What net promoter score tells you
Net promoter score is built on one question: “How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague, on a scale from 0 to 10?” It captures something reach and likes cannot: whether people trust you enough to put their name behind you.
In Uzbekistan this matters a great deal. Buying decisions often follow a relative’s advice, a message in a family chat or a comment in a neighbourhood Telegram group. When customers recommend you willingly, you get a sales channel with no cost per click. When they do not, advertising just fills a leaky bucket.
How to calculate NPS
Answers fall into three groups: 9–10 are promoters, 7–8 are passives, and 0–6 are detractors. Passives are left out of the formula. NPS equals the share of promoters minus the share of detractors, giving a result between −100 and +100.
A hypothetical example: out of 100 respondents, 50 give 9–10, 30 give 7–8 and 20 give 0–6. NPS is 50 − 20 = 30. These figures are invented purely to show the arithmetic.
Mind the sample size. With five responses, one unhappy customer can distort the whole index. Calculate NPS per branch or product only after enough answers have accumulated.
Running the survey: timing, channel, follow-up question
Ask right after a key moment: a payment via Click or Payme, a delivery, a clinic visit, a finished renovation. A week later the customer has forgotten the details and the score turns vague.
Pick the channel your audience already uses. An online shop can use a Telegram bot with buttons from 0 to 10, a salon or clinic can send a short link after the visit, and a wholesaler can have a manager call.
The open follow-up question is not optional: “Why did you give this score?” Without it you have a number and no idea what to fix. Ask in the customer’s language; outside Tashkent, Uzbek often feels more natural than Russian.
What to do with the answers
The real value of NPS is not the index but what you do afterwards. A customer who leaves a low score and hears nothing becomes even more dissatisfied. One who is contacted and helped can turn into a promoter.
- Detractors (0–6): reach out within a day or two, find the problem, fix or compensate.
- Passives (7–8): ask what was missing. It is often small: delivery time, packaging, tone of communication.
- Promoters (9–10): thank them and ask for a map review, an Instagram comment or a referral.
- Open answers: group them by theme and rank improvements by how often each is mentioned.
Reading the result without fooling yourself
Comparing your NPS with another industry or country is close to meaningless, because people score differently. Compare yourself with yourself: month to month, branch to branch, new customers against returning ones.
Transactional NPS belongs after each key interaction, without becoming a nuisance. A relationship NPS, covering the company as a whole, fits once a quarter or twice a year.
The method has limits. It does not explain causes on its own and depends on who you ask and when. If you only survey people who reached checkout, you never hear from those who left earlier. Read NPS next to repeat purchases, churn and reviews.
NPS and marketing: where the index turns into money
Promoters are the source of word of mouth. A growing share means more recommendations and cheaper acquisition of new customers. You can test this: add “How did you hear about us?” to your enquiry form and watch whether “a recommendation” gains share.
A low score is a reason not to raise your Meta Ads or Google Ads budget but to fix the service first. Otherwise you are paying for customers who will not return or recommend you.
Where to start
A minimal launch: one scored question and one open question, a single channel, a named person responsible for contacting detractors, and a weekly summary of themes. Within a couple of months a trend appears.
If you want to connect NPS with your CRM, end-to-end analytics and advertising, the markdev team can help as part of marketing strategy and consulting. Tell us about your business and we will discuss the best first step.
FAQ
What is a good net promoter score?
There is no universal threshold, because scoring habits differ by industry and culture. A more reliable approach is to compare your own NPS over time, across branches and customer segments.
How often should I run an NPS survey?
Run transactional surveys after each key interaction and a general survey once a quarter or twice a year. Asking too often tires customers out.
Why are passives excluded from the formula?
Customers scoring 7–8 are satisfied but neither recommend you actively nor complain. The formula compares those who promote you with those who may damage your reputation.
Is NPS alone enough to judge loyalty?
No. It does not explain why people scored as they did, so read it alongside open answers, repeat purchases and churn.
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