You’ve got your Net Promoter Score (NPS®). Now what? Getting your score can be exciting, but also confusing. Is it good? Bad? Normal for your industry? Without context, even solid scores can send teams fixing the wrong things or celebrating too early.
This article gives you what you need to figure it out: global benchmarks and industry-specific ranges so you know exactly where you stand. We've pulled data from 150,000+ organizations to show you what "good" actually looks like in your sector. You’ll also get a quick, 3-step plan to improve your score in weeks, not months. You’ll be able to turn NPS into real revenue protection, not just a vanity metric.
Start with our NPS calculator to determine your baseline, then use our NPS guide to interpret what it means and turn feedback into growth.
What is considered a good NPS?
Net Promoter Score is a metric that measures customer loyalty, calculated on a scale from -100 to +100.
A "good" Net Promoter Score is relative to industry and global benchmarks. As a general guide, scores are interpreted as follows:
- Below 0: Generally signals significant room for improvement.
- Above 20: Considered a good score.
- Above 70: Considered "exceptional".
SurveyMonkey Global NPS Benchmarks (2025)
Based on our 2025 benchmark data from over 150,000 organizations, the global average Net Promoter Score is +32.
- Global NPS average: +32 based on our 2025 benchmark data of 150,000+ organizations. Below 0 generally signals trouble; above 20 is good; above 70 is exceptional.
- Quartiles (global):
- Bottom quartile: 0 or lower
- Median (50th percentile): +44
- Top quartile: +72 or higher
- Rule of thumb: Use global numbers as a quick gut check, but always compare within your own industry. Expectations and norms vary widely, so context turns scores into insight.
- Q: “Is +18 good?” A: It’s below the common “good” threshold of +20. Work toward your industry median next, then the top quartile.
You can get your score instantly with our NPS calculator and learn more about each group in our NPS guide.
What counts as a good NPS by industry?
Benchmarks only help when you compare like with like. A strong score in retail might be average in software. Find your macro-category on the table below, see where your score lands, and set realistic goals. Aim for the median first, then plan for the top quartile.
| Macro category | Bottom quartile (≤) | Median | Top quartile (≥) | Snapshot |
| Professional services (consulting as a proxy) | 42 | 48 | 72 | Project outcomes, collaboration, and expertise drive spread. |
| Technology (technology and software/online services) | 22 (tech) / 17 (software) | 50 (tech) / 44 (software) | 70 (tech) / 68 (software) | High expectations for UX and support keep medians lower than some service categories. |
| Consumer goods/services (retail as a proxy) | 36 | 57 | 74 | Product mix, price perception, and store/website experience matter most. |
Technology often trails professional services because the customer experience is different. Markets move faster, switching is easier, and support expectations are extremely high. That means the mid-range is tighter and there’s more volatility. You can quickly move into the top quartile with better follow-ups and clearer in-product guidance, not more questions.
For category-specific quartiles so you can compare yourself to your peers, visit our NPS benchmarks by industry. Ready to benchmark your own NPS? Get started free to run an NPS survey today and see where you stand.
3 ways to improve your Net Promoter Score
Focusing on specific strategies to enhance customer experience can directly translate to a higher NPS. By implementing targeted improvements across your product, service, and communication, you can cultivate more promoters and reduce the number of detractors. Consider the following three strategies to improve your Net Promoter Score.
- Track and react with a simple, recurring loop (own the follow-up)
- What to do: Review your NPS weekly. Route detractor alerts to owners within hours; acknowledge, investigate, resolve, and close the loop. Publish a brief “What we heard / what we changed” summary internally each sprint.
- Why it works: Time to acknowledgement is a leading signal of loyalty repair.
- How to start: Use how to turn NPS detractors into promoters to set response templates, escalation paths, and a 48-hour callback rule for any score ≤6.
- Get more of the company in the room with customers
- What to do: Create customer interaction reports that pair a single verbatim with one clip or dashboard view and a one-line action. Bring product, success, and support to the same 30-minute weekly readout.
- Why it works: When teams share visibility, fixes happen faster than when one group works alone.
- How to start: Use the definitions and program setup tips in our NPS guide to align on owner roles and cadences, then track movement by segment (new vs. repeat customers, region, or product line).
- Invest in customer-facing training and resources; close the loop visibly
- What to do: Identify the two most common detractor themes (e.g., “slow support” or “confusing onboarding”). Build one help center module or in-product tip per theme, and train frontline teams on the update.
- Why it works: Many detractor themes are knowledge or findability gaps.
- How to start: Check out the guidance on how to turn NPS detractors into promoters and send a short follow-up to respondents: “You told us X; here’s what we changed.” Track pre/post NPS for that touchpoint.
Patterns that push your NPS lower
In addition to understanding how to improve your NPS, it’s important to also consider what habits might be sabotaging your NPS strategy. Consider these five NPS challenges as you create your NPS strategy.
- Watching the number, not the feedback. NPS without reading verbatims turns into a vanity metric.
- Surveying too infrequently. Quarterly or after key events beats annual pulses for most teams.
- No follow-up owner. When the response is “everyone’s job,” no one responds.
- Over-generalizing benchmarks. Segment by product line, region, lifecycle, and account tier to see where to act first.
- Copy-pasting “universal” good/excellent thresholds. Use the quartiles in your industry to set targets. Global shorthand is a starting point, not a decision rule.
Features that turn NPS feedback into measurable action
- NPS Survey Template — Start from a ready-made question set that follows best practices and keeps results comparable.
- Tips to create NPS surveys — Learn how to phrase, time, and structure your questions for higher response rates and better insights.
- NPS calculator — Quickly crunch your data to see where you stand against benchmarks.
- Sample size calculator — Estimate how many responses you need for statistically reliable results before you send your survey.
Activate NPS insights for smarter growth
You now have clear benchmarks, industry context, and three practical tips to raise your score. You know what a good Net Promoter Score looks like and how to keep improving it.
The SurveyMonkey feedback management platform can help you make that progress repeatable. Run your next NPS survey, track results over time, and turn feedback into measurable growth.
Get started free to launch your next NPS cycle, and visit the NPS guide to learn how to build a consistent, scalable feedback program that keeps momentum going.
NPS, Net Promoter & Net Promoter Score are registered trademarks of Satmetrix Systems, Inc., Bain & Company and Fred Reichheld.
