“What’s a good NPS response rate in e-commerce? In B2B Media? For SaaS Data Vendors? For Attorneys? For Hospitals?”

Yes, this is the ‘relationship economy,’ but not all companies have the same kind of ‘relationship’ with their customers — nor should they be expected to. There are a hundred variables that play into my willingness to take one survey from a product/service I use while ignoring another. Most of us wouldn’t share the same level of eagerness to respond to a survey from our internet provider at work as we would to respond to a survey from our favorite hobby blog. That’s not to say I’m unhappy with my work internet provider’s service or that it’s unimportant to my life. It’s just that it’s a B2B service that I don’t feel a strong connection to. You want me to answer that survey? It had better be easy.

Here are 5 ways to keep your NPS survey response rates as high as possible in your respective business model.

1. Keep it Simple
This is the first (and most commonly repeated) rule for increasing response rates. If you want the highest response rate possible, use an NPS software that embeds the NPS question directly in the email. When the question itself can be answered from within the email, it makes it incredibly easy for your customers to respond. And with 40% of emails being opened on mobile devices these days, make sure your NPS emails are mobile optimized.

2. Make it Personal
Who the NPS question is coming from matters more in some businesses than others, but a familiar contact or an email directly from the CEO can vastly increase response rates. Sibyl allows you to send NPS emails from your own sub-domain so that your clients see that you’re personally sending it. This is especially helpful in B2B businesses where there are other email interactions between a supplier and client. They open your other emails… they’ll open this one.

3. Be Flexible
Some NPS platforms take a hardline approach about NPS being most successfully implemented via email… but at Signet Research and Sibyl, we understand that not all businesses are the same. Many media brands, for example, see their largest audiences via social media or through certain websites. That’s why we make NPS easy to embed on any social media page. Sibyl also generates NPS web-popups for your websites. And what about event and conference attendees? It’s best to gauge their levels of satisfaction immediately after they engage with your event. To that end, Sibyl has the ability to send NPS surveys via SMS text messages as well. With multiple ways to engage your customers or audience, you can find what works best for your business.

4. Send a Reminder
Finally, a well-timed and well written reminder email about a week after the original is sent goes a long way. Research has shown it can achieve an additional 50% response. But don’t send more than one reminder.

5. “Close the Loop”
Now, this happens AFTER a respondent answers your survey. However, it heavily influences the likelihood of that respondent answering your next NPS survey if you responded to the first one. Obviously, a negative score deserves a response to address the problem but positive scores should also be acknowledged. Even if it’s just a ‘thank you’, it’s important for your customers to know you’re listening to their feedback. It’s helpful to use an NPS platform that offers an in-app inbox where customers can be directly responded to from within the software. That way, there’s also some accountability in that upper management can keep an eye on accounts and make sure they’re being followed up with.

Let us help you maximize your NPS program. Check out our survey platform features here.