NPS: how to survey customer satisfaction with a single indicator?

Evaluation surveys play a key role in the conscious management of a language school. If you are wondering how to accurately measure student satisfaction, it is worth paying attention to the NPS (Net Promoter Score) indicator. In this article, you will find everything you need to know about NPS – from its definition, through its application, to specific benefits for your language school.

What will you find in this article?

  1. What is Net Promoter Score (NPS)?
  2. Why is NPS so effective?
  3. How to calculate NPS?
  4. Benefits of using NPS in language schools
  5. How to use NPS in practice?
  6. Common mistakes when using NPS
  7. Summary – NPS indicator

What is Net Promoter Score (NPS)?

The NPS (Net Promoter Score) indicator is a tool that allows you to easily assess customer loyalty. It is based on a response to one key question:

„How likely are you to recommend our language school to a friend?”

Students rate the likelihood on a scale from 0 to 10, which allows them to be divided into three groups:

  • 0-6: dissatisfied customers, known as critics (detractors). They can negatively affect the image of your school.
  • 7-8: neutral customers, known as… Passive clients are satisfied, but they will not actively promote your brand.
  • 9-10: satisfied clients, known as promoters. These are loyal supporters who are eager to recommend your services.

Why is NPS so effective?

NPS (Net Promoter Score) is one of the simplest and most effective tools for measuring customer loyalty, which can have a real impact on the development of your institution. One question is enough to find out how your students perceive you.

The NPS allows you to evaluate not only the entire school but also its individual elements, such as courses, instructors, or customer service. In addition to a numerical score, you also receive specific customer feedback that will help you improve the functioning of the school.

How to calculate NPS?

You calculate it using the formula:

NPS = (% of Promoters) – (% of Detractors)

Example: if 60% of your students are promoters, and 20% are detractors, your NPS is 40.

60% – 20% = 40

The score can range from -100 to +100. The higher the score, the better the situation of your language school. For example, the largest companies in the world achieve scores ranging from 50-80, while for most small and medium-sized businesses, a satisfactory score is 5-10.

critics/destructors, passive people, promotors

Benefits of using NPS in language schools

NPS allows you to measure customer loyalty while providing information that can help the language school owner increase profits and improve the quality of services offered.

Simple and quick implementation

The survey requires asking just one question, making it extremely accessible for students. You can conduct it through various channels:

  • on the website,
  • in a course summary email,
  • in the student’s panel in the e-diary.

Discovering key areas for improvement

NPS provides an indicator of overall satisfaction, but it’s worth going a step further and analyzing the detailed feedback that customers add to their responses. This helps to understand which aspects of the business need improvement (e.g., quality of teaching, appearance of classrooms).

Correlation with financial performance

Research shows that a higher NPS leads to more recommendations, which translates into increased revenue. Satisfied students help acquire clients to the language school by recommending it to new people.

How to use NPS in practice?

1. Segmenting results: by analyzing results, you can divide students into critics, passives, and promoters. This way, you can determine:

  • who requires additional attention and improvement of experiences?
  • who is worth engaging in promotional activities (e.g., through word of mouth)?

2. Customizing questions to business goals: the basic question can be modified according to your needs. Below are a few examples.

  • „How would you rate the quality of service at our school?”
  • „Would you recommend the language course [Course Name] to a friend?”
  • „How satisfied are you with the instructor’s performance?”

3. Integration with other tools: NPS doesn’t have to replace traditional survey research. It can complement them by providing quick and straightforward insights that you can use for planning marketing or operational activities.

Common mistakes when using NPS

Despite its simplicity, NPS has certain limitations:

  • Lack of regularity: it should be monitored systematically to capture changes over time.
  • Ignoring critics: negative feedback is just as important as positive feedback – it allows you to implement crucial changes.
  • One-sidedness: NPS should be supplemented with other methods of measuring satisfaction, such as surveys or customer interviews.

Summary – NPS indicator

NPS is an extremely effective tool for measuring customer loyalty, which can significantly impact the growth of your language school. Thanks to its simplicity in implementation and analysis of results, you can quickly identify areas for improvement and increase customer engagement. Remember, student satisfaction is the foundation of success – both in building a brand and increasing revenue.

LangLion is a comprehensive language school management platform that automates daily tasks, builds relationships with students, and offers the possibility of sharing anonymous satisfaction surveys to continuously collect feedback on the school, instructors, quality of teaching, and course prices!