NPS is a Metric, Not a Strategy: 4 Questions to Consider Whether Your Company Goes Beyond the Metrics

It may be true that “numbers don’t lie,” but they also don’t necessarily tell the truth. At least not the whole truth. And a system that measures customer satisfaction or NPS is not a customer experience strategy. 

I’ll never forget where I was sitting when these thoughts started making their way into my consciousness. It was a setting that is familiar to many of you: a large industry conference hall in Vegas. The kind with booming music and light shows in between speakers, with beautiful images flashing on the stadium-size screens, and the general hype that makes you feel like you’re somewhere important. 

The session I was attending was panel-style, where 4 or 5 industry executives from large companies bearing household names were discussing their investments in customer experience.  The facilitator posed a question to each guest on the stage and the Q&A went something like this:

Facilitator:  “How is [Big Name Company] evolving its customer experience strategy?”

Guest Speaker:  “We do NPS.” 

We “do” NPS?  That’s like asking your kid’s teacher about their education strategy in the classroom and they respond with “We do state-standardized testing.” 

Most teachers don’t choose their profession because they love achieving metrics prescribed by State Boards of Education. They choose it because they love the idea of helping children learn.  Similarly, most professionals don’t get their inspiration from a paycheck or hitting a company-prescribed metric. They are inspired by the hope of helping their customers. 

As I listen to industry leaders, I’m hearing that their organizations have made enormous investments in systems that measure customer experience. This is good news. But these same leaders are still searching for deeper insights and a sense of connectedness with their customers.

Does your organization go beyond the metrics? Consider the following four questions:

• In your meetings, what is the ratio of time and energy spent discussing Cx metrics vs. discussing evidence of both barriers and successes experienced by your customers?
• Do you have a consistent and frequent listening program that ensures you receive input from a representative sample of your entire customer population (not just those who write reviews or respond to surveys?)
• Does your current customer experience program regularly inform your company’s growth, profitability, or innovation strategies?
• Do you and your colleagues feel inspired by and connected to your customers, or do you feel governed by internal metrics?

True change and inspiration come from actually listening to customers and understanding their experience well beyond surface-level metrics.

At Authenticx, we help companies develop corporate listening programs that are designed to evoke connection to the deeper experiences between organization and customer. Then, we help them prioritize and take actions in response customer feedback and insights. You can learn more about how Authenticx helps organizations listen more effectively here.