The Net Promoter Score is a simple, widely used customer-loyalty metric.
Like Single Question Scores, an NPS is derived from a single, scored question. However, instead of an average mean score calculation, NPS uses a different calculation to produce the NPS figure.
Promoters (score 9-10) are considered loyal enthusiasts who will keep coming back and refer others, fueling growth.
Passives (score 7-8) are considered satisfied but unenthusiastic patients who are vulnerable to competitive offerings.
Detractors (score 0-6) are unhappy patients who can damage your brand and impede growth through negative word-of-mouth.
NPS in Healthcare Webinar: All you need to know
To become an expert, watch our 'NPS in Healthcare: All you need to know' webinar below or continue scrolling to read on.
In this webinar, you'll learn:
What Net Promoter Score is and how to calculate it.
Relevance, value and limitations of NPS in healthcare.
NPS benchmarks across healthcare clients.
Key drivers of NPS and Patient Experience.
How to improve your score.
How is the Net Promoter Score calculated?
Subtracting the percentage of Detractors (respondents who gave 0-6 ratings) from the percentage of Promoters (respondents who gave 9-10 ratings) yields the Net Promoter Score. This can range from a low of -100 (if every respondent is a Detractor) to a high of 100 (if every respondent is a Promoter).
For example, eight clinic patients complete an NPS question in their post-appointment survey:
Respondent | Rating | NPS Profile |
Patient 1 | 10 | Promoter |
Patient 2 | 9 | Promoter |
Patient 3 | 7 | Passive |
Patient 4 | 2 | Detractor |
Patient 5 | 5 | Detractor |
Patient 6 | 10 | Promoter |
Patient 7 | 9 | Promoter |
Patient 8 | 9 | Promoter |
Five out of the eight patients are promoters, having given a positive rating (9-10), representing 62.5% of the responses. Two out of the eight patients are detractors, having given a negative rating (0-6), representing 25% of the responses.
Net Promoter Score = 62.5% - 25% = 37.5% = 38
Note: An NPS is always presented in integer format.
What does a good NPS look like?
How should I interpret an NPS score?
NPS values are calculated using the results of two percentage values, so answers may fall between a range of -100 to +100, with -100 being the worst possible score and +100 being the best.
The creators of the NPS metric, Bain & Company, say that although an NPS score above 0 is good, above 20 is great and above 50 is amazing. Anywhere above 80 is the top percentile.
>0 consumers think your services are good
>20 consumers think your services are great
>50 consumers think your services are amazing
>80 consumers think your services are world-class
However, note that this differs across industries! Look below to see some benchmarks across our clients.
Average NPS across Cemplicity clients
We looked at the data for 2023 across Cemplicity clients running patient experience programmes and found the average NPS was 76. However, it's important to note that this figure is heavily influenced by the private healthcare sector, which accounts for over 85% of the clients conducting NPS surveys.
NPS Industry Reports
If you are running a Cemplicity programme, when logged in to your reporting portal you can access our full NPS Industry reports here.
Context of NPS in Healthcare
The Relevance and Value of NPS in Healthcare
In healthcare, NPS serves as a simple, fast, and effective way to monitor patient experience and satisfaction. It's easy for patients to answer and quick for staff to review, making it a great performance indicator for organisations to track their overall patients' experience.
When paired with demographic and Electronic Health Record data, NPS is valuable in identifying patient experience trends across various demographics, locations, or specialties. This allows healthcare organisations to pinpoint areas where patient experience is dropping and take steps to address those issues.
Additionally, because NPS is widely recognised, it’s a helpful metric for external stakeholders like insurers or healthcare funders in strategic planning, negotiations, and benchmarking against other organisations.
NPS limitations in healthcare
Despite its advantages, NPS has some limitations in the healthcare context. The scoring system (ranging from -100 to +100) can be unintuitive for frontline staff, often requiring education and engagement to fully understand and interpret results.
Furthermore, NPS's simplicity can be a double-edged sword. While it's easy to gather, it lacks depth, providing no context on why patients gave a particular score. This is why it is crucial to pair NPS with open-ended questions. Patient comments can reveal the reasons behind their score, providing context and qualitative data that enriches the overall feedback.
Moreover, NPS may not be appropriate in every healthcare setting. In some public healthcare systems, NPS phrasing about "recommending" a service may feel out of place for patients who don't have the option of choosing a healthcare provider.
NPS Badges
We now provide NPS badges to our high-performing clients! If you would like to use one of these on your website or on your social media, reach out to us at: customersuccess@cemplicity.com
'Word class' = For those with a score above 80
'Excellent' = For those with a score above 50
