On a scale of 0-10 ….

… How likely is it that you would recommend Net Promoter Score (NPS) to a friend or colleague?

FIVE! I reached ‘Survey Fatigue’ some time ago. I am more likely to mark my Bank or Insurer down as a result of being interrupted by yet another survey. Feedback is important, but surely it has got to be about the Consumer experience and not just the need for data!

I was interested, but not necessarily surprised, to find out (thanks to Professor Anne Souchon) that NPS scores typically rise after Service or Product failure if the resolution to the problem is handled well. Exceptional customer service in these instances is often delivered by ‘boundary spanning’ individuals; employees whom have strong ‘pro-social’ or ‘citizen’ behaviours. These individuals would score 11 or 12 on the NPS; they do not just create referrers for your brand, they create ambassadors for your brand. Should we dedicate more time and resources to hiring, rewarding and training our ‘pro social’ employees and slightly less on our customer data obsession?

(Professor Anne Souchon is chair of International Marketing and Associate Dean for Enterprise at Loughborough University. Prof. Souchon recently spoke at the Sir Alan Rudge Theatre on the Net Promoter Score Paradox)