Both, Net Promoter Score® and Customer Satisfaction (C-Sat) are types of Customer Experience Surveys. They are used to measure a customer’s experience of his interaction with a business’s product or service. While, both are important key performance indicators (KPIs), their methods are quite different. Moreover, Net Promoter Score® is a measure of customer Loyalty whereas C-sat calculates satisfaction at a touchpoint.
Net Promoter Score® is calculated on an 11-point scale. Basically, it is measured by one single question. Which is,
“On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend us to your friends/colleagues?”
Then, NPS® is calculated by subtracting the percentage of Detractors from Promoters.
(Promoters are respondents who give a score of 9 or 10 whereas Detractors are those who give a score of 6 or below. Also, read more on that, here.)
In contrast, a C-Sat survey consists of several questions and measured on a 5-point scale. Usually, it is sent after an interaction between a customer and a business has occurred. Also, the question asked is-
“How would you rate your overall satisfaction with our product/service?”
And, respondents give a score of 1 to 5, based on
Now, the C-Sat score is the percentage of Satisfied Customers, that is, respondents who give a score of 4 and 5. Here, is the formula-
Therefore, Net Promoter Score® is a number whereas C-Sat score is a percentage.
(Click here, to read NUMR, a customer experience management (CXM) company's article on why NPS® is not a percent.)
Usually, C-Sat survey is triggered after a specific event/interaction. On the other hand, Net Promoter Score (Relational NPS®) is conducted at regular intervals. Additionally, C-Sat targets the satisfaction level of customers after a particular touchpoint or event. But it cannot accurately measure customers’ evolving relationship with a business.
Therefore, C-Sat provides business with areas for improvement or customers’ satisfaction with a specific interaction. Conversely, Net Promoter Score® measure the overall customer satisfaction and loyalty.
In conclusion, both C-Sat and NPS® are metrics that help in managing Customer Experience. However, they are just numbers. What actually counts is what you do with them. Therefore, businesses should use them to understand underlying issues and factors and improve.
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