How to calculate NPS

Your NPS survey just closed with 200 responses. You have a spreadsheet full of numbers from zero to ten and no idea what to do with them. The calculation itself is simpler than most people expect. Once you know the three customer groups, the math takes about two minutes.

Calculating NPS means sorting survey responses into promoters, passives, and detractors, then finding the difference between promoter and detractor percentages. The result is a score that ranges from negative 100 to positive 100. Here is the full process.

What is the NPS formula?

The Net Promoter Score formula is promoter percentage minus detractor percentage. Promoters are customers who scored nine or ten. Detractors scored zero through six. Passives scored seven or eight and are counted in the total but do not affect the final score.

If 200 people respond and 100 are promoters, 40 are passives, and 60 are detractors, your calculation looks like this. Promoter percentage is 100 divided by 200, which equals 50 percent. Detractor percentage is 60 divided by 200, which equals 30 percent. Your NPS is 50 minus 30, which equals 20.

How do you calculate NPS step by step?

Follow these steps every time you run an NPS survey. The process stays the same whether you have 50 responses or 5,000.

1. Collect responses on a zero to ten scale

Ask the standard NPS question. How likely are you to recommend our company to a friend or colleague? Record each answer as a number from zero to ten.

2. Sort responses into three groups

Promoters gave nine or ten. Passives gave seven or eight. Detractors gave zero through six. Count how many responses fall into each group.

3. Calculate percentages and subtract

Divide each group count by the total number of responses. Multiply by 100 to get percentages. Subtract the detractor percentage from the promoter percentage. That final number is your NPS.

What should you do with your NPS result?

A single NPS snapshot tells you where you stand today. Tracking NPS over time tells you whether loyalty is growing or shrinking. Review the written comments from detractors and passives to understand what is driving the score.

Connect your NPS trend with support metrics. If NPS drops during a quarter when first response time increased, support speed may be part of the problem. For a refresher on what NPS represents, read the chapter on what Net Promoter Score is. Then explore customer service KPIs to see how NPS fits into your full metrics dashboard.

Frequently asked questions