Net Promoter programme is the most practical, effective and actionable approach to better customer experience and can result in a growth of profits and loyal customers.
But only if it’s done right.
That’s why we’re proposing five areas to check if your Net Promoter programme is up to scratch. Or — if it isn’t — whether you should start planning some improvements in the coming year.
#1 Surveying
Any NPS programme requires a degree of housekeeping — which isn’t always easy to do in complex organisations.
Customer contact details are sometimes hard to get. Databases don’t match. Business rules get in the way of the number of surveys that can be sent.
And then there is always that VP who thinks that you should add “just a few more questions” beyond what is strictly required.
So, as a first check, you may want to do a proper review whether your NPS survey still ticks all the boxes and whether you’re surveying the people you should (rather than those who are convenient to reach).
#2 Closing the loop on customer comments
Without actions, surveys are pointless.
If someone spends their precious time telling you what they think of your business, they deserve a more than being a tick on a bar-chart or a dot in a word-cloud.
So check again whether your NPS programme follows up on every customer that requires attention, and whether this is done in a correct way. Pay special attention to:
- Detractors (those who were dissatisfied), at the very minimum you need to follow up with them
- Promoters (those who were very satisfied) — focusing on them can lead to increased loyalty, referrals and eventually profits for your business
We even know of one company which considers passives as a failure to delight and wants to take appropriate action. Because that’s how you get to an excellence in customer experience.
#3 The willingness to act on insights
Beyond following up on individual customer comments, your organisation needs to act on the bigger issues and opportunities that emerge from the customer’s voice.
Many companies lack the processes, incentives and communication platforms to make this happen across organisational silos.
If this is the case in your business, you may want to double-check the willingness of the various leaders in the business to organise themselves around the customer. If this willingness exists, you can get started on the process track. If it doesn’t, you may want to reconsider your programme — or simply might need to work harder on demonstrating the business value to the different stakeholders (see point #5 below).
#4 Engaging information
If you’re a customer geek like us, you get excited about customer comments, NPS data and shiny dashboards.
For the other 98% of the population, this is not the case.
And this can lead to breakdowns. If people feel the customer’s voice is boring (or worse), they will not engage with it. Subsequently, they will not take it into account.
So it’s always worthwhile checking whether the way you share your NPS information is seen to be exciting and engaging. If it is, so much the better.
However, if it comes across like most spreadsheet/bar chart/colored map programmes I’ve seen, you might want to make it a bit more fun.
#5 Show the money
Finally, no matter how tight a ship you run, it costs money to address customer issues and opportunities.
When there is enough money around, this can be swept under the heading that you care for your customers.
But when the going gets tough the budget cutters are bound to come out of the woodwork.
That’s why the last check is whether the business case underlying your NPS programme is strong enough. NPS economics allow you to treat customer investments like any other development activity, but you do need to make sure that the decision makers clearly see this business case and use it in their decision making.
Because, if they don’t, you may find your efforts cut when your business needs them most.
Conclusion
While these 5 checks will not magically turn your Net Promoter programme into a global case study, they will make sure that you focus on the things that matter most.
If you’d prefer a more thorough check-up of your NPS programme, along with advice on where to focus to get the most out of it, feel free to get in touch with us.
A first step could be a free, no-strings-attached, confidential consultation.
Tapping into our 15 years with companies (like Mercedes, Vodafone Group, ING, Philips and many others), the consultation would help you quickly spot the bottlenecks and set the focus on those actions that will make the biggest impact.
Feel free to reach to us at info@futurelab.net or +32 3 2486 777 with any question you might have about getting the most out of your NPS programme.
If you want to learn more about NPS and Voice-of-Customer Programs in B2B – check the ultimate guide, which we have created, based on our 15 years experience and real life examples.
