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NPS Sucks. Measure What Matters.
Stop basing decisions on NPS. Use better methods to understand customer behavior and continuously enhance their experience.
Drew Burdick
July 21, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
Introduction
Welcome to the 6th edition of the Building Great Experiences newsletter!
In the last several editions, I defined what a great experience is, shared how to orchestrate experiences at all altitudes, offered ways to test ideas quickly, and explored how to launch experiences people actually use.
This week I’m digging into ways to measure your customer’s experience and understand if you’re meeting their needs and driving engagement more effectively.
Ditch NPS for Real Insights
Net Promoter Score (NPS) has been widely used as a standard for measuring customer loyalty. BUT it’s useless at helping you really understand where the pain points are for your customers.
If you don’t know what NPS is, it’s the (obnoxious) survey you’ll see sometimes that asks how likely you are to recommend a product or service to someone else. It’s become the primary benchmark for many companies over the years, but only focuses on a single question and doesn’t capture the nuances of user satisfaction or the specific aspects of your experience that need improvement.
Instead of relying solely on NPS, I suggest using more detailed surveys that ask questions about specific parts of the journey to understand ease of use, satisfaction, and quality.
Also, gathering feedback immediately after an interaction provides more accurate and actionable insights. Users are more likely to remember their experiences clearly and provide specific feedback when it’s fresh in their minds.
Implement in-app prompts or quick surveys that pop up right after a user completes a significant action, like making a purchase or using a new feature. This real-time feedback is invaluable for making timely improvements.
Blend Numbers with Narratives
A well-rounded approach to measuring experience includes both quantitative data (like usage statistics and survey results) and qualitative insights (like user comments and interviews). Quantitative data helps you understand what is happening, while qualitative feedback helps you understand why it’s happening.
Use analytics tools to track user behavior on your website or digital product. Overlay this data with insights from focus groups and customer/user interviews to get a complete picture of their experience.
Test, Test, Test!
Continuous testing is crucial for refining your digital experience. A/B testing, usability testing, and beta testing can help you identify what works and what doesn’t. Regularly testing different aspects of your product allows you to make data-driven decisions and improvements.
Conduct A/B tests to compare different versions of a feature or interface. Gather feedback and performance data to determine which version delivers the best user experience.
Remember, You Are Not Your Customer.
It’s essential to recognize that your perspective is different from that of your customers/users. Be vigilant about avoiding assumptions and implicit biases that can cloud your judgment. Always rely on actual user data and feedback rather than personal preferences or opinions.
Regularly review user feedback and involve a diverse group of testers to ensure that your product meets the needs of all user segments. Avoid making changes based solely on internal team preferences.
Top Experience Measurement Tools
If you’re looking for tools to help you measure your customer’s experience, here are some of the best ones to try out:
Tool | Description |
|---|---|
Survey tool that helps you create, distribute, and analyze surveys quickly and easily. | |
Advanced experience management platform that provides tools for survey creation, distribution, and analysis. | |
Offers video-based user testing to gather real-time feedback from actual users. | |
Provides heatmaps, session recordings, and surveys to understand user behavior on your website. | |
Experience management platform that captures customer feedback across multiple channels for analysis. | |
Customer service platform that includes tools for collecting and analyzing customer feedback. | |
Customer messaging platform that includes features for gathering user feedback through in-app messages and surveys. | |
Survey tool designed to integrate with Salesforce for capturing and analyzing customer feedback. | |
Platform that helps businesses understand and guide user behavior through in-app messaging and analytics. | |
Form and survey tool known for its user-friendly, conversational interface that boosts response rates and engagement. |
Wrapping Up
Effectively measuring experience requires a holistic approach that goes beyond traditional metrics like NPS. By collecting real-time feedback, combining quantitative and qualitative data, continuously testing, and avoiding personal biases and assumptions, you can ensure your experience is truly customer-centered and continuously improving.
Onward & upward!
Drew
P.s. If we haven’t met yet, hello! I’m Drew Burdick, a leader in Customer Experience (CX). For over 15 years I’ve worked with organizations of all sizes to enhance their CX and design solutions that drive business results. Have a question? Send me an email or reach out on LinkedIn.