“The problem with NPS, and only NPS at a specific point in time, is it gives you just that data point.”
– Julie Hogan, VP of CX at Drift
When we talked to CXOs and CX leaders across thousands of different organizations, NPS was consistently listed as one of the top metrics tracked and reported out within the company. The next question we asked was, “What’s one commonly measured metric you think is pure vanity?” The answer was surprising. NPS/CSAT was again the top answer.
How could one of the most commonly tracked and reported metrics also be considered pure vanity? Looking at different ways to measure and improve customer experiences was the central focus at the 2020 CXLife Virtual Conference. Julie Hogan, the VP of CX at Drift, perhaps articulated the limitations of NPS best during her “Fueling Reliable Revenue Through CX” session.
NPS Doesn’t Tell the Full Story
“The problem with NPS, and only NPS at a specific point in time, is it gives you just that data point,” Julie Hogan explained. Your customers are having a different experience at every point in their journey. NPS is giving a broad focus on what your customers are experiencing and isn’t telling the full story. Truly understanding what customers are experiencing at any given point in their journey is key to getting actionable feedback.
So how do you get the full story? Julie explained during her session that, at Drift, they break down their customer experience into three elements:
- Product experience
- Satisfaction with key interactions
- Loyalty.
Gathering feedback on all of those elements provides a holistic picture of sentiment across the customer lifecycle. “So by thinking about what we deploy, when we deploy it, and how we gather it…helps us deeply dial into those specific points along a customer’s path and determine what we need to improve and focus on…”, Julie Hogan explained.
While NPS is a valuable data point, it’s not the only data point you need to get a true sense of customer sentiment. Think about everything your customer encounters–are they happy with the product or service you provide? Do they have a good experience when interacting with people on your team? Will they remain loyal customers? Once you gather data and feedback that dives into every area of the customer lifecycle, you’re able to create lasting and positive changes company-wide that better serve your customers.
Not only will you have actionable feedback across the entire journey, but you’ll be able to empower every teammate with repeatable processes that create positive experiences at every touchpoint. Julie concluded with, “…65% of consumers find that a positive experience with a brand is more influential than your advertising…so imagine the business impact you could have by having those positive experiences work for you. And right now, this is more important than ever. Customers are standing by the brands who listen, who know them, who helped them.”
For more customer experience insights as well as countless opportunities to build human connections with CX peers and mentors, check out the Simplr CXLife community and become a member today.