Customer satisfaction studies measuring Net Promoter Score (NPS®) are a key lever in managing and improving the performance of any business. To extract the most out of your studies, however, they should be applied across the entire organization in a uniform method and repeated over time to track performance.
We already discussed sustainability and accountability, and now is time to close the topic with comparability.
Comparability-driven methodology
Comparability comprises two dimensions – 1). across markets / business units and 2). throughout time. Methodological guidelines need to be established ahead of time to ensure results can be compared across both of these dimensions.
The NPS manual begins with defining the target group. If you measure a broad target (let’s say a nationally representative sample) in one market and a specific customer segment (e.g. loyal customers) in another, results will vary widely and comparability will not be possible. We at GemSeek recommend listing all the relevant quotas. This makes the setup of a follow-up study that much simpler.
Continue with defining the question count and brand list size. Often business environments differ across markets but time constraints of the survey set maximum limits on lists. Make sure this is all clearly communicated in the manual – giving enough space to address local specifics (more fragmented market, more products on offer, etc.) but also setting firm boundaries. Here, you should consider the criteria for qualification – market shares, for example, work well.
Similarly, describe the main questions that need to be included in each survey – and why. Yet, keep in mind that to give actionable insights, you always need to ask extra questions. Determine how many questions can be added to answer to specific local queries without affecting the success rate of the survey. What can be answered by 10 questions can usually be found out by 3 well-designed ones as well. And if it can’t – most likely a separate study is needed.
Setting up the questionnaire structure also has another purpose – it guarantees objectivity. It is likely that there are key strategic directions for your organization that are not fully developed in all markets. Make sure they are measured – you will want to evaluate the progress made on those.
Need help creating your NPS manual? Pick our brains! Contact our Customer Experience consultants.
