Evaluation surveys are an indispensable element of conscious language school management. Each time you rack your brain over what methods, techniques and tools you should use to survey course participants’ satisfaction as precisely as possible. Have you heard about NPS indicator? Get to know this exceptionally effective method for measuring the loyalty of your customers.
What NPS indicator really is?
NPS (Net Promoter Score) indicator is largely based on recommendations, which are currently one of the best methods of selling. Therefore, it allows you not only to survey customer loyalty with extreme effectiveness, but also helps language school owners to achieve real profits.
You do not have to coin complicated and lengthy questions for surveys or carry out interviews; it suffices to ask one fundamental question to a course participant:
“How likely it is that you will recommend language school X to your friend?”
Respondents evaluate such likelihood on the scale from 0 to 10, where 0 equals no willingness to make the recommendation, while 10 proves full satisfaction. Following the measurement, you can identify three customer groups:
- critics/destructors – people who ticked answers from 0 to 6 are not willing to recommend the school, they voice reservations, they compromise the value of your brand;
- passive people – the group corresponding to answers in the 7-8 range, which brings together people indifferent to your school. Watch out! This is the group easiest to be won over – remember that your rivals can do the same if you don’t.
- promotors – answers above 8 are given by people who willingly recommend the language school and speak positively about it.
NPS indicator results from the equation: Net Promoter Score = % of promotors – % of critics. It is expressed numerically, so it can assume values from -100 to +100. Leading US brands have the indicator at the level of 50-80, but have no fear – NPS of medium-sized companies is in the range of 5-10.
One has to attach particular attention to survey results and analyse then carefully. The thing is that the same result – for example at the level of 10 – will be attained by a school with 40 per cent of promotors and 30 per cent of critics, and by a company having 10 per cent of promoters and not even s single destructor.
If you don’t ask, you won’t find out?
Customers evaluating your language school take into account the entirety of their experiences related thereto. Those include not only customer service, but also the offer, price, teaching quality, teachers, comfort. This is related to the term of Customer Experience, i.e. how customers perceive your company as viewed through all events taking place between them and the language school (Find out more at the article Customer Jouney Mapping – your school in the eye of the customer).
This is why companies frequently modify the content of the basic question. For example, you can survey the willingness to recommend your services, i.e. a given language course, quality of customer service, website or even of a specific course instructor.
Is it worthwhile to apply NPS?
Ease of surveying and analysis are the main advantages of NPS indicator. One simple question suffices to find out whether the school satisfies the needs of students and brings benefits to them and whether customers feel a connection therewith. The analysis helps to measure the general image, as well as perceptions of specific elements, such as course instructors or the look of classrooms.
Additionally, the survey does not require users the make a great effort or spend a lot of time, and first of all it does not intimidate them so it can be easily slipped in in any place and situation (for example at the website or after the end of the course in course participant’s panel in the E-gradebook).
Research proves that there is a correlation between the level of NPS indicator and revenues growth. This is related to the subject-matter of the survey, i.e. customer loyalty. The greater becomes the number of satisfied students, the greater is the number of positive recommendations and – consequently – the number of new customers. Owing to the indicator, one can measure the value of sales depending on the type of recipients of your school (critics, passive people, promotors).
If you feel attached to extensive questionnaire surveys, you do not have to give them up immediately after reading this article. However, it is worthwhile using in your language school the NPS indicator, which will help you to analyse the behaviours of your customers and will allow you for really easy adjustment of actions and work organisation with a view to improving the quality of provided services. Satisfaction of students is the key to your success.