How to run an NPS survey (and actually read the score)

Net Promoter Score (NPS) measures how likely people are to recommend you, on a 0–10 scale, expressed as a single number from −100 to +100. It's the most common loyalty metric because it's one question. Here's how to run it properly — and how to make the number actually mean something.

The one question

NPS rests on a single prompt: *"How likely are you to recommend [product] to a friend or colleague?"* answered on a 0–10 scale. Always pair it with an open follow-up — *"What's the main reason for your score?"* — because the number tells you *what*, and the comment tells you *why*.

How to calculate NPS

1. Promoters = people who answered 9 or 10.
2. Passives = people who answered 7 or 8 (ignored in the maths).
3. Detractors = people who answered 0 to 6.
4. NPS = % Promoters − % Detractors. A score above 0 is good; above +30 is strong; above +50 is excellent.

Running it live vs. async

Async NPS (a link emailed after purchase or a session) gets you trend data over time. Live NPS — at the end of a workshop, webinar, or all-hands — gets you a candid read in the moment and a chance to ask the *why* out loud. PollsLive does both from the same 0–10 scale question, with no respondent login. For wording on the follow-ups, see 30 survey question examples.

Make the score useful

• Keep it anonymous so scores are honest — see anonymous voting.
• Always read the open comments; the themes matter more than the digit.
• Track the trend, not a single snapshot — one number in isolation lies.
• Close the loop: tell people what you changed because of their feedback.

Start from the survey hub or compare PollsLive with form tools like SurveyMonkey and Typeform.