The Ultimate Guide to Net Promoter Score (NPS) and Writing like you code

The Ultimate Guide to Net Promoter Score (NPS) and Writing like you code

Net promoter score (NPS) is the gold standard of customer experience metrics. It provides valuable insights into how likely customers are to recommend your organization, product, or service to others. Calculating your NPS score is simple - just subtract the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters. The resulting score falls within the range of -100 to +100, with a higher score being desirable.

To understand NPS better, let's break it down. Respondents are asked to rate their likelihood of recommending your offering on a scale of 0 to 10. Promoters are those who respond with a score of 9 or 10. They are your loyal and enthusiastic customers who are likely to recommend you to others. Passives, on the other hand, respond with a score of 7 or 8. They are satisfied with your service, but not enthusiastic enough to be considered promoters. Finally, Detractors are customers who respond with a score of 0 to 6. They are unhappy with your service and are unlikely to purchase from you again.

Now that we understand NPS, let's explore how it can be applied in different contexts. Relational NPS surveys are conducted periodically, such as quarterly or annually. These surveys provide a pulse on your customers' overall sentiment towards your company. On the other hand, Transactional NPS surveys are sent out after specific interactions, like a purchase or support call. They help you understand customer satisfaction on a granular level and gather feedback about a particular topic or experience.

When conducting NPS surveys, it's important to keep them focused and avoid unnecessary questions, especially demographic ones. By keeping the survey concise and relevant, you increase the likelihood of receiving accurate and meaningful responses.

Now, let's shift gears and explore the connection between good writing and coding. Writing, like coding, should strive for simplicity, efficiency, and structure. Just as good code can be understood by a junior engineer, good writing should be accessible to a wide range of readers. Great writing, like great code, transcends complexity and can be understood even by a first-year CS freshman.

In both writing and coding, less is often more. If something doesn't need to be said, don't say it. This is the writer's equivalent of "the best code is no code at all". Unnecessary information or verbose sentences only add to the reader's cognitive load, making it harder for them to understand and engage with your content.

A writer must also consider the mental resources of the reader, much like a programmer considers CPU cycles and RAM. Attention span and memory play a crucial role in both reading and coding. Therefore, it's essential to structure your writing in a clear and organized manner, just as you would structure your code. A well-structured piece of writing allows the reader to follow along effortlessly and retain the information more effectively.

To keep the reader engaged, it's important to sprinkle your writing with humor or insights. This keeps the content lively and prevents the reader from getting bored. One effective technique is to ensure that the reader has an epiphany every 250 words, as coined by David Perell as the "Raymond Chandler rule". By introducing moments of realization or surprise, you create a more memorable and enjoyable reading experience.

In conclusion, both Net Promoter Score (NPS) and writing like you code share common principles. They both aim for simplicity, efficiency, and structure. NPS helps businesses understand customer sentiment and loyalty, while writing like you code ensures that your content is accessible and engaging. To apply these principles effectively, here are three actionable pieces of advice:

1. Keep your NPS surveys concise and relevant, avoiding unnecessary questions, especially demographic ones. This will increase the quality and accuracy of the responses you receive.

2. Structure your writing in a clear and organized manner, just as you would structure your code. This will make it easier for the reader to follow along and retain the information.

3. Inject humor or insights into your writing to keep the reader engaged. Aim for moments of realization or surprise every 250 words, creating a more memorable and enjoyable reading experience.

By implementing these strategies, you can leverage the power of NPS and improve your writing skills, creating a positive impact on both customer experience and reader engagement. So, whether you're measuring customer loyalty or crafting compelling content, remember to keep it simple, efficient, and structured.