“Do you also measure with the European NPS method?” This week I got asked that question again. It was striking; I got the same question several times over the past few weeks. The first time you look a little strange. Surely there is only 1 NPS method?
“What do you actually mean by the European NPS?” was immediately my counter-question.
“Well, then you also count the 8s to Promoters; the Promoters then consist of the 8s, 9s, and 10s. The Passives are formed by the 6 and 7 scorers and the 5 and below belong to the Detractors. We do this because Europeans give scores in a different way. In Europe, people don’t like to give 9’s and 10’s like in the US. And then the NPS would turn out very low. ”
Every time I hear something like this, I get a little angry and a little sad at the same time.
When we check the real “facts”, there is nothing to support the argument that Europeans would vote “differently”.
As Focus Feedback, we are fortunate to be able to compare scores and score behavior from more than 30 countries. And yes, there are differences in the voting behavior of countries; but not that you can argue that there is a significant difference between the voting behavior of Europeans and that of Americans.
I immediately thought of a nice quote from Sydney Brouwer: “As soon as conversations are about the scores instead of the customer, you have to intervene.” A statement that I can fully agree with. (Listen to his podcast with the undersigned here)
The NPS is not intended for these kinds of creative variations; “Stick To The System” is our credo. The NPS is about the system and not about the score. It is about really listening to the voice of the customer. And then improve your services and optimize the relationship with the customer. And the score is secondary to that; you can measure your progress over time. But you can still improve based on the feedback from the customer.
It is nevertheless striking that these questions always come from the Construction and Real Estate sector. Until I heard from one of them that one of our competitors in the construction world offers the NPS method in this way.
Dear construction companies; do not be tempted by this influence on the NPS score. That’s not the point; it’s about what you do with honest feedback from residents and clients. Ultimately, it is about enthusiastic customers.
Have a nice day everyone!
Dave Wurms
CEO Focus Feedback