Is your Net Promoter Score (NPS) really a System?

How to build a Voice of the Customer program

It was just a word change, right? From Net Promoter ‘Score’ to Net Promoter ‘System’.

It happened whilst we were all heads-down embedding software and surveys and taxonomies. But what it means is that Australian companies need to really assess who they are and what they want, before they can properly listen to the customer.

‘The score’ aligned business units, territories and markets - a universal currency measuring growth prospects through customer relationships. Unless you have a natural north star (a Bezos or a Jobs), you now need ‘a system’ to take you from here to excellence.

What your NPS score really means

At Proto, we see businesses struggling, firstly, to create this system and, secondly, to anchor it in what they do.

We start with a fundamental question:

If this business could speak, how customer-led would it want to be?

On our scale of 1 to 10, 1 says ‘Customer-centricity sounds like too much hard work and too much risk – better to keep things as they are’; 10 reveals ‘We’re doing whatever it takes daily.’

What the question captures is the mindset that’s needed to achieve:

At Proto, we help organisations move up the scale. It’s easy to spot when there’s a perception gap between what’s said and what’s reality:

Under 5 on the scale: Your complaints-handling is probably sorted. There’s a board report and a journey map. Staff have daily huddles and mention customers when waiting for the next meeting to start.

Between 6 and 8: You have a clear handle on competitor NPS and are actively seeking views of customers without a loyalty card. There’s a plan to fix service point failures this FY. You’re aware your qualitative NPS data is likely being wasted.

At 9 or 10: Your balanced scorecards contain CX and EX metrics. People own Journeys that feed the Value Proposition. From onboarding to exit, the culture resonates ‘customer’. The innovation lab is fuelled by customer insights. A Customer Champion community keeps this high-performance system running sustainably. The customer’s visible everywhere and shapes every action.

How customer-centric do you want to be?

Because the truth is, not every organisation wants to be customer-centric. It’s hard work. It’s single-minded. It takes investment. The economic benefits – if you are ready – are well-established. But some businesses just want to bring the customer a tad closer to the centre.

We get it.

However, some enterprises are burning their people out, demanding action yet failing to get clear on why, how and where they create value.

It’s time, ladies and gentlemen, please. To come to terms with where you are, and to decide where you’re prepared to be.

We can show you how to ring the BELL for:

• Brilliant Basics
• Engaging with excellence
• Loving your employees
• Leading the future

But only if you genuinely want to move up the Net Promoter Scale.

Building a Voice of the Customer Program If you’d like to build on key satisfaction drivers, we can help you understand the voice of your customer and implement service improvements to increase your customer loyalty and NPS

Developing Customer Insights If you need deep insights into your organisation’s biggest challenges, we’ll help you close the gap between the services you deliver and what your customers crave.

Customer Journey Mapping If you‘d like to understand what’s really happening during each customers’ journey with your business, our customer journey maps unapologetically show you the broken parts of the customer journey that require urgent attention in days and weeks - not months and quarters.

Employee Training and Workshops If you need help building EX capability into your internal teams and aligning staff with your CX goals, our workshops solve this business challenge.