Forrester has been measuring Net Promoter Score (NPS)* for four years as a part of our annual CX Index survey. Because customer experience (CX) pros have been asking how their firm’s NPS compares to other firms’ scores and what “good” is, we decided to publish our NPS data for the first time. The data is based on a survey of over 100,000 US adult customers using the standard question text, question scale, and calculation recommended by Bain & Company.

You can find the detailed scores and rankings in our “Net Promoter Benchmarks, 2019 (US)” report (paywall). But I selected four findings to share with you.

Four Findings From Our NPS Data

  • Overall, the companies rated in our survey had Net Promoter Scores that range from 59 to -47.
  • The industry average Net Promoter Scores range from the low positive 30s to single-digit negative scores. Digital retailers and luxury automakers lead the pack, with industry averages in the low 30s. Mass-market automakers, multichannel retailers, direct banks, and hotels land in the 20s. Five financial services industries, plus wireless providers, clump together in the teens. The federal government and health insurers dip into negative NPS territory.
  • As in our CX Index, USAA and Navy Federal Credit Union are the top brands overall. These and other leading brands in our sample prove that average Net Promoter Scores in the high 50s are possible for companies that invest in customer centricity.
  • Six brands rule their industries. The scores of these brands are between 1.5 and 3 times higher than the scores of the runners-up in their industries:
    • The US National Park Service’s NPS is nearly three times higher than that of the US Postal Service (USPS).
    • Among multichannel banks, Navy Federal’s score is 1.9 times higher than that of TD Bank.
    • USAA outperforms both its direct bank runner-up (with a score 1.9 times higher than Ally Bank’s) and its credit card runner-up (with a score 1.6 times higher than Discover’s).
    • For investment firms, Edward Jones’ score is 1.6 times higher than Ameriprise’s.
    • And when it comes to rental cars, Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s score is 1.6 times higher than that of National Car Rental.

How To (Not) Use This Information

  • If you don’t conduct surveys, you can use the benchmarks to see how you perform and whether you lag or lead competition.
  • If you measure NPS yourself, compare against the scores in our report. But keep in mind that the NPS you measured will probably be higher than an NPS derived by a third party like Forrester — partly because people feel less obliged to be nice when rating your brand with a third party.

As You Look At Or Share Results, Remember That NPS Is:

  • A loyalty metric, not a direct measure of CX quality.
  • A common CX beacon metric that might be right for a firm or not.
  • Effective when part of a CX measurement and improvement system.

If you want to know more, check out the report “The Top 10 NPS Questions Answered.”

 

* Net Promoter and NPS are registered service marks, and Net Promoter Score is a service mark, of Bain & Company, Inc., Satmetrix Systems, Inc., and Fred Reichheld.