The One Question

Let’s be honest … no one likes to do those lengthy customer survey that are 34 questions long! Really!!!

I just did a yoga class at SunstoneFit a couple of hours ago. Before I had even showered …

They sent me a 30 second survey …

It actually only takes ten seconds or less …

They ask the one question – the one and only important question:

Sunstone asks a second question:

Overall how satisfied were you with your teacher today?10 – Very Satisfied 5 – Neutral 0 – Very Dissatisfied and there’s five optional questions about the teacher and the state of the facilities.

This question was devised by Frank Reichheld at Harvard Business School – he’s the author of the Loyalty Effect and the Ultimate Question

Remember … the key indicator of Positively Outrageous Service is that it creates compelling, positive word of mouth.

Reichheld’s research discovered that the Net Promoter Score or NPS is the single number that correlates with an organizations’ financial performance than all others he tested, leading to his statement:
“This number is the one number you need to grow.  It’s that simple and that profound.”

We use this validated system to measure Positively Outrageous Service.

The Net Promoter Score or NPS is a mathematical categorization and measurement of customer satisfaction and excellence as well as brand loyalty. Response to this one question, measured on a scale of 0-10 yields a simple, instant and highly valuable real-time evaluation of your organization’s brand popularity and identifies your brand promoters or detractors.

It’s very easy … a score of 9 or 10 is an advocate, an active promoter – it’s the person that can’t help themselves but tell another about the experience. For example, have you ever watched a movie, or been to a restaurant or viewed a social media post that impacted you to the point you just had to share it with your friends? That’s that compelling word of mouth Positively Outrageous Service.

A score of 8 or 7 is a passive promoter. In other words, if some one asks you “have you seen a good movie lately?” or “do you know a good Italian restaurant nearby?” – then you might share.

6 or below is a detractor.

Your organization needs to know how excellent or bad was the customer experience: Are your clientele active advocates of your brand? … passive promoters? or even the deadly detractors of your brand?

Your Net Promoter Score is calculated by subtracting the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Active Advocates. You can measure this over time to see if you Positively Outrageous Service is improving or declining. There are even industry benchmarks that you can measure your organization against.

There’s even more you can do … when you know the score – how about leveraging your promoters to endorse you on social media?

Your detractors are helpful in identifying areas of weakness in your processes or organizational areas that aren’t delivering Positively Outrageous Service. These can be shored up to create alignment and boost your Positively Outrageous Service and increase your NPS.