to make an immediate sale.

🔴 Don’t ignore their feedback

Before you communicate with your Promoter, take a look at what their response was and if they left any additional feedback in the NPS follow-up question.

Address any points they made in your follow-up message as ignoring or dismissing their input can lead to frustration and even disengagement.

🔴 Don’t use generic message templates 

If you're sending the same generic thank-you message to all NPS Promoters, you're missing out on an opportunity to personalize the interaction and strengthen the relationship. 

Instead, take the time to craft a personalized message that acknowledges the customer's specific feedback and expresses gratitude for their loyalty. Use their name, refer to the specific products or services they praised, and let them know that you're committed to providing them with an exceptional customer experience in the future.

Examples of follow-up messages to NPS Promoters

💌 Subject line: Thank you for sharing your feedback, [name]!

Hi [customer name],

We are thrilled to know that you had a great experience with us and rated us highly in our recent Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey. Your support and feedback mean the world to us.

As one of our valued Promoters, we'd love to hear more about what you enjoyed most about our product. Your insights will help us continue delivering the best possible experience to our customers.

Feel free to share your thoughts by replying to this email, and thank you once again for your support!

Warm regards,

[your name]

[company name]

💌 Subject line: Exclusive Access: Be the First to Try Our New Features! 🚀

Hello [customer name],

As one of our valued Promoters, we want to offer you early access to our latest features and updates. This exclusive opportunity is our way of showing appreciation for your continued support.

Please follow the link below to sign up for our beta-testing program and get a sneak peek at our exciting new additions:

[Beta-testing program link]

We're eager to hear your thoughts and feedback. Thank you for helping us make [Company Name] even better!

Best regards,

[your name]

[company name]

💌 Subject line: Celebrating your support with a special gift! 🎁

Hi [customer name],

We noticed that you rated us highly on our recent Net Promoter Score survey, and we couldn't be more thankful for your support!

As a small token of our appreciation, we'd like to offer you a special gift. Please use the promo code below on your next purchase to enjoy a [discount percentage/amount] discount:

PROMO CODE: [unique promo code]

Once again, thank you for your support, and we look forward to serving you again soon!

Warm regards,

[your name]

[company name]

Follow-up strategies for NPS Passives 

The dos and don’ts

🟢 Treat NPS Passives as an opportunity

Passives provide a significant opportunity for business growth and improvement. Their neutral stance makes them more open to experimenting, and as such, you should target these customers with tailored communication to drive loyalty and convert them into Promoters.

🟢 Segment and personalize communication

Segment your Passives based on their demographic, purchase history, and interactions with your brand. By understanding their preferences, you can create personalized messages and offers that cater to their specific needs, increasing the likelihood of turning them into Promoters.

🟢 Implement a closed-loop feedback system

A closed-loop feedback system helps track and address the concerns raised by your customers, including Passives. Adopting this system to manage NPS follow-ups ensures that your respondents’ feedback is acknowledged, acted upon, and followed up on, demonstrating your commitment to continuous improvement.

🔴 Don’t ignore NPS Passives or treat them like Detractors

It's essential not to ignore Passives or treat them the same way as Detractors. While detractors require a different approach to address their concerns, Passives need a more nuanced strategy to uncover potential areas for improvement and enhance their satisfaction. 

Very often, Passives might not express right away what they think is wrong with your product or service; they simply don’t feel it exceeds their expectations. Ask follow-up questions to help them articulate their needs. 

🔴 Don’t rely on generic messaging

Just like with Promoters, don’t use generic messages when communicating with Passives. It often fails to resonate with them, as it may not address their specific needs or concerns. 

To create a lasting impression, you must tailor your messaging and communication to their preferences and expectations. 

🔴 Provide inadequate or incomplete solutions

If you do reach out to your Passives, don’t do so just to offer them half-baked or ill-thought-out solutions. Not only will this fail to address the root causes of their dissatisfaction, but it will also cause frustration and damage your customers’ perception of your brand, possibly pushing them toward becoming Detractors. 

Examples of follow-up messages to NPS Passives

You can get inspired by the following messages below, but make sure you personalize each message you send, including personal details, the respondents’ score, and the request for more information. 

📧Subject line: Let us know what you think about our customer service

Hi [customer name],

Thank you for taking the time to participate in our recent Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey. As a valued customer, we appreciate your feedback and would like to better understand your experience with our products/services. 

We noticed that you gave us a score of 7 and cited “average customer support” as an explanation. Could you please provide more details on what went wrong so that we can improve to meet your expectations? We’d be very grateful for your response.

We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

[Your name]

[Your company]

📧Subject line: Help us improve with your insights

Hi [customer name],

We noticed that you recently participated in our NPS survey and provided us with a neutral rating. Your opinion matters to us, and we'd love to hear more about your thoughts on how we can improve. Are there any particular aspects of our products/services that you feel need enhancement?

Thank you for your time, and we look forward to receiving your valuable feedback.

Warm regards,

[Your Name]

[Your Company]

📧 Subject line: Help us improve our product features

Dear [customer name],

Thank you for completing our NPS survey. We understand that your experience with our products/services has been somewhat neutral, and we want to ensure we are continually improving. 

In the survey, you mentioned a poor selection of features and an average loading time as one of the reasons for your score. 

If you could take a moment to share any specific suggestions you may have, it would be extremely helpful in our efforts to provide the best possible experience for you and other customers.

To thank you for your time, we will send you a $20 gift card to be used in our online store.

Your insights are much appreciated!

Sincerely,

[Your name]

[Your company]

Automate your NPS follow-up process with Survicate 

Following up with your NPS respondents is crucial yet it can be time-consuming. Using the right tools will help you speed up the process of collecting, analyzing, and responding to your customer feedback.

Survicate has everything you need to run and analyze your NPS surveys. You can fully optimize the NPS experience by adding survey logic, automatic translations, and embedding the first NPS question in emails, which provides an 83% higher completion rate.

Our intuitive tool is now available on a freemium plan with unlimited responses and users. Sign up today and automate your NPS survey process with Survicate.