Customer success term
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
NPS asks customers one question: 'How likely are you to recommend [product] to a friend or colleague?' Customers scoring 9-10 are promoters; 7-8 are passives; 0-6 are detractors. The score is calculated as % promoters - % detractors, ranging from -100 to +100. Industry NPS averages vary by category; consumer software typically sees 30-50, enterprise SaaS 30-70.
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How to operationalize this
Send the NPS question at 30 days post-signup AND at any milestone moment (after the first 'aha'). Aggregate monthly. Track the trend, not the absolute number. Read every detractor comment within 48 hours of receiving it — the comments are more valuable than the score.
Common misuse
Reporting NPS on tiny samples. NPS calculated on 10 responses has a confidence interval of ±30; the score is noise. The minimum useful sample is around 50-100 responses; below that, qualitative comments are more reliable than the score.
What “good” looks like for indie SaaS
Indie SaaS NPS at 40+ is healthy; 60+ is excellent. Detractor count more important than the score; even with high NPS, every detractor comment is a churn-risk signal.
Related
Frequently asked
- Should indie SaaS run NPS?
- After 100+ paying customers, yes. Below that, qualitative customer-development conversations produce better signal than NPS. NPS is a measurement-at-scale tool; small-scale insights live elsewhere.
Apply the term to a live page
The free 90-second Launch Diagnostic labels which Brunson failure mode your page hits — many of these terms have direct connections to the diagnosis.