<\/p>\n
What is Net Promoter Score survey?<\/strong><\/h2>\nA Net Promoter Score (NPS) Survey<\/a>\u00a0is a customer loyalty survey that measures how likely customers are to recommend your product to others.<\/p>\nIt uses an 11-point scale from 0 to 10 and groups responses into three categories:<\/p>\n
\n- Promoters (9\u201310):<\/strong> Highly satisfied customers who are likely to recommend your product.<\/li>\n
- Passives (7\u20138):<\/strong> Generally satisfied users who feel neutral and are less likely to actively promote you.<\/li>\n
- Detractors (0\u20136):<\/strong> Dissatisfied customers who may be at risk of churn.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"Building-NPS-survey-Userpilot-Types-of-nps-surveys\"](\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/building-nps-survey-userpilot-types-of-nps-surveys_ba3218c721b3ac68e2ff6a481086d76d_800.png\")
<\/picture>Building Net Promoter Score survey in Userpilot.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhat are the different types of NPS surveys?<\/strong><\/h2>\nNPS surveys fall into two main categories based on when and why they are sent.<\/p>\n
The two primary types are transactional<\/strong> and relational<\/strong>, and each serves a different purpose depending on the customer interaction you want to evaluate. Understanding the distinction helps you collect more relevant feedback, avoid survey fatigue, and act on NPS data more effectively.<\/p>\nIn the sections below, we\u2019ll break down each type and explain when it makes sense to use them:<\/p>\n
Transactional NPS survey (tNPS)<\/strong><\/h2>\nUse a transactional NPS survey when you want feedback tied to a specific interaction or moment in the customer journey.<\/strong><\/p>\ntNPS surveys<\/a> are important because they help you:<\/p>\n\n- Collect real-time customer feedback while the memory is still fresh in customers\u2019 minds.<\/li>\n
- Pinpoint what exactly is going wrong in the customer journey so you can fix it.<\/li>\n
- Discover drivers of customer satisfaction and loyalty so you replicate them for new signups with the same goal.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
A transactional NPS survey answers the question: \u201cHow did this specific experience affect customer sentiment?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nWhen to send transactional NPS surveys?<\/strong><\/h3>\nTrigger a transactional NPS survey when you want to evaluate the impact of a single touchpoint, not the overall relationship.<\/p>\n
Timing is critical when it comes to these surveys. As mentioned, they are sent after a specific interaction to collect immediate feedback.<\/p>\n
For the best results, send your surveys at the following points in the customer journey:<\/p>\n
During onboarding to understand whether early experiences help users reach value.<\/h4>\n
NPS triggered during onboarding <\/a>will enable you to measure the effectiveness of your onboarding flows and help resources.<\/p>\nFollow up your survey with a qualitative question<\/a> asking respondents the reason for their score. This will give you rich insights you can use to refine your onboarding strategy<\/a> and improve the customer experience.<\/p>\n![\"Onboarding-survey\"](\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/onboarding-survey_9723eb3d6e7d343f19ae5bf8bc8d7629_800.png\")
<\/picture>Building NPS follow-up question in Userpilot.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAfter the free trial ends to understand why they converted<\/strong><\/h4>\nUsers who become paying customers can provide insights into what worked well. Perhaps the free trial<\/a> length was just enough to convince them your tool is worth it, or they found the onboarding short and tailored to their use case. You can’t know for sure until you hear from them.<\/p>\nOf course, it goes without saying that this NPS is highly specific. You don\u2019t want to trigger it to users that aren\u2019t on the free trial or haven’t finished their trials.<\/p>\n![\"Segmenting-nps-survey-Types-of-nps-surveys\"](\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/segmenting-nps-survey-types-of-nps-surveys_1089335985441bc0f56a6f9562ede069_800.png\")
<\/picture>NPS segmentation with Userpilot.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nUpon a customer support interaction to measure customer satisfaction with the help received<\/strong><\/h4>\nA quick NPS survey after a user interacts with your support agents or self-serve support portal will show you how well you\u2019re performing. You know your support is good if a good percentage of respondents are promoters<\/p>\n![\"NPS-after-support-interaction\"](\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/nps-after-support-interaction_e3552d3349210fb9da3c5c7d3ad6387a_800.png\")
<\/picture>NPS survey to gauge customer experience after support interaction.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDon\u2019t let passives and detractors go like that. Trigger a follow-up question to learn why they\u2019re unhappy with your support. It will show them you care and also provide you insights for improving customer support<\/a>.<\/p>\nAfter product updates to determine how they affect customer sentiment<\/strong><\/h4>\nEven if your customers were the ones to request updates, it\u2019s still important to track how the change affects their satisfaction levels. After all, not every user requested the update.<\/p>\n
A simple NPS (without follow-up) should suffice. Copy the question in the screenshot or write something similar and trigger it immediately after the user interacts with your new update:<\/p>\n![\"NPS-after-product-updates-Types-of-nps-surveys\"](\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/nps-after-product-updates-types-of-nps-surveys_bcc42285f964ef6a6e252b59fcaf6db4_800.png\")
<\/picture>NPS survey to measure new feature success in Userpilot.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nPost-purchase or plan upgrades to understand customer expectations<\/strong><\/h4>\nNPS surveys triggered after customers make payment will help you identify friction and areas of improvement in your checkout.<\/p>\n
This is important to prevent involuntary churn<\/a> when customers find it difficult to renew or upgrade their accounts.<\/p>\nWith the data obtained from this survey, you can understand customer expectations and make changes accordingly.<\/p>\n![\"Post-purchase-survey\"](\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/post-purchase-survey_5688fae37c11e0a41a22113eb3bd296e_800.png\")
<\/picture>Wise\u2019s NPS survey was delivered via email.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nRelational NPS surveys<\/strong><\/h2>\nUnlike transactional NPS surveys, which are touchpoint-specific, companies use relational NPS to collect data on a large scale and at regular intervals.<\/p>\n
This survey type is designed to gather information on the health of your brand identity and customer relationships. It\u2019s also perfect for internal benchmarking<\/a>.<\/p>\nWhen to send relationship NPS surveys?<\/strong><\/h3>\nThere are basically two ways to send relationship surveys: time-based or based on usage frequency.<\/p>\n
Time-based surveys to measure customer loyalty at set intervals<\/strong><\/h4>\nThis is you regularly checking on users to ensure they\u2019re satisfied and your product serves them well. You can trigger your rNPS quarterly, bi-annually, annually, etc. – just don\u2019t do it too frequently, or you risk survey fatigue<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"setting-NPS-frequency\"](\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/setting-nps-frequency_8e01d217f73deebb127d54e8007514ca_800.png\")
<\/picture>Setting NPS survey frequency in Userpilot.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSend rNPS surveys based on average lifetime and product usage frequency<\/strong><\/h4>\nThis is especially if you have software that users visit just once or twice monthly\u2014e.g., an invoicing app.<\/p>\n
You can’t rely on transactional NPS to gain insights from such users. Instead, decide on a usage frequency to trigger your surveys. For example, you might want to send your surveys after 2-4 logins.<\/p>\n
Transactional NPS (tNPS) survey vs relationship NPS (rNPS) survey \u2013 which one should you go for?<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe main difference: transactional surveys aims to get feedback about specific interactions, while relational NPS gauges overall customer satisfaction with your brand.<\/p>\n
This difference affects the survey frequency. For instance, you could send a new feature NPS survey once and never bother collecting user feedback on that feature again.<\/p>\n
In short, transactional NPS helps you optimize individual experiences, while relational NPS helps you track long-term customer loyalty.<\/p>\n
However, relational NPS surveys must be sent regularly so you can act on the feedback to improve customer relationships.<\/p>\n
So, which should you go for?<\/p>\n
It really depends on your objectives at the moment, but we recommend both types.<\/p>\n![\"Types-of-nps-surveys\"](\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/types-of-nps-surveys_c64d0e7aba6466ed126795f5451b6468_800.png\")
<\/picture>Differences between tNPS and rNPS.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nHow to use relational and transactional NPS data to drive business growth?<\/strong><\/h2>\nAfter collecting NPS data, you can create segments<\/a> based on scores and implement personalized retention marketing strategies<\/a> for each.<\/p>\nWe compiled some strategies you can implement based on NPS data.<\/p>\n
Segment detractors and reach out to them to offer personalized help<\/strong><\/h3>\nReaching out shows customers you care about their experience, and they’d be more willing to provide in-depth feedback.<\/p>\n
You can message detractors<\/a> in-app or via email. When you do, aim to find the reasons for their dissatisfaction and offer contextual solutions where possible. Sometimes, it’s not possible to fix customer issues, but still, let them know rather than keep them in the dark.<\/p>\n![\"reaching-out-to-detractors-via-email-Types-of-nps-surveys\"](\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/reaching-out-to-detractors-via-email-types-of-nps-surveys_02abf49f9e84d217a7eeb6d692789195_800.png\")
<\/picture>Personalized email to a detractor.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nInvite passives to interviews to learn more about their expectations<\/strong><\/h3>\nPassives are generally satisfied but not impressed. Interview them to understand what you can do to wow<\/a> and turn them into raving fans.<\/p>\nVideo calls work best for this sort of interview. You’ll see the user’s facial expressions and relate better with them.<\/p>\n
Before conducting the interviews, create a structured plan with specific questions and topics you want to cover. This will ensure you gather consistent and relevant information from each interviewee. Ask open-ended questions and listen actively.<\/p>\n
To invite passives to interview, segment them and trigger an in-app slideout like this:<\/p>\n![\"slideout-asking-for-customer-interview\"](\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/slideout-asking-for-customer-interview_283333882504d90cdbb8ad4d75bab6c6_800.png\")
<\/picture>Slideout inviting users to interview.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nEncourage promoters to drive word-of-mouth referrals<\/strong><\/h3>\n
It uses an 11-point scale from 0 to 10 and groups responses into three categories:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Promoters (9\u201310):<\/strong> Highly satisfied customers who are likely to recommend your product.<\/li>\n
- Passives (7\u20138):<\/strong> Generally satisfied users who feel neutral and are less likely to actively promote you.<\/li>\n
- Detractors (0\u20136):<\/strong> Dissatisfied customers who may be at risk of churn.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/picture>Building Net Promoter Score survey in Userpilot.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n What are the different types of NPS surveys?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
NPS surveys fall into two main categories based on when and why they are sent.<\/p>\n
The two primary types are transactional<\/strong> and relational<\/strong>, and each serves a different purpose depending on the customer interaction you want to evaluate. Understanding the distinction helps you collect more relevant feedback, avoid survey fatigue, and act on NPS data more effectively.<\/p>\n
In the sections below, we\u2019ll break down each type and explain when it makes sense to use them:<\/p>\n
Transactional NPS survey (tNPS)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Use a transactional NPS survey when you want feedback tied to a specific interaction or moment in the customer journey.<\/strong><\/p>\n
tNPS surveys<\/a> are important because they help you:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Collect real-time customer feedback while the memory is still fresh in customers\u2019 minds.<\/li>\n
- Pinpoint what exactly is going wrong in the customer journey so you can fix it.<\/li>\n
- Discover drivers of customer satisfaction and loyalty so you replicate them for new signups with the same goal.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
A transactional NPS survey answers the question: \u201cHow did this specific experience affect customer sentiment?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
When to send transactional NPS surveys?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Trigger a transactional NPS survey when you want to evaluate the impact of a single touchpoint, not the overall relationship.<\/p>\n
Timing is critical when it comes to these surveys. As mentioned, they are sent after a specific interaction to collect immediate feedback.<\/p>\n
For the best results, send your surveys at the following points in the customer journey:<\/p>\n
During onboarding to understand whether early experiences help users reach value.<\/h4>\n
NPS triggered during onboarding <\/a>will enable you to measure the effectiveness of your onboarding flows and help resources.<\/p>\n
Follow up your survey with a qualitative question<\/a> asking respondents the reason for their score. This will give you rich insights you can use to refine your onboarding strategy<\/a> and improve the customer experience.<\/p>\n
<\/picture>Building NPS follow-up question in Userpilot.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n After the free trial ends to understand why they converted<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Users who become paying customers can provide insights into what worked well. Perhaps the free trial<\/a> length was just enough to convince them your tool is worth it, or they found the onboarding short and tailored to their use case. You can’t know for sure until you hear from them.<\/p>\n
Of course, it goes without saying that this NPS is highly specific. You don\u2019t want to trigger it to users that aren\u2019t on the free trial or haven’t finished their trials.<\/p>\n
<\/picture>NPS segmentation with Userpilot.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Upon a customer support interaction to measure customer satisfaction with the help received<\/strong><\/h4>\n
A quick NPS survey after a user interacts with your support agents or self-serve support portal will show you how well you\u2019re performing. You know your support is good if a good percentage of respondents are promoters<\/p>\n
<\/picture>NPS survey to gauge customer experience after support interaction.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Don\u2019t let passives and detractors go like that. Trigger a follow-up question to learn why they\u2019re unhappy with your support. It will show them you care and also provide you insights for improving customer support<\/a>.<\/p>\n
After product updates to determine how they affect customer sentiment<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Even if your customers were the ones to request updates, it\u2019s still important to track how the change affects their satisfaction levels. After all, not every user requested the update.<\/p>\n
A simple NPS (without follow-up) should suffice. Copy the question in the screenshot or write something similar and trigger it immediately after the user interacts with your new update:<\/p>\n
<\/picture>NPS survey to measure new feature success in Userpilot.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Post-purchase or plan upgrades to understand customer expectations<\/strong><\/h4>\n
NPS surveys triggered after customers make payment will help you identify friction and areas of improvement in your checkout.<\/p>\n
This is important to prevent involuntary churn<\/a> when customers find it difficult to renew or upgrade their accounts.<\/p>\n
With the data obtained from this survey, you can understand customer expectations and make changes accordingly.<\/p>\n
<\/picture>Wise\u2019s NPS survey was delivered via email.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Relational NPS surveys<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Unlike transactional NPS surveys, which are touchpoint-specific, companies use relational NPS to collect data on a large scale and at regular intervals.<\/p>\n
This survey type is designed to gather information on the health of your brand identity and customer relationships. It\u2019s also perfect for internal benchmarking<\/a>.<\/p>\n
When to send relationship NPS surveys?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
There are basically two ways to send relationship surveys: time-based or based on usage frequency.<\/p>\n
Time-based surveys to measure customer loyalty at set intervals<\/strong><\/h4>\n
This is you regularly checking on users to ensure they\u2019re satisfied and your product serves them well. You can trigger your rNPS quarterly, bi-annually, annually, etc. – just don\u2019t do it too frequently, or you risk survey fatigue<\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/picture>Setting NPS survey frequency in Userpilot.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Send rNPS surveys based on average lifetime and product usage frequency<\/strong><\/h4>\n
This is especially if you have software that users visit just once or twice monthly\u2014e.g., an invoicing app.<\/p>\n
You can’t rely on transactional NPS to gain insights from such users. Instead, decide on a usage frequency to trigger your surveys. For example, you might want to send your surveys after 2-4 logins.<\/p>\n
Transactional NPS (tNPS) survey vs relationship NPS (rNPS) survey \u2013 which one should you go for?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The main difference: transactional surveys aims to get feedback about specific interactions, while relational NPS gauges overall customer satisfaction with your brand.<\/p>\n
This difference affects the survey frequency. For instance, you could send a new feature NPS survey once and never bother collecting user feedback on that feature again.<\/p>\n
In short, transactional NPS helps you optimize individual experiences, while relational NPS helps you track long-term customer loyalty.<\/p>\n
However, relational NPS surveys must be sent regularly so you can act on the feedback to improve customer relationships.<\/p>\n
So, which should you go for?<\/p>\n
It really depends on your objectives at the moment, but we recommend both types.<\/p>\n
<\/picture>Differences between tNPS and rNPS.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n How to use relational and transactional NPS data to drive business growth?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
After collecting NPS data, you can create segments<\/a> based on scores and implement personalized retention marketing strategies<\/a> for each.<\/p>\n
We compiled some strategies you can implement based on NPS data.<\/p>\n
Segment detractors and reach out to them to offer personalized help<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Reaching out shows customers you care about their experience, and they’d be more willing to provide in-depth feedback.<\/p>\n
You can message detractors<\/a> in-app or via email. When you do, aim to find the reasons for their dissatisfaction and offer contextual solutions where possible. Sometimes, it’s not possible to fix customer issues, but still, let them know rather than keep them in the dark.<\/p>\n
<\/picture>Personalized email to a detractor.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Invite passives to interviews to learn more about their expectations<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Passives are generally satisfied but not impressed. Interview them to understand what you can do to wow<\/a> and turn them into raving fans.<\/p>\n
Video calls work best for this sort of interview. You’ll see the user’s facial expressions and relate better with them.<\/p>\n
Before conducting the interviews, create a structured plan with specific questions and topics you want to cover. This will ensure you gather consistent and relevant information from each interviewee. Ask open-ended questions and listen actively.<\/p>\n
To invite passives to interview, segment them and trigger an in-app slideout like this:<\/p>\n
<\/picture>Slideout inviting users to interview.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Encourage promoters to drive word-of-mouth referrals<\/strong><\/h3>\n
- Passives (7\u20138):<\/strong> Generally satisfied users who feel neutral and are less likely to actively promote you.<\/li>\n
![\"Building-NPS-survey-Userpilot-Types-of-nps-surveys\"](\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/building-nps-survey-userpilot-types-of-nps-surveys_ba3218c721b3ac68e2ff6a481086d76d_800.png)
<\/picture>![\"Onboarding-survey\"](\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/onboarding-survey_9723eb3d6e7d343f19ae5bf8bc8d7629_800.png)
<\/picture>![\"Segmenting-nps-survey-Types-of-nps-surveys\"](\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/segmenting-nps-survey-types-of-nps-surveys_1089335985441bc0f56a6f9562ede069_800.png)
<\/picture>![\"NPS-after-support-interaction\"](\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/nps-after-support-interaction_e3552d3349210fb9da3c5c7d3ad6387a_800.png)
<\/picture>![\"NPS-after-product-updates-Types-of-nps-surveys\"](\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/nps-after-product-updates-types-of-nps-surveys_bcc42285f964ef6a6e252b59fcaf6db4_800.png)
<\/picture>![\"Post-purchase-survey\"](\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/post-purchase-survey_5688fae37c11e0a41a22113eb3bd296e_800.png)
<\/picture>![\"setting-NPS-frequency\"](\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/setting-nps-frequency_8e01d217f73deebb127d54e8007514ca_800.png)
<\/picture>![\"Types-of-nps-surveys\"](\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/types-of-nps-surveys_c64d0e7aba6466ed126795f5451b6468_800.png)
<\/picture>![\"reaching-out-to-detractors-via-email-Types-of-nps-surveys\"](\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/reaching-out-to-detractors-via-email-types-of-nps-surveys_02abf49f9e84d217a7eeb6d692789195_800.png)
<\/picture>![\"slideout-asking-for-customer-interview\"](\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/slideout-asking-for-customer-interview_283333882504d90cdbb8ad4d75bab6c6_800.png)
<\/picture>![\"modal-asking-customer-review\"](\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/modal-asking-customer-review_c8294ea76f1b7a925f9a58cc1cd77318_800.png)
<\/picture>