Framework for Net Promoter Success

In our experience, real breakthroughs in customer experience and company performance occur only when Net Promoter is woven into the fabric of your business. This means grounding your Net Promoter efforts in an operational model that engages your entire organization in improving customer relationships.

Rooted in Experience and Best Practices

We developed the Satmetrix Net Promoter Operating Model to capture the fundamental elements you need for a successful Net Promoter program. Our framework is based on experience, research, and best practices gleaned from our work on hundreds of Net Promoter implementations. Whether you choose to measure NPS or a different customer loyalty metric, this operating model is an excellent framework for building a customer-centric organization.

Element descriptions:

Develop an Enterprise Roadmap

A world class Net Promoter program requires an enterprise roadmap. We recommend building a plan with a two- to three-year horizon that combines operational quick wins and long term structural improvements to your business. Your roadmap should take into account critical customer interaction points, and an understanding of which ones have the greatest impact on loyalty.

Building Trustworthy Data

Customer feedback data is trustworthy when it’s accurate, reliable, and relevant. The first step is to measure the right customers who reflect your business and growth strategy. Then, you need to ask the right questions to make feedback actionable.  Finally, you need to consider the optimal time to collect feedback to most accurately reflect the customers’ experience.

Root Cause Analysis

You need to understand the root cause of what is creating or detracting from your customers’ loyalty. This means identifying performance gaps and loyalty drivers, and investigating root cause by customer segment. A good mix of quantitative and comment analysis will increase the likelihood that you will make optimal customer-focused decisions.

Drive Action and Accountability

Good data and analysis are of no value unless you take action. At the heart of your program is the ability to put understandable, actionable, and timely information in front of employees who can use it.  Closed-loop process design is critical to achieving these results, identifying strategic actions and aligning cross-functional organizations around the improvements you want to make to address gaps in your customer experience.

Enable Innovation and Transformation

The payoff from a successful Net Promoter program is the ability to make the right strategic decisions and improve your market position. Through the iterative process of listening to customer feedback, Net Promoter leaders innovate and improve their products and services, using increasingly sophisticated techniques for strategic planning, product strategy, and customer co-creation.

Create Customer-Centric DNA

Customer focus should be at the core of your organization and permeate all decisions. Beyond that, your program requires strong executive sponsorship and organizational alignment. Setting up a program governance structure will ensure that employees know their roles and responsibilities and that the organization stays focused on improving loyalty.

Read more – we’ve written extensively about the Net Promoter Operating Model in the book in Answering the Ultimate Question.
Visit the book website.