NPS survey questions: ready-to-copy templates

The classic NPS question

The standard NPS question is a single, short one: "On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend [company/product] to a friend or colleague?". Resist the urge to rewrite it — question consistency is what lets you compare NPS across periods, channels and industries. Customize only the company or product name.

Follow-up questions by zone

After the score, ask an open-ended follow-up to understand the why. The wording can change based on the zone — promoters get a positive prompt, detractors a more empathetic one. This boosts both response rate on the open field and the quality of the feedback.

• ✓Promoters (9–10): "Great! What did you love most about your experience?"
• ✓Passives (7–8): "What would make you give a higher score next time?"
• ✓Detractors (0–6): "We're sorry about your experience. What went wrong?"

Questions by context

Beyond the main question, you can tailor the wording to the collection moment. Each context needs a slightly different phrasing so the respondent knows exactly what they're rating.

• ✓Post-purchase: "Based on today's purchase, how likely are you to recommend [store]?"
• ✓Post-support: "Considering the support you just received, how likely would you recommend [company]?"
• ✓Post-product usage: "After using [product] for 30 days, how likely are you to recommend it?"
• ✓Relational survey: "Overall, how likely are you to recommend [company]?"

Common mistakes in NPS questions

Three mistakes damage survey quality. First: changing the question wording between campaigns — that breaks comparability. Second: adding too many questions before the NPS one — response rates drop by half with each extra question. Third: not closing the loop with detractors — a survey with no follow-up frustrates respondents and generates zero value for the business.