Why is NPS scored from -100 to 100?
Published by Zigpoll. Updated
NPS sits on a -100 to +100 scale because it is the percentage of promoters minus the percentage of detractors, so the result can range from all respondents being detractors (-100) to all being promoters (+100). The subtraction creates a “net” advocacy number rather than a percentage of satisfied customers. (netpromotersystem.com)
Why is NPS calculated on a -100 to 100 scale?
Because NPS = %Promoters − %Detractors, the arithmetic forces a possible range from −100 (100% detractors) to +100 (100% promoters). Bain/Satmetrix and Reichheld’s original formulation groups 0-6 as detractors, 7-8 as passives and 9-10 as promoters, then subtracts the detractor share from the promoter share to produce a single “net” figure. That net framing was chosen to emphasise positive versus negative word-of-mouth rather than average satisfaction. (netpromotersystem.com)
How is NPS calculated from survey responses?
Take the responses on the standard 0-10 “How likely are you to recommend?” question, classify 9-10 as promoters, 7-8 as passives, 0-6 as detractors, compute each group’s percent of total responses, then subtract: NPS = %Promoters − %Detractors. Passives count toward the denominator but are not included in the subtraction. The final score is reported as an integer between −100 and +100 (not as a percent). (qualtrics.com)
Do Qualtrics and SurveyMonkey use this scale?
Yes, both platforms implement the standard 0-10 question and calculate NPS as %Promoters minus %Detractors, producing a −100 to +100 result. Qualtrics’ NPS question type and visualizations assume a −100 to +100 range. SurveyMonkey’s help pages show the same grouping (0-6, 7-8, 9-10), the subtraction method, and state the score can range from −100 to 100. (qualtrics.com)
Qualtrics | Uses −100 to +100 | NPS question type and gauge charts auto-configure to −100..+100. (qualtrics.com) SurveyMonkey | Uses −100 to +100 | Help pages explain grouping, calculation, and benchmark data; includes NPS calculator and benchmarks. (surveymonkey.com)
What would change this answer: a vendor could choose to present a normalized 0-100 “advocacy” percent or a mean recommendation score instead of the net-difference; that is a presentation choice, not the canonical NPS formula. If you need a simple satisfaction percentage (e.g., percent satisfied = %≥7) or a mean score for statistical modeling, those alternatives can be better because they preserve magnitude information passives provide or support parametric analytics.
What is considered a good NPS score?
There is no universal “good” number; context and industry matter, but common guidance is: any score above 0 means you have more promoters than detractors, and higher is better. Global benchmark analyses put cross-industry averages in the 20s, 30s and top quartile firms well into the 60s, 70s; SurveyMonkey’s published benchmarks (data from their platform) show an average NPS ≈32 and top 25% ≥72, while aggregate analyses note medians and means vary widely by sector. Use your industry benchmark and trends over time as the primary guide. (surveymonkey.com)
What would change this answer: if your goal is short-term transactional feedback, CSAT (a percent satisfied) or CES (effort score) may be more actionable; if you need parametric statistics or segment-level modeling, use mean scores or convert NPS groups into numeric models. Also note that academic replication and critique exist, NPS predicts growth in some studies but not universally, so pair the number with follow-ups that ask why respondents answered as they did. (measuringu.com)
If you collect NPS on ecommerce/Shopify, tools built for post-purchase and on-site NPS (for example Zigpoll’s Shopify feedback app) can automate collection and integrations; check vendor docs for current features and limits. (netpromotersystem.com)
