What’s Your NPS? Why You Need It & How to Do It

What’s your Net Promoter Score?

If you had to stop and think about that – or if you are trying to figure out how to tell us, Fullbay, what’s a Net Promoter Score? – don’t worry. You’re not alone. A lot of shops aren’t knowingly checking this performance metric.

Note that we said knowingly. If you follow even a handful of the practices we’ve suggested in our various marketing writings, then you are probably semi-aware of your Net Promoter Score (also called NPS), even if you aren’t calling it that. But in this article, we’re going to explain what the NPS is, why you should be using it, and how to measure it.

Your NPS is basically your reputation. What do your customers think of you, and how many would come back to you, given the chance?

HOW DO YOU MEASURE IT?

Your NPS traces to one question: What is the likelihood that your customers will recommend your shop to others?

Generally you obtain this information by sending out surveys to customers you’ve done work for. Some folks like using services like SurveyMonkey, which has an NPS survey available already. The surveys are typically short, asking questions centered around customer experience and satisfaction, and include at least one that asks, “Would you recommend this shop to colleagues?”

Once the answers are in, you work out the NPS using a 1-10 scale:

Detractors (0-6): They don’t like your shop or the work you do and will badmouth you at every available opportunity. They’re called detractors because they actively detract from your reputation’s strength.

Passives (7-8): If we had to pick a word to describe how these customers felt about you, we’d say “Meh.” They weren’t unhappy with the work you did, but they aren’t thrilled either. Moreover, they may not really care. They might bring their vehicle to you again, or they might not.

Promoters (9-10): These are your dream customers. They talk you up to their friends, family, and colleagues, and convince those folks to give you a try, too. They’re the best publicity you can get.

Now, subtract your detractors from your promoters. The resulting number is your NPS.

WHY DOES IT MATTER TO YOUR SHOP?

We probably don’t need to tell you that reputation matters, especially in our brave new world of social media. Good reviews can spread across the internet; bad reviews can burn like a wildfire.

But a good rule of thumb to follow is, the higher your NPS, the better your reputation. And shops with good reputations bring in more customers. Here are two examples:

Example A: A trucker has pulled over in your town due to a busted turbo. They ask around for repair recommendations at a local diner; someone raves about the work you did on their Peterbilt and hands them your contact information. BAM, new customer.

Example B: A trucker hears a mysterious rattling sound in their cab. They pull over and search for nearby repair shops. There are three within ten miles. One shop has decent reviews, one shop has bad reviews, and one shop (yours!) has stellar reviews. Guess which shop they’re gonna pick?

In both cases, your shop is the winner. And if you provide good work to the new customer, well, guess what? They’re going to talk about you, too, and lift your NPS even more.

HELP! MY SHOP HAS A LOW NPS!

Have no fear. A poor NPS is still data you can use. Look at the answers your survey has provided and see where your shop is faltering. Some of the reasons we’ve seen for poor reviews include:

• Lack of communication and transparency over when repairs will be completed (psst – a Customer Portal would take care of that!).
• Rude techs or office staff, or generally just an unpleasant face-to-face experience. It may be time to brush up on your staff’s customer service skills.
• You’ve got a pattern of comebacks, or failed repairs. This is serious, and something you want to correct immediately.

See? These are serious problems, but they’re problems you can resolve. Treat any data you get from surveys as a stepping stone to improving your shop!

YOUR NPS, YOURSELF

You don’t need to constantly fret over your NPS. Maybe you check it once a year, or once a quarter. As long as you’re aware of how your customers feel about you, and are willing to change things up to keep them happy, you’re in a good place.

Thinking about other ways to improve customer experience? Our shop management software gets rave reviews from customers and shop owners. Get in touch with us today for a free demo and see why!