# What is Net Promoter Score (NPS)?

> **NPS:** Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a customer-loyalty metric: customers rate on a scale of 0 to 10 how likely they are to recommend a company, and the score is the percentage of promoters (9 to 10) minus the percentage of detractors (0 to 6).

- Source: https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/nps/
- Updated: 21 October 2026
- Language: English
- German version: https://ai-presentations.com/de/glossar/net-promoter-score/

Also called: Net Promoter Score, promoter score, recommendation score

**Net Promoter Score (NPS)** is a customer-loyalty metric built on one question: “On a scale from 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?” The answers sort customers into three groups. **Promoters** answer 9 or 10, **passives** answer 7 or 8 and **detractors** answer 0 to 6. The score is the percentage of promoters minus the percentage of detractors, so it runs from −100 to +100. Fred Reichheld introduced the metric in the Harvard Business Review in 2003.

## Worked example

Suppose 200 customers answer.

| Group      | Scores  | Customers | Share |
| ---------- | ------- | --------- | ----- |
| Promoters  | 9 to 10 | 100       | 50%   |
| Passives   | 7 to 8  | 60        | 30%   |
| Detractors | 0 to 6  | 40        | 20%   |

NPS = 50% − 20% = **+30**. The passives count in the 200 but not in the score. NPS is not a percentage: it is a number between −100 and +100, written without a percent sign.

## What an NPS slide needs

| Element                                           | Why                                          |
| ------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| The score and its change since the last survey    | The headline number and its direction        |
| The split into promoters, passives and detractors | The same score can hide very different mixes |
| Number of respondents and survey period           | Shows how much weight the score can carry    |
| The question wording and the customer segment     | Makes scores comparable                      |
| The main reasons of detractors and promoters      | Turns the score into something to act on     |

A positive score means more promoters than detractors. What counts as a good score differs widely by industry and survey method, so compare with your own earlier results and with peers measured the same way.

## How to present it well

1. **Lead with the finding.** For example: “NPS is +30, and delivery delays are the most common reason detractors give.”
2. **Show the distribution, not only the score.** Put a stacked bar of the three groups next to the number.
3. **State n and the period,** for example “n = 200, Q3”.
4. **Show the trend** across several surveys, because a single score says little on its own.
5. **Add the reasons.** The follow-up question “What is the main reason for your score?” turns a number into causes.
6. **Segment where it matters,** by product, region or customer size, but only if each segment has enough answers.

## Typical mistakes

- **The score without n.** +30 from 20 answers and +30 from 2,000 answers do not weigh the same.
- **NPS as a percentage.** Writing “30%” confuses the score with a share.
- **Changing the question or the scale between surveys.** The scores are then not comparable.
- **Comparing with an industry benchmark from another method.** Asking differently measures differently.
- **The score as a diagnosis.** NPS says how many would recommend, not why. The reasons say why.
- **Surveying only happy customers.** That pushes the score up.

## Related terms

NPS is one of the [KPIs](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/kpi/) that customer-facing reviews report, for example in a [quarterly business review](https://ai-presentations.com/templates/quarterly-business-review/). It can serve as the key result of an [OKR](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/okr/), and loyal customers raise the [LTV](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/ltv/), because they stay longer. To show its trend or its distribution, see the [guide to choosing the right chart](https://ai-presentations.com/guides/choosing-the-right-chart/).

## Frequently asked questions

### How is NPS calculated?

Subtract the percentage of detractors (scores 0 to 6) from the percentage of promoters (scores 9 to 10). Passives (scores 7 to 8) count in the total number of answers but not in the score. The result runs from −100 to +100.

### What is a good NPS?

There is no universal threshold. Scores differ widely by industry and survey method. A positive score means more promoters than detractors. Compare with your own earlier scores and with peers measured the same way.

### What is the NPS question?

“On a scale from 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?” It is usually followed by an open question asking for the main reason for the score.

### Is NPS a percentage?

No. It is a number between −100 and +100, written without a percent sign, such as +30. The shares of promoters and detractors are percentages, but their difference is a score.

### What should an NPS slide show?

The score and its trend, the split into promoters, passives and detractors, the number of respondents and the survey period, and the main reasons behind the answers.

## Related pages

- [KPI](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/kpi/): A KPI (key performance indicator) is a measurable value that shows progress toward a business goal. Learn the definition, examples and how to present KPIs.
- [OKR](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/okr/): OKRs pair one qualitative objective with measurable key results. Learn the definition, an example, scoring and how to present OKRs on a slide.
- [Quarterly business review](https://ai-presentations.com/templates/quarterly-business-review/): Plan a customer QBR on 6 slides: results, adoption, commitments, the plan for next quarter and the decisions you need from the customer. With an example deck.
- [Choosing the right chart](https://ai-presentations.com/guides/choosing-the-right-chart/): Which chart fits which message: bars to compare, lines for trends, a waterfall for bridges. Includes when a pie works, when a table beats a chart, common traps.
- [LTV](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/ltv/): LTV is the total gross profit a customer is expected to bring over the whole relationship. Learn the formula, a worked example and the usual mistakes.

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