Experience Management Resources

Companies that use customer feedback are 2.5 times more likely to outperform their competitors in revenue growth. Yet, 75% of organizations struggle to turn customer insights into actionable business decisions. 

Voice of the Customer (VoC) programs are designed to help you collect feedback from multiple channels. They have become important to industry leaders like Amazon and Apple as they boost business performance. 

In this article, we will help you design and improve a VoC program that achieves meaningful results for your business.

What Is the Voice of the Customer?

Voice of the Customer (VoC) is a systematic process of capturing, analyzing, and acting on customer feedback and behavioral data to drive business decisions.

Customers share their thoughts through different channels, such as:

• Community forums
• Support interactions
• Feedback forms
• Social media posts
• Customer surveys

However, it’s important to have support from all departments to create an effective VoC strategy. Every team plays a key role in enhancing the customer experience. It’s important for everyone to agree on how to gather feedback, share insights, and apply those findings to improve their part of the customer journey.

The Benefits of a Voice of the Customer Program

Many businesses without a VoC program depend heavily on sales data alone. Sales data shows what products perform well but misses why customers make these choices. This gap limits understanding and ignores key details about customer satisfaction and preferences.

VoC insights offer a complete picture and help businesses understand customer needs more deeply. It captures direct feedback for companies to make targeted improvements. 

Here are some major benefits of a strong VoC program:

Enhance Customer Loyalty

Retaining loyal customers is often easier than winning new ones. A Bain & Company study found that a 5% increase in retention rates can raise profits by 25% to 95%.

When you run a VoC program, customers can share concerns openly. This direct feedback lets your business respond quickly, improving customer satisfaction. As a result, you can reduce customer churn and increase loyalty.

Research from Oracle highlights this impact on customer experience with these interesting statistics:

• 46% of consumers felt positive when a company responded to a negative comment
• 89% of consumers turned to a competitor after a poor experience
• 24% of consumers who faced bad service shared their experiences on social media 

A great example of loyalty through VoC is Sephora’s "Beauty Insider" program. Members use points to try sample products and special experiences, like makeovers. This approach works well in beauty, where creativity and testing products are key.

Sephora also taps into beauty communities, like Reddit’s "r/makeupaddiction," which has over 6.3 million members. It created a "Beauty Insider Community" where members get advice and ideas from each other.

Sephora keeps its program fresh by updating rewards based on feedback, meeting changing customer needs, and keeping loyalty high.

Beauty Insider’s hybrid model mixes points and loyalty tiers, such as "Insider," "VIB," and "Rouge." In 2024, Sephora added new levels in the UK: "MySephora Bronze," "MySephora Silver," and "MySephora Gold." This tiered approach keeps conversations going online, with many Reddit threads on using Sephora points.

Improve Brand Reputation

A strong VoC program can greatly improve your brand’s reputation. When you respond quickly and thoughtfully to customer feedback, you show that you value their opinions. This builds trust and shows commitment to customer satisfaction.

Research supports this. For instance, companies with active VoC programs saw a 55% increase in customer retention rate and a 23% decrease in yearly customer service expenses.

A good VoC program can also prevent crises. By resolving issues early, your business can stop small problems from growing into public issues. For example, Delta Airlines uses VoC to catch negative feedback early. By acting quickly, they avoid bigger issues and build positive customer relationships.

Social proof is another key benefit. Positive reviews and testimonials strengthen brand reputation and draw new customers. According to Nielsen, 92% of customers trust recommendations from others. If you create a VoC program, it will encourage satisfied customers to share their positive experiences.

Reduce Customer Complaints and Faster Resolutions

Gathering customer feedback in a structured manner enables businesses to identify issues before they escalate. And early detection means you can tackle problems proactively, which is essential for keeping customers happy. 

A VoC program will also help you assess the severity of different issues. By prioritizing based on urgency and impact, you can resolve high-priority concerns quickly, leading to faster resolutions.

Encourage Product Innovation

VoC insights help companies keep up with changing trends and customer preferences. Understanding what customers want encourages innovation in products and services.

For example, Microsoft used VoC data to develop Office 365 features based on user requests. This allowed them to launch new features faster. Fast response to VoC insights also builds a competitive advantage, showing that you adapt quickly to customer needs. VoC data can reduce R&D costs by focusing only on needed features. 

When you align products with customer expectations, you create a better user experience. This strengthens customer loyalty, boosts sales, and helps you stay competitive in a fast-changing market.

Increase in Revenue

Retaining customers and growing your base directly raises revenue. A strong VoC program lets you track what customers want and are willing to pay for.

VoC insights also reveal cross-sell and upsell opportunities. Amazon uses VoC feedback to recommend related items, increasing sales by 35% through targeted product suggestions. Aligning your offers with customer desires leads to more purchases, helping your revenue grow.

3 Questions to Consider Before Building a Voice of the Customer Program

While building an effective VoC program, you must ask the right questions to make a big difference. 

These three questions can help guide companies in their efforts to enhance the customer experience, boost retention, and increase revenue.

Question #1: What Is the Goal of the Voice of the Customer Program?

Having a well-defined purpose is crucial for any voice of the customer program. The strategies you choose should align with your business goals. Before diving into the program, it's helpful for companies to explore potential objectives and identify which will be the most beneficial for their unique requirement.

Objectives for a VoC program typically fall into two categories: benchmarking and continuous improvement.

Benchmarking

Benchmarking focuses on comparing performance across different metrics. Some survey providers claim to serve both benchmarking and continuous improvement, but a closer look at their survey structures reveals the truth. 

Benchmarking surveys often contain numerous rating questions and are heavily metrics-oriented. For instance, one vendor uses the first 13 questions solely for benchmarking, sometimes including just one open-ended question in a 30- or 40-question set.

To make benchmarking effective, it’s important to maintain consistency in the survey experience. Every respondent should receive the same set of questions, regardless of their website journey. Otherwise, the survey can feel lengthy and irrelevant. When questions are too long or not directly related, the quality of responses tends to drop. 

Ultimately, the value of benchmarking surveys lies in comparative performance. 

However, understanding why scores rank as they do often requires a further, more granular voice of the customer research.

Continuous Improvement

On the other hand, continuous improvement goals can be tailored to specific customer interactions. These surveys may include rating questions along with open-ended ones that encourage respondents to explain their ratings. This approach provides deeper insights into what drives customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction.

Companies should select their objective based on the type of information they wish to gather. Some common goals include:

• Customer Research
• Customer Retention
• Acquiring New Customers
• Improving Brand Image
• Cost Reduction
• Increasing Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

Question #2: What Metrics Should Be Measured Throughout the VoC Program?

After defining the goal of the VoC program, the next step is to determine which metrics will effectively measure progress. Some commonly used metrics include the Net Promoter Score (NPS), Customer Effort Score (CES), and Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT).

When selecting these metrics, consider how they fit into the broader business picture. You should also combine quantitative data with qualitative insights from customer feedback for a well-rounded understanding. 

Regularly reviewing and adjusting your metrics ensures you stay responsive to both evolving customer needs and shifting business objectives.

Question #3: How Should the Success of the VoC Program Be Measured?

Last but not least, your VoC program needs to inspire action. 

Evaluate success by evaluating what has changed since the program's implementation. Success measurement relies on setting clear goals and selecting specific metrics that align with those objectives. Companies should keep track of whether their metrics improve over time. 

The adjustments made to enhance these metrics should guide the company toward its primary goals.

Building a Voice of the Customer Program: Best Practices

Building a VoC program gives you direct access to your customers’ needs. Their feedback provides valuable insights and warnings that can influence your business's success. 

These five essentials can set your VoC program on continuous improvement.

Identify Customer Touchpoints

Understanding how your customers experience your brand means recognizing the various touchpoints they encounter along the way. Customers may first notice your brand through an online search or an ad. They might browse your blog, explore customer reviews, or visit your website. Some may visit a physical store and, later on, connect with your customer service team.

Mapping out these touchpoints within a customer journey map helps you see the full scope of their experience. By combining insights from all touchpoints, you can gain a complete view of customer experiences, which helps inform your decision-making and identify where improvements will make the most difference.

Collect and Connect Feedback Across Data Channels

Relying on just one or two channels to gather feedback often doesn’t cover the complete picture of customer needs, behaviors, and preferences. Without a comprehensive approach, VoC programs miss valuable insights and deliver a limited view of customer satisfaction. 

To capture the whole story, you need feedback from every channel your customers interact with.

Client feedback and reputation management platforms like ClearlyRated make it easier to capture insights across multiple channels. By deploying customized surveys, ClearlyRated gathers responses that reveal how likely customers are to recommend your services. 

It then categorizes them into promoters, passives, and detractors, giving you a clear snapshot of overall customer sentiment and areas where improvements can be made. With this data, you’re not just collecting feedback; you’re building a foundation for a seamless customer experience across channels.

Analyze Customer Data

Collecting data is only half the story—you need to understand it. To make sense of customer insights, standardizing your approach to data analysis is essential. 

Tools like natural language processing (NLP) and sentiment analysis can help decode customer sentiments, emotions, and preferences.

By translating raw data into actionable insights, you gain a clearer view of what customers value or find frustrating. These insights go beyond surface-level satisfaction, helping your team understand the deeper needs, wants, and feelings that drive customer choices. With this data, your organization can more accurately measure and improve the customer experience.

Collaborate with Teams Across the Entire Organization

Building an effective VoC program requires teamwork across departments. Different teams must join forces to gather, analyze, and act on the insights. By using collaborative action-planning tools, departments can align on customer-focused strategies. 

ClearlyRated, for example, allows you to tag project owners, set deadlines, and provide step-by-step guides to ensure everyone knows how to make customers happy.

Take Action and Deliver Insights to the Right People

It’s also essential to connect the right people with the right insights. Configurable dashboards make it easy to share relevant data across roles, from frontline staff to leadership. 

With ClearlyRated’s automatic alerts based on location, feedback type, or behavior, teams can quickly address concerns and track feedback over time. This data-driven collaboration helps foster customer loyalty, as clients see that their feedback is valued and acted upon, creating a culture of continuous improvement.

You can automatically involve the right stakeholders based on feedback from the leadership team on the frontline.

Monitor and Act on Customer Experience Trends

Regular monitoring helps companies track their progress over time. 

Often, companies get confused while choosing the right metrics. Instead, focus on one key metric. Create a system that encourages smooth feedback flow. 

As employees respond to feedback, you will see that metric improve over time.

How to Collect VoC Data

When it comes to gathering VoC data, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Different methods provide unique benefits, so many companies combine several techniques to provide a fuller picture of customer perspectives. 

Let’s look at some key methods and how each adds value to understanding customer experiences.

Customer Interviews

Direct interviews are one of the most simple ways to gather customer insights. Whether conducted face-to-face, by phone, or via email, interviews allow for in-depth exploration of customer opinions. 

This method remains popular because it allows companies to capture the unique perspectives and specific feedback customers provide in their interactions with a brand.

Surveys

Surveys are essential for gathering Voice of Customer (VoC) data, offering an efficient way to collect targeted feedback at specific points in the customer journey. Surveys can be delivered in many ways—by email, SMS, or directly on a website. The structure and types of questions can vary widely, from multiple-choice to open-ended formats, allowing companies to tailor questions to specific insights they need. 

ClearlyRated’s NPS surveys are a highly effective way to measure customer loyalty and satisfaction by categorizing responses into promoters, passives, and detractors. Promoters are highly satisfied customers who are likely to recommend the brand. At the same time, passives are satisfied but not enthusiastic, and detractors are unhappy customers who might discourage others from engaging with the brand. 

This system provides a quick, intuitive view of how customers feel about the brand, helping companies identify strengths and areas that need improvement.

The platform’s survey approach works because it focuses on creating tailored survey experiences that resonate with clients. By customizing survey questions, companies can dive deeper into specific areas, gathering insights not only on general satisfaction but also on the finer aspects of their services. This feedback allows businesses to respond more effectively to customer needs. 

Additionally, ClearlyRated’s dashboard calculates your Net Promoter® Score and gives insights into your customer’s perceptions of optimism, community, fairness, recognition, advancement, feedback, pride, belonging, meritocracy, and diversity.

Live Chat

Live chat on a website has become a go-to tool for real-time feedback. This feature offers a window into the customer experience as it’s happening. Live chats can also provide an opportunity to schedule follow-up surveys, so companies can track satisfaction levels over time. 

Responding instantly to customer concerns helps prevent negative experiences, reducing the chance of dissatisfaction before they leave the site.

Online Reviews and Social Media

For a modern approach to gathering VoC data, online reviews and social media interactions are invaluable. This approach allows for two-way communication, helping businesses understand customer needs and anticipate trends.

Maintaining a positive brand reputation is crucial for customer retention. Responding to online reviews shows that a company values customer opinions. A solid review management strategy helps businesses identify customer frustrations and take steps to address them.

Website Behavior 

Understanding customer behavior on a website can reveal a lot about their experience. Tools like heat maps track where users click, scroll, and linger, helping businesses optimize the site’s layout and functionality. These insights allow companies to test changes and adjustments to enhance user experience. 

Plus, tracking on-site behavior is a powerful way to make the website more user-friendly, directly responding to customer interaction patterns.

Focus Groups

Focus groups bring together a small, diverse group of people to discuss their thoughts on a product, service, or topic. 

Unlike surveys or interviews, focus groups provide qualitative data that offers depth and detail. Participants can share their thoughts openly, providing context that often isn’t captured in quantitative data. 

By using focus groups, businesses can access a more nuanced understanding of customer perceptions and preferences, which can be especially useful for fine-tuning products or marketing strategies.

How Companies are Changing the Business Landscape With VoC

Customer-perceived quality and above-average service drive business success. When customers share their feedback, they expect action and updates on progress.

To build customer loyalty, you need a clear view of customers, markets, and employees.

As one of the largest insurance brokerage and consulting firms in the US, Woodruff Sawyer protects the people and assets of more than 4,000 companies. Customer experience was a key priority for them. 

In 2014, they invested in a data-driven approach to enhance their services. Their commitment to client experience and unique service needs set them apart. They sought measurable data about client experiences and wanted direct feedback.

Although Woodruff Sawyer’s client ratings were excellent from the start, they found some detractors.

They needed a Net Promoter Score (NPS) solution to harness actionable data. This led them to ClearlyRated. The ClearlyRated program uses NPS methodology, providing more than just survey data.

Melinda Miu, Woodruff Sawyer’s Assistant Vice President of Marketing, said: 

“From a communications perspective, NPS has provided us with a metric to credibly demonstrate the level of service we provide. Every single NPS survey that we’ve launched since 2014 has scored us in the world-class range for service. Our most recent NPS based on our 2021 survey was 86.1%—far exceeding the insurance industry average of 34%. These metrics make it possible for us to tell our story in a way that provides proof of our claims of excellence.” 

Woodruff Sawyer is an excellent example of a brand that incorporates the voice of the customer into their marketing and communications to help tell their story of service excellence. 

Their story highlights the transformative power of VoC in shaping business strategies and fostering lasting customer relationships.

Use ClearlyRated to Fuel Your VoC Program

Today, businesses don’t need to rely on feedback from just a few customers. They can be a part of every customer interaction, gaining insights across all stages of the customer journey. This opens up an entirely new level of understanding, giving companies the power to make smarter decisions that enhance customer experiences.

ClearlyRated brings a unique mix of award-winning technology and specialized services to the table, making Voice of the Customer (VoC) programs more effective, manageable, and scalable. With ClearlyRated, interpreting VoC data becomes very easy, helping businesses identify where their focus should be to make a lasting impact on both customers and overall success.

Moreover, ClearlyRated's customizable survey designs, automated workflows for different NPS segments, and AI-driven sentiment analysis empower you to transform detractors into promoters, creating a more positive experience all around. Book a free demo with ClearlyRatedto get started!

As of 2024, the US labor shortage is 70%, 5 percent below the global average due to low labor market participation, aging populations, declining birth rates, and a skills and talent mismatch.  Employee retention is now more crucial to organizations than ever before.

Employee referrals have increased the hiring rate by 30% and reduced hiring time by 55% compared to traditional recruiting methods. More importantly, referral programs yield a 49% increase in employee satisfaction, with many referred candidates being a great cultural fit.

Measuring employee satisfaction can be a difficult and time-consuming process. Fortunately, eNPS simplifies this process so organizations can easily gauge and improve employee satisfaction. Increasing your eNPS score makes your business an attractive workplace and can drive more referrals and ultimately easier talent acquisition. 

This guide will break down:

• What is eNPS 

• How eNPS compares to NPS

• How to structure eNPS surveys

• How to measure and calculate your eNPS score.

Plus, you'll learn what constitutes a good eNPS, the benefits of regular surveys, industry benchmarks, and proven strategies to improve your score. 

What Is eNPS?

eNPS measures how likely employees are to recommend their organization as a place to work.eNPS is calculated by asking employees a simple question : “On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend this company to a friend or colleague?”

Based on their responses, employees are categorized into Promoters (9-10), Passives (7-8), and Detractors (0-6). The final eNPS score is obtained by subtracting the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters.

eNPS vs. NPS

As the acronym suggests, NPS, or Net Promoter score, measures customer loyalty and engagement rather than employee loyalty and satisfaction that eNPS measures. Here’s a table to highlight the key differences between the two: 

Criteria eNPSNPSAudienceEmployees of an organizationCustomers who have used the company's products or servicesStrategyMeasures how likely employees are to recommend the workplaceAssesses quality of products/servicesInfluenceEvaluates internal environment and employee engagementEnhances service/product quality and customer satisfactionAnonymity Anonymity is crucial for honest feedbackAnonymity is less of an issue for feedbackPurposeImproves employee engagement, satisfaction, and retentionImproves customer loyalty and competitiveness

However, there are similarities between eNPS and NPS. For example, both use the same calculation system which categorizes employees as Promoters, Passives and Detractors. The survey questions are similar to—NPS will ask customers about recommending a product or a service and eNPS will ask employees about recommending a company or organization.

How To Measure eNPS

As we mentioned earlier, employees’ responses to the eNPS survey fall into three distinct classifications:

• Promoters: those providing ratings of 9 or 10 signify strong satisfaction and commitment,
• Passives: individuals giving scores of 7 or 8 indicate moderate contentment without deep-seated loyalty,
• Detractors: respondents with scores up to 6 represent displeased staff members who might adversely affect organizational morale and standing.

How to Interpret Your eNPS Score

eNPS is calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractors (those who score 0-6) from the percentage of promoters (those who score 9-10), giving a score between -100 and +100.

Utilize the eNPS formula which states: eNPS = % promoters - % detractors. Take for instance, should you have 80% of employees as promoters and 15% as detractors, then your resulting eNPS would stand at +65. and commitment.

Interpreting Promoter Feedback

Promoters respond with a score of 9 or 10. These employees are highly engaged and enthusiastic about the company, and their input can highlight key strengths that should be maintained or further amplified. By recognizing and celebrating the positive experiences of promoters, leaders can strengthen these areas, creating a ripple effect that enhances overall morale and encourages others to become advocates for the organization.

Interpreting Passive Feedback

Passive employees respond with a score of 7 or 8. These employees are moderately satisfied but lack the enthusiasm or loyalty of promoters. Their feedback often points to areas that, if addressed, could push them toward becoming stronger advocates for the company. Taking time to analyze passive responses allows leaders to identify opportunities for improvement that may not be as immediately obvious as those highlighted by detractors or promoters.

Interpreting Detractor Feedback

Detractors respond with a score of 0 to 6. These individuals are notably discontent with the organization, and their insights can be critical in pinpointing root causes of unhappiness. Demonstrating responsiveness to such feedback makes employees feel heard and valued —potentially boosting eNPS scores as time progresses.

To make this section flow better within the context of the article, you could introduce it as a recommended tool for simplifying and managing eNPS efforts. Here’s a revised approach that feels more integrated:

eNPS Case Studies: Employee Satisfaction Across Key Industries

Similar to the way customer loyalty metrics operate, elevated eNPS scores suggest that employees harbor positive sentiments toward their company. Take for example a tech firm revealing an impressive eNPS of 40. This suggests strong employee commitment and allegiance. Conversely, a retail enterprise with an eNPS score of -5 would be indicative of having more staff members as detractors than advocates. Let’s take a closer look and analyze some industry examples of eNPS: 

1) Tech Industry: Salesforce

Salesforce recently reported an eNPS of 48 rated by 457 employees. This score is well above the tech industry average of 25, indicating a highly engaged workforce. Factors like flexible work policies and career growth opportunities likely contribute to this high score.

Salesforce can maintain momentum by investing further in employee development and well-being initiatives. They should also focus on keeping lines of communication open to sustain employee satisfaction over time.

2) B2B Industry: IBM

IBM recently reported an eNPS of 32, based on feedback from 1,200 employees. This score sits above the B2B industry average of around 20, reflecting a generally engaged and motivated workforce. Key factors driving this positive rating likely include IBM's emphasis on continuous learning opportunities, flexible work arrangements, and a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion.

To maintain or even improve this eNPS, IBM could focus on personalized career growth paths and further enhancements to work-life balance. Additionally, keeping open communication channels and regularly gathering employee feedback on leadership and team dynamics can sustain high engagement levels over time.

3) Retail Sector: Walmart 

Walmart’s eNPS has recently scored -21 in surveys from 9009 employees.This is below the retail industry average, which ranges from 15 to 20. Such a score reflects dissatisfaction, likely due to high turnover and perceived low wages.

Walmart could improve by enhancing employee benefits and recognition programs. A focus on management training and employee well-being could help increase engagement and satisfaction.

4) Manufacturing: General Electric (GE)

GE’s eNPS is around -3, with the industry average sitting around 20 and 30. This suggests there is room for improvement, particularly in areas like workplace safety and benefits.

GE should focus on enhancing safety protocols and offering better development programs to boost engagement and retention
While eNPS is a valuable indicator of employee sentiment, it should not be used in isolation. Companies should pair eNPS data with qualitative feedback and other metrics like employee turnover to get a comprehensive view of engagement and satisfaction.

What Are the Benefits of eNPS Surveys?

The primary benefit of eNPS surveys is that organizations can quickly gather employee feedback, enabling rapid responses to concerns and improving morale. However, the advantages go beyond this, with additional benefits such as:

Reduces Escalating Issues

Addressing concerns promptly through eNPS surveys helps prevent problems from worsening, maintaining a positive and efficient workplace. Companies with high employee engagement experience 65% lower employee turnover

Cost-efficiencies and Savings

eNPS is a more affordable option compared to comprehensive employee satisfaction surveys, making it suitable for businesses of any size. More importantly, a study from The Engagement Institute found that disengaged employees cost companies between $450 and $550 billion a year—highlighting the importance of eNPS .

Easy Comparison with Industry Averages

The quantitative nature of eNPS facilitates straightforward comparisons with industry benchmarks, clarifying an organization’s position with competitors. 

Deeper Insights from Qualitative Responses

Open-ended questions in eNPS surveys provide a deeper understanding of the reasons behind employee ratings, enabling tailored actions for improvement.

How to Improve Your Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS)?

Improving your eNPS score requires a focused, action-oriented approach in a few key areas that directly influence employee satisfaction and engagement.

1. Enhancing Workplace Culture

Create a positive environment by establishing regular feedback channels, promoting team-building activities, and fostering inclusivity through diversity training. These actions strengthen connections, boost morale, and keep employees engaged.

2. Implementing Recognition Programs

Instituting programs that acknowledge employee achievements can serve as a potent instrument for elevating both employee satisfaction and retention rates. Offering formal rewards, facilitating peer recognition, and delivering impromptu accolades, all help to lift employees’ spirits.

3. Strengthening Leadership

Effective leadership is critical. Provide leadership training that emphasizes empathy, communication, and transparency to build trust and increase employee loyalty.

4. Supporting Career Development

Invest in career growth by offering mentorship, training, and clear advancement paths. Employees who see potential for growth are more likely to stay and promote the company.

5. Promoting Work-Life Balance

Encourage flexibility through remote work options, reasonable workloads, and time-off policies. A balanced approach helps reduce burnout and improves overall job satisfaction.

6. Aligning Compensation and Benefits

Ensure competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits, and regular salary reviews. Fair compensation is a foundational element of employee contentment.

7. Embedding Company Mission and Values

Communicate your company’s mission and values clearly. Employees who align with the company’s purpose are more engaged and motivated to contribute positively.

Tips for Successfully Using eNPS

To effectively leverage eNPS, it's important to not only gather feedback but also take meaningful action based on the results. Here are some key tips to help you maximize the impact of your eNPS strategy.

Tactical Approach 

Guaranteeing respondents’ anonymity stands as an indispensable factor—employees must feel confident in sharing their real perspectives without the concern of negative consequences. This safeguard promotes authentic responses, crucial for uncovering true issues and potential enhancements.

Consistent Measurement 

Executing these evaluations on a quarterly basis keeps the feedback pertinent and provides insight into employee sentiment trends over time. A routine schedule affirms an organization’s commitment to addressing employee needs promptly while integrating ongoing feedback channels enhances sustained engagement and progress.

Engage with Employees Post-Survey

By actively responding to survey insights and bridging experience deficits, companies affirm their dedication to refining the overall employee journey. Ensuring executive buy-in and establishing actionable plans before deploying eNPS surveys leads to swift reactions that elevate both employee morale and participation levels.

Survey Design

Craft surveys that are simple and focused. Use clear, concise questions, mixing quantitative (0-10 scale) with open-ended questions to gain deeper insights. For example, ask, “What’s one thing we could do to improve your experience?” This ensures you gather both numerical data and actionable feedback.

Data Analysis

After gathering feedback, analyze the data to identify trends and patterns. Segment results by departments or roles to spot specific issues. For instance, if a particular team scores consistently lower, it could signal management or workload concerns that require immediate attention.

Action Planning

Turn insights into concrete action plans. Involve leadership to ensure quick implementation of necessary changes. For example, if feedback highlights concerns about work-life balance, consider introducing flexible work schedules. Communicate these changes to employees to show that their input leads to real improvements.

Measure eNPS with ClearlyRated

ClearlyRated’s platform is built around three essential steps for effective employee experience management. It starts by helping you understand your workforce through sophisticated, tailored surveys, giving you a comprehensive view of your team’s engagement and satisfaction.

Next, activate and drive immediate ROI with ClearlyRated’s Automated Actions, ensuring seamless and efficient measurement of both past and future employee experiences. Building a positive workplace culture becomes effortless—generate validated feedback and testimonials from your top performers and seamlessly incorporate them into your employer branding efforts using custom EX (Employee Experience) playbooks.

Find out more about how ClearlyRated works here or book a demo here

Client retention remains a top challenge for accounting firms. A recent study shows that 36% of accounting firms struggle to keep clients loyal amid rising competition and shifting expectations. Ensuring client satisfaction and loyalty is vital to firm success.

The challenges extend beyond retention. Firms also need to stand out and meet increasingly complex client expectations in a digital-first world. Clients want seamless, hassle-free experiences and consistent, high-quality service.

How can accounting firms ensure they meet these expectations? The first step is understanding client satisfaction levels. One effective tool for this is the Net Promoter Score (NPS®), which measures client loyalty and highlights improvement areas. Simple and widely used, NPS helps firms boost retention, improve reputation, and differentiate their services.

In this article, we’ll cover NPS—what it is, why it’s useful for accounting firms, and how to use it to measure and enhance client satisfaction.

What is NPS? A Primer for Accounting Firms

Even if you’re not familiar with the concept of NPS, you’ve likely participated in an NPS survey.

NPS is a powerful tool for measuring client loyalty. You ask clients one question: “How likely are you to recommend our firm to a friend or colleague?” They respond on a scale from 0 to 10. This quick survey helps gauge satisfaction and identify areas needing improvement.

This quick survey helps you gauge client satisfaction and identify areas for improvement.

However, the true power of the NPS methodology lies in reporting. To calculate NPS, responses to the survey question are divided into three categories:

• Promoters (9-10): Your most loyal, enthusiastic clients. They're likely to refer new business and remain long-term clients.
• Passives (7-8): Satisfied but not enthusiastic clients. Competitive offerings might sway them.
• Detractors (0-6): Unsatisfied clients who may leave and potentially share negative feedback.

Your firm’s NPS “score” is calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters.

For example, ClearlyRated’s lifetime NPS score is 84%, which is derived from the 86% of promoters across our company survey history minus the 2% detractors across our company survey history. 86% – 2% = 84% NPS.

Importance of NPS for Accounting Firms

Where the competition is high, retaining clients is just as crucial as acquiring new ones, and NPS helps accounting firms understand where they stand in terms of loyalty. It measures how likely clients are to recommend your services, directly affecting your firm's growth.

For instance, Perkins & Co., a Portland-based accounting firm, used NPS to enhance their client services. By identifying areas where clients felt supported and where they saw room for improvement, the firm could make data-driven decisions to elevate their client experience. This approach led them to earn the “Best of Accounting” award, an honor given to firms with exceptional client satisfaction. Perkins & Co. achieved a remarkable NPS score of 84, far exceeding the accounting industry’s average. This accolade has boosted their reputation, attracted referrals, and helped build long-term client relationships.

For accounting firms, where trust and long-term relationships are vital, NPS can highlight hidden pain points. For example, if several clients rate your firm low due to slow response times, it signals the need to improve communication efficiency. By addressing these issues, firms can enhance service quality, boost retention, and increase referrals—leading to more stable revenue streams.

Regular NPS surveys provide a clear view of how clients feel about your services. By acting on this feedback, accounting firms can refine their approach, build stronger relationships, and grow through client loyalty and positive word-of-mouth referrals.

Why Accounting Firms Should Focus on NPS

By prioritizing NPS, companies can effectively gauge client satisfaction, leverage promoters, and make data-driven improvements to their services. 

Here's a detailed breakdown of why accounting firms should focus on NPS:

Client Retention and Growth

A strong NPS directly impacts client retention and future growth. According to recent surveys, 94% of accounting clients are likely to make a referral with their “highly trusted” advisors if asked.​

This highlights the importance of creating a positive experience that leads to word-of-mouth marketing. Promoters are more likely to provide testimonials, which can help both retention and acquisition efforts​.

Furthermore, regular feedback from NPS surveys helps firms identify detractors and areas of improvement This proactive approach allows them to address issues before they lead to client churn. Keeping existing clients satisfied in an industry where relationships are crucial can have long-term financial benefits.

Competitive Edge in a Crowded Market

According to a survey, more than 85% of buyers consider online reviews and ratings as trusted sources when determining whether to engage with a firm​.

Accounting companies can gather positive reviews and testimonials by maintaining high NPS scores. This creates a powerful reputation that differentiates them from competitors. Negative reviews can significantly hurt a firm's credibility, as it takes twice as many positive reviews to reverse the damage caused by just one negative one​.

However, a high NPS can help mitigate this impact. Firms with a strong NPS demonstrate a loyal client base, which can be leveraged in marketing efforts. 

For example, an accounting firm might highlight its NPS score in promotional materials, showcasing it as evidence of client satisfaction and trust. In fact, 72% of respondents say that peer testimonials significantly influence their decision when choosing a firm, and an actionable NPS strategy can fuel this with authentic reviews and referrals​.

This can help reassure potential clients, strengthening the firm’s reputation even in the face of occasional negative feedback.

What is a ‘Good’ NPS Score for an Accounting Firm?

When it comes to NPS, you have a few options for determining what constitutes a “good” score for your firm. 

• Look at global NPS standards – which categorize 50% NPS as “excellent” and 70% NPS as “world class.” These benchmarks apply across industries and give a general sense of where your firm stands.
• Compare your NPS score to others within the accounting industry. For instance, the 2023 Accounting Industry NPS Benchmark sits at 41%, which gives you an idea of the average. Notably, service leaders—those recognized as 2023 Best of Accounting award winners—achieved an average NPS score of 81%. This difference illustrates the gap between average firms and top performers in the industry.
• Look to service leaders across industries. While broader industry comparisons can be helpful, it’s important to focus on your own accounting firm’s trends over time. Regularly measuring and improving your NPS can ensure you're not just meeting industry standards but pushing toward becoming a service leader.

How to Implement NPS in Accounting Firms

For accounting firms, implementing NPS can be a game-changer. It offers a straightforward way to capture client feedback, uncover valuable insights, and enhance service delivery. By acting on the data gathered, firms can make targeted improvements that boost client satisfaction and foster long-term loyalty. 

And when clients are loyal, the impact extends beyond improved relationships—firms can see higher retention rates, increased referrals, and ultimately, revenue growth.

Here's how you can implement NPS in your accounting firm:

Setting up NPS Surveys

An effective NPS survey consists of two key elements:

• The core question: "On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend our firm to a friend or colleague?"
• An open-ended follow-up: "What's the primary reason for your score?"

This combination provides quantitative data and qualitative insights crucial for understanding client sentiment.

Choose a survey tool that integrates with your firm's existing systems and automates follow-ups. Integrate survey data with your CRM to track responses over time, identifying trends that inform service improvements.

Choosing the Right Time to Send Surveys

Timing is crucial for obtaining actionable feedback. For accounting firms, optimal survey moments include:

• After completing a tax return
• Upon finalizing an audit
• Following the conclusion of a consulting engagement

For ongoing client relationships, consider quarterly or bi-annual surveys to monitor long-term satisfaction without causing survey fatigue.

Analyzing NPS Data for Accounting Firms

Once you’ve collected NPS survey responses, the next step is to make sense of the data. 

Interpreting the Scores

While we've covered the basics of Promoters (9-10), Passives (7-8), and Detractors (0-6), the key lies in understanding the implications for your firm:

• Promoters: Focus on what delights these clients and replicate it across your practice.
• Passives: Identify what's preventing them from becoming promoters. Often, small improvements can make a big difference.
• Detractors: Prioritize addressing their concerns to prevent client churn and negative word-of-mouth.

Remember, your NPS is the percentage of Promoters minus the percentage of Detractors.

Segment Your Analysis

Break down NPS data by:

• Service lines (tax, audit, advisory)
• Client size or industry
• Partner or team handling the account

This segmentation can reveal areas of excellence or concern within specific parts of your practice.

Identify Patterns in Feedback

Look for recurring themes in the open-ended responses. For accounting firms, common areas might include:

• Timeliness of deliverables
• Clarity of financial explanations
• Proactivity in tax planning or financial advice

Understanding these patterns helps prioritize improvement efforts.

Correlate NPS with Financial Metrics

Link NPS data to financial outcomes such as:

• Client retention rates
• Revenue per client
• Referral business generated

This correlation can demonstrate the tangible impact of client satisfaction on your firm's bottom line.

💡 Pro Tip: Establish a regular review process where partners and team leads discuss NPS. 

Pairing NPS data with other metrics like customer lifetime value (CLV) or client churn rates can provide a more holistic view of client loyalty and retention efforts.

Improving NPS Scores in Accounting Firms

Now that you’ve gathered your NPS data and analyzed it, the next step is to take action to improve your score. 

Here’s how accounting firms can respond effectively and ensure feedback drives positive change:

Responding to Promoters

Engaging with feedback—both positive and negative—is critical for improving your NPS score. 

When you receive praise from Promoters, it’s a great opportunity to strengthen relationships. A simple “thank you” goes a long way, but you can also take it further by asking them for testimonials or referrals.

These satisfied clients are your best advocates, and their recommendations can help attract new clients.

Addressing Detractor Feedback

Detractors, on the other hand, provide the most critical feedback, and this is where you can make the most impact. 

For example, the Detractor might leave a harsh comment, such as, "I’ve been frustrated with your customer service team’s lack of availability during critical moments of the tax season." This client is at risk of leaving your accounting firm unless you address their concerns quickly.

Reaching out to dissatisfied clients directly to resolve their concerns not only helps turn their experience around but also shows that your firm values client relationships.

Personalized responses that acknowledge their pain points—whether it’s service delays or communication breakdowns—help rebuild trust. Swift follow-ups and showing a genuine willingness to improve can potentially turn a Detractor into a Promoter over time.

Implementing Systemic Changes

Improving your NPS score isn’t just about reacting to individual feedback—it’s about implementing systemic changes that prioritize client needs. 

For instance, if multiple clients mention slow response times or inefficient processes, it may signal the need to improve your internal processes. This could involve implementing more efficient communication tools or adopting new technology to enhance service delivery. 

Additionally, you can offer more personalized services or flexible billing options to make clients feel heard and appreciated. These systemic changes help improve your service delivery and ensure your firm adapts to evolving client expectations. 

Real-Life Examples/ Case Studies of NPS in Accounting Firms

Let’s explore some real-life cases where firms leveraged NPS to improve client relationships, boost retention, and drive growth.

1. American Express Credit Cards

With an impressive NPS of 32, it’s clear that American Express is doing something right. A big part of their success comes from positive interactions and excellent customer service, which really makes cardholders feel valued.

Their generous rewards program adds even more appeal, showing customers they’re getting a great deal. This approach has effectively discouraged account switching, as many prefer to stay with American Express rather than chase after introductory offers elsewhere.

Derek Martin, the director of global consumer card sales at American Express, emphasized in an interview that NPS isn't just a superficial measure. Instead, it plays a crucial role in driving significant improvements in customer experience and positively impacting the company's bottom line.

“People who say you can’t correlate the data to actual revenue items—it’s not true, at least not in my case,” says Martin. “I can show you data that says that as Net Promoter Score rises, customers spend more money, they’re more loyal, they’re putting more dollars on an American Express card, and they’re leaving us less.” — Source

2. Perkins & Co. + ClearlyRated

At Perkins & Co., the leaders recognized how crucial good data is for an accounting firm. 

However, until 2011, they didn’t track any metrics related to their service performance. Their client satisfaction data was inconsistent, mainly coming from casual chats with clients. This created a bias, as they usually engaged with clients they already had strong relationships with. 

Furthermore, without service benchmarks from the accounting industry, they couldn't accurately gauge how they compared to competitors.

It soon became evident that they needed a genuine understanding of their service leaders’ relationships with clients. They required a way to verify their assumptions rather than just relying on gut feelings.

By leveraging NPS, Perkins & Co. gathered quantifiable data and anecdotal feedback that helped them refine their client service approach. They used this feedback to improve internal processes, enhance their communication standards across the firm, and celebrate service wins through ClearlyRated's "shout-out" feature. 

The firm has also used positive client testimonials from the NPS process to support its marketing efforts. Their dedication to client feedback through NPS earned them ClearlyRated's "Best of Accounting" award for multiple years, highlighting their commitment to excellent service.

Moreover, they are also the first-ever ClearlyRated Best of Accounting 10-Year Diamond Winner for client satisfaction.

Read the entire case study here.

Why Does NPS Work?

NPS works because of the following reasons:

• It’s simple. Because it’s a single metric, NPS is easy to measure, track over time, and use to benchmark your firm’s client satisfaction and service quality against the rest of the industry.
• NPS is a data-driven approach that relies on insights directly from the client. The concise format of the survey allows you to focus on the information that really matters while taking the guesswork out of assessing how your clients feel about you.
• Time is everything (it’s short!). People tend to turn and run when they see long surveys. And as much as your clients are ready and willing to provide you with feedback – they are protective of their time.
• It promotes transparency. By quantifying intangible concepts like client satisfaction and service quality, NPS provides accounting firms with a singular metric to weigh performance, set improvement goals, and rally the team around. When everyone in the organization clearly understands how their behavior can inform NPS, they’ll begin to obsess over client satisfaction and service quality as a practice and a philosophy.

Check out the best  NPS software to capture and understand your customers’ loyalty towards your brand!

How to Encourage Clients to Participate in NPS Surveys

To enhance participation in NPS surveys, it’s essential to create a seamless experience for clients, making their engagement as effortless as possible.

Simplifying the Process for Clients

According to research, surveys that are concise tend to yield higher response rates. This makes it crucial to keep surveys short and straightforward. To enhance participation, utilize digital platforms that simplify client engagement.  

Tools like email and SMS not only offer quick access to surveys but also cater to the on-the-go nature of clients today.  

In fact, mobile-optimized surveys can be completed 30-40% faster than those designed for desktop use. This approach not only increases convenience but also maximizes the likelihood of receiving timely feedback.

Offering Incentives for Feedback

An incentive could be anything from a small discount on future services to entry into a prize draw. 

Research indicates that incentives can significantly increase survey completion rates. Moreover, a study published by Giftogram indicates that incentivizing participation can increase response rates beyond 20%.

Similarly, encourage clients to share their feedback by clearly communicating how their input can enhance your services. By framing participation as a way for clients to help shape their own experiences, you foster a sense of involvement and ownership in the process. 

Using NPS to Attract New Clients

Attracting new clients requires more than just traditional marketing tactics, and leveraging NPS is a powerful way to do just that. Here’s how accounting firms can showcase their strengths and build credibility with potential clients:

Marketing with Positive NPS Scores

When you showcase your firm’s NPS, it sends a clear message to potential clients about your commitment to customer satisfaction. Accounting firms can effectively incorporate their NPS into marketing materials, such as brochures, websites, and social media posts, to emphasize their dedication to delivering exceptional service.

For example, including your NPS score in a prominent position on your website can reassure prospective clients of your reliability and quality. Research shows that businesses with high NPS scores often enjoy a reputation for reliability and quality, attracting new clients looking for trustworthy service providers.

Additionally, displaying testimonials from satisfied clients alongside NPS scores can create a compelling narrative that enhances your firm’s credibility.

Building Trust Through Transparency

Transparency is crucial in establishing trust with potential clients, and sharing your NPS publicly reflects that openness. 

When clients see that you are willing to discuss both your strengths and areas for improvement, it builds confidence in your ability to meet their needs. 

By openly discussing your NPS results, you demonstrate accountability and position your firm as a proactive player in the industry. This level of trust can significantly influence a prospective client's decision-making process, ultimately paving the way for new business opportunities.

Leverage ClearlyRated as a Solution for Accounting Firms

As we saw above, understanding client satisfaction through NPS can provide invaluable insights that shape business strategies and improve service offerings. By collecting and analyzing this feedback, firms can enhance client relationships, boost retention rates, and attract new clients.

If you’re ready to enhance your client feedback initiatives, ClearlyRated offers tailored solutions for accounting firms.

It enables accounting firms to create NPS surveys and questions, set up follow-ups, and collect detailed responses, providing clear insights into client sentiment.

Our veteran team of survey experts has compiled a Satisfaction Survey Checklist specifically for accounting firms to ensure your client survey initiative is successful. This resource will help you avoid common pitfalls and build a roadmap for your survey efforts.

Moreover, ClearlyRated offers comprehensive analytics and benchmarking features, allowing firms to track their NPS against industry standards. You can access valuable resources, including the latest benchmarks for the accounting industry, to see how your firm stacks up against competitors.

So why wait? Book a free demo with ClearlyRated and get started today!

Qualtrics is a leading cloud-based experience management software with a 3.38% market share. It started as a simple academic research tool and has become a top name in the survey industry.

In 2017, the company launched Qualtrics XM. The platform focused on customer, employee, product, and brand experiences. Even though it works well for some companies, it adds complexity and costs for others.

Many businesses that want targeted customer feedback tools find these features too overwhelming. As a result, there's a growing demand for simpler, more affordable alternatives with strong analytics and reporting capabilities.

In this article, we’ll explore the best Qualtrics alternatives. We’ll also cover their features, pros, cons, and pricing to help you choose the right solution for your business and budget.

A Detailed Overview of the Leading Qualtrics Alternatives 2025

Check out our top alternatives to Qualtrics you should try in 2025:

Now that we have a basic understanding of these tools let’s look at them in detail.

Top 11 Qualtrics Competitors and Alternatives in 2025

Below are the 11 top Qualtrics alternatives and competitors for 2025. We’ve included each tool’s standout features, pros and cons, and pricing to help you make your choice.

1. ClearlyRated—The #1 Qualtrics Alternative & Competitor

ClearlyRated is a client feedback and reputation management platform for professional service firms. It serves industries like staffing, accounting, legal, and consulting.

The platform’s industry focus and strong benchmarking capabilities help firms compare their performance to industry standards. With over a decade of data, businesses can identify areas for improvement. ClearlyRated allows firms to collect, analyze, and use client feedback through customized surveys and Net Promoter Score (NPS) metrics.

Comparison of Key Features

Customization Options

ClearlyRated’s survey platform offers extensive customization options. Users can easily modify their surveys' look, feel, and content.

To access these tools, log into the ClearlyRated Dashboard and click the Setup tab. Users appreciate that ClearlyRated offers predefined survey questions but also allows complete customization to meet their needs.

In contrast, Qualtrics offers customization options, but many users find them inflexible. Users often request more control over survey design without needing CSS coding. This limitation restricts creativity and makes it harder to match the survey with branding or aesthetic preferences.

Here’s what a user said about Qualtrics’ customization capabilities:

Another user reported a similar experience:

Integration with Tools

ClearlyRated integrates easily with popular CRMs like Salesforce, Bullhorn, and Erecruit. Its one-click integrations eliminate manual data entry and sync real-time feedback across platforms. Users like the easy process that boosts efficiency within existing workflows.

In contrast, Qualtrics users struggle with data management and integration. The platform lacks intuitive data manipulation tools. It complicates analysis with poor handling of missing data. Integrating external sources or exporting data is cumbersome.

Here’s what one G2 user had to say,

Customer Service and Support

ClearlyRated provides excellent customer support. It also offers 1-on-1 assistance during implementation for a smooth transition. Its knowledge base includes articles, video tutorials, and FAQs. These resources help users find answers independently and eliminate the need for direct support.

Take a look at what this user had to say about ClearlyRated:

Performance

ClearlyRated enables quick survey loading and efficient data processing. This lets users access insights rapidly and keep projects moving smoothly.

Here’s what a user had to say:

Conversely, Qualtrics users report slow loading times, especially with large data sets. This delays the data analysis process.

Managing open-ended responses and directory functions feels clunky and slow, impacting user experience.

Here’s what another user reported:

In-depth Analytics & Reporting

ClearlyRated's advanced analytics provide real-time insights into client satisfaction. Firms can identify areas for improvement and enhance service delivery. After collecting feedback from satisfaction surveys, users can take proactive actions using self-service tools.

A dedicated ClearlyRated Customer Success Manager is available for support, but self-service tools let users address churn risks and tackle critical issues efficiently.

Users have expressed a strong appreciation for these analytics features. One user noted that the insights provided were important in refining their service offerings,

On the other hand, many Qualtrics users find the analytics features basic. This lack of depth makes it hard to better understand the data.

It feels like valuable insights are missing, which could enhance decision-making. While the survey features are advanced, the analytics side falls short.

For example, here’s what a user reported:

Another user said:

Client Feedback and NPS Management

ClearlyRated is a standout platform for managing client feedback and Net Promoter Score (NPS), designed to give service-based businesses clear metrics that help boost client satisfaction and retention. This platform is especially suited for professional service industries, where its feedback tools cater specifically to their needs. 

In contrast, Qualtrics XM also includes NPS tracking, but it’s just one part of a larger toolkit, which may not have the same depth that ClearlyRated offers for feedback management.

Pros

• Simplifies client feedback with straightforward survey tools
• Brings in industry-specific insights to improve client satisfaction
• User-friendly platform that’s easy to navigate and requires minimal training
• Backed by responsive customer support

Cons

• Some users note limitations in summarizing written comments into key takeaways, making it harder to get quick overviews from open feedback

Pricing

• ClearlyRated offers Premium, Plus, and Enterprise plans with custom pricing options

2. GetFeedback

GetGetFeedback provides a robust solution for enhancing customer, employee, and product experiences. Thanks to its advanced survey builder, you can easily create and analyze a variety of surveys, helping you gather valuable insights. 

It offers a simple and interactive interface and is a great alternative to Qualtrics XM. However, if you're looking for advanced customization options or complex question types, you might find it somewhat lacking, as some users have mentioned. Also, if integration with Salesforce is on your wishlist, be prepared for potentially high costs.

Key Features

• Unlocks insights from extensive text feedback using sentiment analysis and keyphrase identification
• Conducts surveys in multiple languages to reach a wider audience
• Centralizes all business information with custom survey dashboards
• Utilizes real-time surveys and robust analytics to identify specific customer needs

Pros

• Intuitive user interface

Cons

• Some users faced issues in generating shareable survey URLs

Pricing

• Custom pricing

3. Typeform

Typeform is a highly customizable tool for creating engaging online surveys, feedback forms, and quizzes. Its intuitive design makes it a go-to option for many businesses, especially compared to tools like Qualtrics. Whether you're collecting feedback, conducting research, or generating leads, Typeform makes these tasks much easier for small- to mid-sized businesses.

But it’s not just about creating forms—Typeform goes a step further by enabling businesses to converse with their audience rather than just collecting feedback and calling it a day. This is achieved through features like conditional logic, which personalizes the survey flow based on user responses, making participants feel more involved.

Additionally, Typeform offers various features, such as NPS surveys, offline surveys, and an executive dashboard, all of which enhance its capability to engage with customers. The built-in library of multimedia elements—like photos and videos—also contributes to a more dynamic and visually appealing experience, moving away from traditional survey formats.

Key Features

• Makes real-time edits to published surveys for agile data collection and enhanced accuracy
• Gathers qualitative and quantitative data using various question formats, including multiple-choice and open-ended responses
• Conducts thorough analyses within Typeform with tools for statistical tests, cross-tabulations, and sentiment analysis

Pros

• Seamless onboarding process with no setup fees
• Curated educational materials on question design and sampling techniques
• Builds custom reports featuring specific metrics, advanced segmentation, and personalized branding

Cons

• Typeform doesn’t offer a free trial for testing platform features
• Limited customization options for aligning surveys and reports with brand identities

Pricing

• Basic: $25/month per user
• Plus: $50/month per 3 users
• Business: $83/month per 5 users
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

4. SurveyMonkey

SurveyMonkey is cloud-based SMS survey software designed to create surveys and gather customer feedback, transforming that information into actionable insights. Its impressive features include integration into over 120 systems and access to more than 250 pre-built templates. Additionally, its AI-driven guidance helps customize survey questions, ensuring faster and more accurate deployment.

One of the platform’s best features is its free Net Promoter Score (NPS) tools. SurveyMonkey offers an extensive question bank that allows users to tailor NPS surveys to fit their specific brand needs. 

It also has advanced features like data filters, tags, and trend reports, making it easy to transform survey responses into meaningful data for your business decisions.

Key Features

• Crafts surveys with AI guidance to improve question quality
• Provides an intuitive experience for admins, users, and respondents
• Keeps respondents focused with a single-page, distraction-free layout
• Uses a question bank for quick, consistent survey creation
• Efficiently gathers complex data with matrix questions
• Visualizes data with clear charts, graphs, and dashboards

Pros

• Offers a wide selection of questions from a comprehensive question bank
• Allows exporting survey data as CSV or PDF for analysis in your preferred tools
• Enables multilingual surveys to reach a broader, global audience

Cons

• No free trial
• IP address blocking for data control isn't included in lower-tier subscriptions
• Response collection methods like phone and email are only available in higher-tier plans

Pricing

• Team Advantage: $25/month per user
• Team Premier: $75/month per user
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

5. SurveySparrow

SurveySparrow is a top SMS survey tool, popular for its easy-to-use interface and support for multi-channel interactions. It is known for its conversational survey style, supporting over 86 languages to serve a global audience.

The platform offers visual workflows that are simple to automate, helping reduce response times. It collects data through various channels, including email, SMS, weblinks, Slack, social media, Microsoft Teams, and mobile SDKs. While it’s an effective tool for smaller businesses, its features don’t meet the needs of larger enterprises.

Key Features

• Creates custom objects, fields, rules, calculations, and views
• Supports multiple languages and currencies for global transactions
• Offers a centralized dashboard for team collaboration
• Has branded surveys with various question types, themes, and logos
• Analyzes survey results in real time with built-in reporting tools
• Integrates with Google Sheets, Salesforce, and Mailchimp 

Pros

• Gathers feedback from multiple channels

Cons

• The UI makes it difficult to filter and analyze data results

Pricing

SurveySparrow offers a limited free version, with paid plans starting at $19 per month per user. The pricing tiers are as follows:

• Free forever
• Basic: $19/month per user
• Starter: $39/month per user
• Business: $79/month per 3 users
• Professional: $249/month per 5 users
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

*All prices are billed annually

6. ZohoSurveys

Zoho Survey is a user-friendly platform with branching logic, making it a strong Qualtrics alternative. It lets users create intuitive surveys with over 30 question types for various research needs.

The platform is designed for businesses, educators, and researchers and distributes surveys via social media and email. It offers customizable themes and personalization features to meet various needs while keeping the interface easy to navigate.

Key Features

• Creates mobile-friendly surveys for convenience
• Uses pre-designed templates for professional surveys
• Navigates easily with an intuitive interface
• Customizes experiences with advanced logic like skip logic and conditional questions
• Uses branching logic, piping, and randomization to show relevant questions
• Tracks survey results in real-time for immediate feedback and action

Pros

• Enhances relevance and reduces fatigue with skip logic
• Expands reach with multilingual support
• Links responses with demographics for deeper analysis and pattern discovery
• Ensures data security with HIPAA compliance and strong privacy controls

Cons

• Some users report the UI is inconsistent

Pricing

• Free forever
• Basic: $25/ month
• Plus: $35/ month
• Pro: $49/month
• Enterprise: $109/month 

7. Medallia

Medallia is great for large-scale NPS surveys. It combines AI-based technologies to provide powerful insights.

The platform also analyzes both structured and unstructured data to find the key drivers of customer satisfaction.

The predictive analysis and real-time reporting features make it even more useful. It lets you create detailed customer profiles to help you understand customer needs and issues on a much deeper level).  

Key Features

• Uses AI technologies to predict customer behaviors
• Collects and analyzes user feedback with predictive analytics
• Creates detailed experience profiles for every customer
• Organizes NPS scores to focus on targeted improvements
• Tracks NPS metrics and customer sentiment in real-time

Pros

• Handles large volumes of NPS surveys
• Analyzes key drivers to prioritize improvement based on the impact
• Facilitates in-depth customer profiling for personalized insights

Cons

• It takes time to integrate with various platforms

Pricing

• Custom pricing

8. Alchemer

Alchemer, formerly SurveyGizmo, ranks among the best voice-of-customer tools. It is user-friendly and flexible.

The platfrom delivers advanced capabilities to create insightful surveys. Unlike Qualtrics, it provides actionable insights from the start.

It doesn’t charge per response, maximizing ROI.

Key Features

• Quickly kickstarts various survey projects with pre-built templates
• Allows live edits to surveys even after publishing
• Offers multiple-choice and open-ended questions
• Creates personalized survey paths using skip logic, branching, and randomization
• Provides over 43 question types right out of the box
• Offers a custom question developer kit for added versatility
• Includes 20 survey logics and branching options to improve response rates

Pros

• Customizes surveys with brand logos and colors for a consistent identity
• Ensures HIPAA compliance to protect sensitive data
• Controls participation based on criteria or limits attempts to collect target data

Cons

• You can’t add additional logos to surveys

Pricing

• Custom pricing

9. Survicate

Survicate is a great alternative to Qualtrics XM for gathering customer feedback. Its easy-to-use interface easily creates and manages surveys for regular feedback or one-time polls.

The platform uses advanced skip logic, so users only see questions that matter to them. This feature improves the quality of responses. Survicate also sends real-time alerts for certain answers, allowing you to respond quickly and keep up with customer needs.

Key Features

• Creates attractive surveys with its user-friendly design
• Trigger surveys at the right moment for varied engagement
• Unlimited free users and surveys for broad accessibility
• Integrates with multiple tools 

Pros

• Accurate NPS calculations that consider partial responses
• Advanced targeting features for more unbiased results
• Fully customizes surveys to match your brand identity

Cons

• You can't combine NPS surveys from different channels as it requires you to merge feedback manually
• Needs at least one response before you can display the survey publicly

Pricing

• Good: $109.10/month (€99/month per 5 seats)
• Better: $164.20/month (€149/month per 10 seats)
• Best: $274.40/month (€249/month per 15 seats)
• Better than the Rest: $329.50/month (€299/month for custom seats)

10. QuestionPro

As a leading SaaS provider, QuestionPro offers various tools to gather feedback and measure customer experiences. One of its best features is it fully customizes the survey experience to meet your needs.

The platform’s Sentiment Analysis feature uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) to sort feedback into positive, negative, or neutral. This helps you understand customer feelings better and take action to improve satisfaction.

Key Features

• Collects feedback through online, paper, and phone surveys for more flexibility
• Improves user engagement with features like single-page surveys and visual progress bars
• Adds multimedia elements like images, videos, and audio to your surveys
• Uses advanced logic, such as piping, skip logic, and conditional questions
• Offers Heat Map Analysis to show areas that get the most attention
• Creates color-coded charts to easily spot high-engagement areas
• Enables Push Metrics to schedule and share weekly survey reports by email

Pros

• Share surveys easily on social media to reach more people
• Personalize survey URLs with custom domains for a consistent brand experience
• Creates 360-degree feedback surveys to gather insights from multiple sources

Cons

• Some users report occasional lags and slow loading times

Pricing

• Essentials: Free
• Advanced: $99/month per user
• Team Edition: $83/month per user
• Research Edition: Custom pricing

11. InMoment

InMoment is an experience intelligence platform that uses AI-driven analytics to turn feedback into actionable insights. Unlike many platforms that only collect data, InMoment goes deeper to understand customer sentiments and intentions. 

It also offers Voice of Customer (VoC) services that gather real-time feedback from various touchpoints, allowing immediate application of insights. 

Key Features

• Manages large amounts of data easily with an intuitive CX dashboard
• Improves customer retention by mapping detailed customer journeys
• Captures feedback from both individual customers and groups with case management tools
• Runs NPS, CSAT, CES, and micro surveys to measure customer sentiment
• Collects data from different sources, like websites, mobile apps, SMS, and email

Pros

• Uses micro-surveys and in-app NPS to get real-time feedback
• Offers advanced targeting and segmentation to customize surveys

Cons

• The platform can be slow and occasionally unreliable. This can result in data losses.

Pricing

• Available in CoreCX, Enterprise & Custom plans: Custom pricing

Get Started with ClearlyRated

Qualtrics is a powerful platform for customer experience (CX). It provides many features that help businesses find gaps, identify areas for improvement, and take action.

However, as the platform has evolved, many users have found it quite complex and pricey, especially for those without substantial budgets for feedback collection. Luckily, you’ll find many alternatives to Qualtrics that offer unique features for gathering and analyzing feedback.

Among these, ClearlyRated is an excellent one-to-one alternative to Qualtrics. With its industry-specific insights, outstanding support, and robust benchmarking capabilities, it focuses on delivering actionable insights in a user-friendly manner. This dedication to customer success makes ClearlyRated a compelling option for enhancing your customer experience strategy.

If you’re considering making a move, why not book a free demo with ClearlyRated? It’s a fantastic opportunity to explore how this cost-effective solution can help you gather valuable feedback and improve your customer experience initiatives today!

Did you know that companies with high NPS scores grow twice as fast as their competitors? 

Understanding the NPS Benefits, such as improved customer retention and accelerated growth, can illustrate why a well-crafted survey is crucial.

When you use the right NPS question, you can better understand customer satisfaction and its reasons. Additionally, leveraging NPS Tools can enhance your survey process and provide actionable insights that drive growth.

In this article, we’ll share effective NPS questions and templates to gather valuable customer insights.

What is an NPS Survey Question?

The Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey asks a single core question:

"On a scale from 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our business to a friend or colleague?"

This question measures customer loyalty. It asks how likely customers are to recommend your business.

Recommendations show strong loyalty, and satisfied customers are more likely to share their positive experiences with people they trust.

The 0-10 scale helps capture a wider range of customer feelings. A "yes/no" question wouldn’t show the full spectrum of satisfaction. The 0-10 scale lets customers share their opinions, from very dissatisfied (0) to very satisfied (10).

Asking about recommendations to a "friend or colleague" adds personal trust. It goes beyond asking if customers would buy again and taps into the social and personal side of loyalty.

You often ask the NPS question at key moments in the customer journey. These include:

• After a purchase
• After a service interaction
• After onboarding

Businesses deliver the NPS question through different channels, such as:

• Email surveys
• On-site pop-ups
• SMS messages
• In-app prompts

You may use NPS alongside other measures like CSAT or CES. However, its simplicity and focus on recommendations make it easy to use in many situations.

NPS Survey Structure

An NPS survey is a two-part questionnaire:

• Rating question: Customers rate a business, product, or service on a scale from 0 to 10. Here’s an example:

• Follow-up question: The second part of the questionnaire, also known as an open-ended question, asks customers why they gave their specific score. This question can be as simple as:  "What’s the main reason behind your score?" You can showcase this question after customers click the survey link in your email. Here’s what it would look like:

That’s it! Just ask these two questions. Then, you can calculate your NPS with the data you’ll collect from the responses.

Every time you ask someone to do something, like clicking a link, you create an obstacle. This often leads to fewer people completing the survey. 

At ClearlyRated, we’ve found that each extra click reduces response rates. As a rule, if you keep it to two questions, you can expect about a 25% response rate. This means that 25% of people who receive the survey fill it out and send it back. You can and should aim for even higher numbers.

To improve your response rates, you can follow these best practices:

• Personalize your emails
• Send them from a reliable, spam-free server
• Make sure your emails work on mobile devices
• Follow up with customers who don’t respond

Below are some more tips to improve your response rates:

Questions to Ask in Your NPS Survey

When planning your NPS survey, keep it simple and focused. Too many questions can confuse your respondents and dilute the feedback.

Start by defining the main goal of your survey. Do you want to improve customer retention, understand loyalty, or fix problems? This will help you craft clear questions.

As you create your survey, keep these factors in mind:

• Customer segment: Are you asking new or long-time customers?
• Customer journey: Are you asking after a purchase or renewal?
• Trigger events: Did something recent spark the survey?
• Customer behavior: Have you seen any positive or negative trends?
• Pain points: What issues hurt loyalty, and how can you fix them?
• Survey channel: Will you send the survey by email, in-app, or another way?

The more you know your audience, the better you can customize your NPS questions.

Now, let’s look at some great NPS question examples. These will work for different situations, including campaigns, and help you get useful feedback.

Rating Survey Questions

These questions use numeric rating systems to measure customer satisfaction. As a result, you can understand customer experience quickly. Plus, you can easily analyze this data.

Here are some NPS question examples for different situations:

• Post-purchase feedback: On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our product to a friend?
• Service interaction follow-up: How likely are you to recommend our support team after your recent experience?
• Feature use feedback: How satisfied are you with our new feature on a scale from 0 to 10?
• Subscription renewal: Based on your experience, how likely are you to renew your subscription?
• Onboarding experience: How likely are you to recommend our platform after completing onboarding?
• Event feedback: How likely are you to recommend attending another event we host?
• Product launch: On a scale of 0 to 10, how happy are you with our latest product launch?

These NPS questions help you measure satisfaction at different customer touchpoints.

Open-Ended Survey Questions

Open-ended questions let customers share their thoughts. They help you understand experiences in more detail. These questions are great for getting suggestions, addressing concerns, and learning customer motivations. They help you spot areas for improvement and understand customer feelings on a personal level.

Here are some NPS question examples that prompt detailed feedback:

• What could we have done differently to improve your service experience?
• What made you try our product, and how can we make it better?
• Why would you (or wouldn’t) recommend us to a friend?
• What features would improve your experience with our product?
• What influenced your decision to renew (or not renew) your subscription?
• How can we improve our onboarding process to meet your needs?
• What did you enjoy most about our event? What would you change for next time?
• What do you think of our latest product? How can we improve it?

These NPS questions offer insights that numerical scores alone can’t give.

Thank You Messages

Sending a thank-you message after a survey shows you value your clients or team members' opinions. They take time to share their thoughts, and you should acknowledge it.

Here are some examples of thank-you messages you can send:

• Thank you for your feedback! We are always working to improve, and your input helps.
• We appreciate you taking the time to complete our survey. Your voice helps us serve you better.
• Your feedback is important to us. We look forward to using it to improve your experience.

Next, we’ll cover specific client and talent survey questions to help you create better surveys and follow up with a sincere thank-you message.

Client Survey Questions

When you ask your clients for feedback, keep the questions relevant and clear. This will help you get accurate responses and insights you need to improve your services. 

Once clients answer, send a thank-you message. Make it personal to show appreciation.

Here are some client survey questions you can ask:

• How satisfied are you with our service delivery?
• What part of our service do you think we could improve?
• What value do you feel you get from working with us?
• Is there any service we currently don’t offer that you’d like to see?
• What’s the most significant benefit you've gained from working with our team?
• How well do you think we understand your business needs?
• Would you consider using our services again?

Talent Survey Questions

Employees are the foundation of any successful business, so their feedback is important. You can gain insights into different areas by creating thoughtful talent survey questions, such as:

• Workplace environment
• Job satisfaction
• Areas for growth 

Just as with clients, following up with a thank-you message reinforces that their voice is heard and appreciated.

Below are some of the talent survey questions you can send to your employees:

• How valued do you feel within the company?
• Do you have the resources you need to perform your role effectively?
• What’s the biggest challenge you face in your current role?
• On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you with your career progression here?
• What would improve your day-to-day work experience?
• Do you feel that leadership communicates expectations clearly?
• What motivates you the most in your current position?
• Is there anything you would change about the company culture?

Sending a follow-up thank-you message to employees who participate in a survey makes them feel recognized, showing that their input is required to shape the company’s direction..

What to Do With Feedback From the NPS Questions

Once you've gathered responses from your NPS survey, it’s time to dive into the results. Start by organizing feedback into Promoters, Passives, and Detractors. From there, you can identify patterns and create plans you can customize to each group. 

Let’s explore how to do that efficiently.

1. Follow Up with Detractors via Emails

For smaller surveys, it’s always great to respond personally, but when you’re dealing with a large number of responses, it might not be practical to reply to everyone. Your Promoters and Passives will be satisfied with a simple thank-you message. 

However, you need to reach out directly to Detractors—those who provided. Fixing the problem or offering an apology or discount can rebuild trust, which can turn dissatisfied customers into loyal ones.

2. Add NPS Data to Your CRM

Adding NPS feedback to your CRM can give you a clear view of customer satisfaction trends over time. You can track ratings and feedback for individual customers or segments. This way, you can spot patterns in dissatisfaction or praise.

For example, if an existing customer consistently gives low scores, this could highlight a gap in your service or product that you need to address urgently. You can use these insights to adjust your product offerings or refine your ideal customer profile (ICP).

3. Maximizing Open-Ended Feedback

One of the most valuable aspects of your Net Promoter Score survey questions is the open-ended feedback. Negative feedback from Detractors might feel tough to hear, but it’s important for you to improve your services. Addressing these pain points can prevent future complaints and keep your customers loyal.

Meanwhile, Passives, though generally satisfied, often reveal minor issues that keep them from becoming Promoters. You need to listen to and act on their suggestions to turn them into loyal supporters. 

Promoters, on the other hand, provide feedback that highlight your business's strengths. Their positive comments are not just encouraging; they reveal what’s working well and offer a roadmap for expanding on your successes.

How Do I Make a Good NPS Survey?

Creating an effective NPS survey requires more than asking customers about how likely they are to recommend your business. A well-designed survey gathers meaningful, actionable feedback, which helps drive improvements across various areas of your business. 

The first step in creating a good NPS survey is to keep it short. 

ClearlyRated makes it easier for you with its customizable NPS surveys that capture customer sentiment without making the process complicated.

The platform goes beyond the basics by offering customizable net promoter score templates, allowing you to modify the NPS question or add tailored follow-ups. This means you can capture insights that are directly relevant to your business. 

Secondly, timing and audience are equally important. Hence, you need to customize your NPS survey to target customers or journey stages. 

For example, asking a customer who just completed a purchase will get different insights than someone who’s been with your company for years. 

ClearlyRated’s solution allows you to target the ideal respondents based on their interaction with your business. This ensures you receive valuable feedback. 

The platform also integrates with your CRM like Salesforce, Bullhorn, and Erecruit to ensure that surveys reach the right people at the right time so that the responses are more meaningful. 

Now, once you gather the data, you need to turn it into action. ClearlyRated’s analytics dashboard allows you to track NPS trends, segment feedback by customer type, and prioritize responses.

Identify trends, whether they come from loyal Promoters or dissatisfied Detractors, using the analytics dashboard

This system allows for quick follow-ups, helping you address negative feedback. At the same time, it uses promoters for testimonials or referrals. Their detailed analysis transforms raw data into actionable strategies. 

On the other hand, you can access response rates, customer satisfaction scores (CSAT), and customer lifetime value (CLV). Combining this data, companies gain a full view of customer sentiment and loyalty over time.

As a result, companies can better understand their strengths and weaknesses. This allows them to improve client retention, reduce churn, and drive long-term growth.

Survey Your Customers with ClearlyRated

When you use the NPS correctly, you truly understand your customers and build loyalty. 

Your customers' perceptions of your brand are shaped by how well your team interacts with them, how effectively your products and services meet their needs, and their overall relationship with your company. ClearlyRated empowers you to do more with NPS by offering tailored survey creation, automated follow-ups, and advanced analytics. The platform tracks key metrics and notifies you about detractors, giving you the tools to respond promptly. 

Plus, with features like customizable workflows and AI-driven sentiment analysis, ClearlyRated allows you to convert negative experiences into positive ones, turning detractors into loyal promoters.

Ready to take your survey questions to the next level? Start by booking a free demo with ClearlyRated today!

This is a milestone year for ClearlyRated. We’re about to publish our 15th annual staffing industry benchmark study on staffing buyer behavior—and it couldn’t come at a more crucial time. 

To shed some light on what’s going on and offer guidance on how to navigate the future, ClearlyRated’s co-founder, Eric Gregg, recently hosted a webinar sharing early information from this year’s findings: Inside the Mind of the Hiring Manager: 2024 Staffing Buyer Survey Sneak Peek. 

In case you missed Eric's webinar, we've written up this recap.

[Some background on our report and related survey: Over a two-week period (Sept. 27, 2024 – October 10, 2024), we collected responses from 505 hiring managers across four countries who have recently used a staffing firm to help with hiring.]

Staffing by the Numbers: Two Years of Choppy Water May Soon Calm

The high-level takeaway: Hiring is down, so is the use of temporary labor. Read on for the details—and below that, some positive news. 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), job openings peaked in early 2022 and have since dropped. The number of job openings today is 34% lower than that peak. That said, today's total is still 12% higher than pre-pandemic. However, while there may be more job openings, actual hiring is down both from its peak in early 2022 and from pre-pandemic levels. 

At the same time, BLS data shows a startling new trend: While overall employment has continued to rise, the use of temporary help has declined since late 2022. This trend bucks 17 years’ of data during which those two forms of labor have consistently traveled the same path.

“We’ve been in this industry since ‘05-’06 and have never seen this kind of decoupling,” Eric said. While temporary help made up 2.14% of the workforce in late 2021, this number has steadily declined to 1.7% per the most recent numbers. This marks a 15-year low (not counting a steep drop during the early days of the pandemic that quickly bounced back).

What’s causing the decline in temporary labor?

Eric explained that the following factors that may be contributing to the decline in temporary help:

• Companies are doing more in-house.
• Automation, nearshoring, and offshoring have all increased.
• The diversification of the workforce: While temporary help is declining, there’s been an increase in SOW-based projects, the number of independent contractors and consultants, and undocumented workers. 
• Inflationary pressure could be turning companies away from hiring temporary help, which could be attributed to backlash from pandemic price increases.

The good news

Thankfully, while researching and comparing economic and industry data for this report, we found signs that companies may soon hire more temporary help. Eric explained that he and other industry experts discovered an interesting relationship between what’s called the “Anxious Index,” or percentage of economists who believe a recession will come in the next quarter, and the amount of temporary help companies hire. 

When they overlayed historical Anxious Index data on year-over-year changes in temporary help, they found that when the Anxiety Index begins to fall, a bump in temporary labor follows. The good news: Right now, the Anxious Index is beginning to ebb while optimism flows. This means we could soon see a rebound in temporary help.  

Beside this indication of an industry recovery, we found two silver linings:

• Average quit rates are down 32% from their peak in the first half of 2022 and down 11% from pre-pandemic numbers.
• Average layoffs are also down—28% lower than their peak in late 2020 and 12% lower than pre-pandemic.

These silver linings are likely due to a tighter job market in which talent wants to stay put longer for fear of not finding work. That said, with hiring down and a declining demand for temporary help, staffing firms are facing increasing pressure from competition. That makes their customer experience (CX) more important than ever.

The State of CX in Staffing

After studying data from Staffing Industry Analysts, we found that CX-focused staffing firms grow 16.1% faster than competitors. This means a $100 million firm that focuses on providing a positive CX can expect to generate an additional $16.9 million over four years. 

Client NPS in the U.S. staffing industry has been on the rise since 2019, and it’s currently at an all-time high. Eric points out that when we look at historical data, we find that it’s common for staffing NPS to improve during industry recessions, which is exactly what we’re seeing now. 

Wise firms won’t slack on their CX, especially in this economic environment. As the competition for requisitions rises, so does the likelihood that competitors are also focused on improving CX to win and keep business. Don’t miss the boat. Take a look at the following resources on how to measure and improve your CX:

• On-demand webinar | From Good to Great: Amplifying CX, Trust, and Reputation in Staffing 
• On-demand webinar | CX for Staffing – How Best of Staffing® Firms Outpace the Industry
• Blog post | Preventing Customer Churn – Why B2B Clients Leave and How to Keep Them
• Blog post | How to Grow Your Bottom Line by Developing CX Maturity

For more industry insights and benchmarks, stay tuned for our full benchmark report coming in early 2025. In the meantime, watch Eric’s full webinar to get detailed insights on the state of CX in staffing, including the method he uses to predict changes in temporary help penetration numbers, and the five lessons he pulled from our report with the key opportunities they present.

Net Promoter Score (NPS) is used by over two-thirds of Fortune 1000 companies to measure customer loyalty. It's simple yet powerful: by asking customers how likely they are to recommend your product or service, you gain valuable insights into their satisfaction and potential word-of-mouth impact.

However, collecting NPS data is just the beginning. Businesses need robust NPS software that not only gathers feedback but also provides actionable insights. The right tool can help you identify trends, segment customers, and drive meaningful product or service improvements.

In this article, we've researched and compared 13 top NPS software options. We'll cover their key features, strengths, and potential drawbacks. By the end, you'll understand:

• What capabilities to look for in NPS software
• How different tools cater to various business needs and sizes
• Which options offer the best value for your specific requirements

But before we explore the top NPS tools, it’s essential to understand what NPS software is and how it can transform your approach to customer feedback. So, let’s get started!

What is NPS Software?

NPS, or Net Promoter Score software, is a must-have tool for businesses to collect valuable first-party data straight from their customers. It measures customer loyalty by asking: "How likely are you to recommend our product or service to a friend or colleague?"

Customers respond with a score from 0 (not at all likely) to 10 (extremely likely), classifying them into Promoters, Passives, and Detractors. The resulting score ranges from -100 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction and loyalty. Customers can also share open-ended feedback.

NPS can be applied as Relationship NPS (long-term loyalty trends) or Transactional NPS (immediate feedback on specific interactions). Advanced solutions offer real-time reporting, CRM and analytics integration, and text analytics for open-ended responses.

Implementing an NPS program can present challenges like survey fatigue or result interpretation difficulties. The right software can help overcome these by optimizing survey timing and providing actionable insights, ensuring prompt address of customer concerns.

Why Do You Need NPS Software?

NPS platforms help you gauge how likely customers are to make repeat purchases, advocate for your brand, and stay loyal even in competitive markets. They offer many NPS Benefits—from closing the feedback loop to enhancing customer retention.

Let’s explore some key reasons why you need NPS software in more detail:

Closing the feedback loop

NPS tools not only gather customer feedback but also close the feedback loop. Many platforms offer automated alerts for negative feedback, enabling your team to quickly address detractors and recover potential lost loyalty. 

Additionally, NPS software can integrate with CRM systems, allowing for personalized follow-ups based on customer sentiment, so you can reach out in a more targeted and meaningful way. 

User-friendly

NPS Platforms typically offer pre-built survey templates, making it easy to create and distribute surveys via email or as pop-ups on your website post-purchase. Many tools also come with integration options for seamless survey deployment across multiple customer touchpoints. 

Plus, calculating your NPS results can be done with a basic spreadsheet, or you can leverage built-in analytics that automatically track and report on your customer scores.

A shared language

NPS software creates a shared language by categorizing customers as Promoters, Passives, and Detractors, helping every department—from sales to product development—align around customer sentiment. 

By distributing these insights across teams, NPS tools foster a customer-centric culture, enabling everyone to understand what drives loyalty and dissatisfaction. 

Many platforms also feature automated report generation and department-specific dashboards, ensuring that insights are tailored and actionable for every team.

Better benchmarking

Since NPS is a universally recognized metric, it allows you to benchmark your score against industry standards. Many NPS tools offer access to benchmarking databases, making it easy to see how your performance stacks up against competitors in your sector. 

Increased revenue

Happy, loyal customers are more likely to stay longer, spend more, and refer new customers. 

In fact, research from Harvard Business Review shows that a 5% increase in customer retention can lead to a 25%-95% increase in profit. Of course, the range is broad, but it highlights how even small increases in customer retention can lead to significant improvements in profitability.

NPS software enables you to focus on fostering these long-term relationships by identifying and nurturing Promoters, leading to sustained revenue growth and business expansion over time.

Improved customer experience

By regularly collecting and analyzing feedback, you can make data-driven decisions to enhance your products, services, and support. 

Advanced features like text analytics enable you to dive deep into open-ended feedback, uncovering trends and customer sentiment beyond just scores. 

Additionally, many NPS platforms integrate with product management tools, helping you prioritize improvements based on customer input and directly tie feedback to your development roadmap. For more strategies on how to improve your nps, be sure to review our comprehensive guide.

How to Evaluate and Choose the Best NPS Software

When selecting NPS software, consider what works for your specific business type (B2B or B2C). Here are eight essential factors:

1. Ease of use: Look for features like drag-and-drop survey builders, pre-built templates, and automated workflows to reduce the learning curve.
2. Customer success: Seek providers offering dedicated account managers, comprehensive onboarding, and ongoing support.
3. Your use case: Consider specific needs based on company size and industry (e.g., multi-language support, in-app surveys, role-based reporting).
4. Infrastructure and security: Ensure robust measures like end-to-end encryption, GDPR compliance, SOC 2 certification, and role-based access control.
5. Scalability: Choose a platform that can handle increasing survey volumes, support multiple business units, and offer customizable dashboards.
6. Integrations: Look for pre-built integrations with CRMs, marketing automation platforms, and customer support systems. Bi-directional integration capabilities are ideal.
7. Self-service capabilities: Seek user role management features and self-service reporting tools for team independence.
8. Support: Choose a provider offering various support options (24/7 phone, email, live chat) and a comprehensive knowledge base.

Comparison Table of the Best Net Promoter Score Software in 2025

Now that we know what features to look for in NPS software, here’s our round-up of some of the best NPS software platforms for you to use in 2025:

13 Best NPS Software to Use in 2025

Let's explore the top players in the industry in detail:

1. ClearlyRated

ClearlyRated is a client feedback and reputation management platform specifically designed for professional service firms, including staffing, accounting, legal, and consulting industries. It enables businesses to collect, analyze, and leverage client feedback through tailored surveys and Net Promoter Score (NPS) metrics. 

By sending out straightforward surveys that ask clients how likely they are to recommend your services, ClearlyRated allows you to categorize responses into promoters, passives, and detractors. This approach provides a clear snapshot of customer sentiment and helps identify areas for improvement.

What sets ClearlyRated apart is its focus on real-time feedback and in-depth analytics. Businesses can quickly respond to customer input, addressing concerns as they arise, while detailed reports track NPS over time and benchmark against industry standards. This data-driven insight not only aids in enhancing customer experience but also fosters loyalty by demonstrating a commitment to client feedback.

Key Features

Client Feedback and NPS Management

ClearlyRated excels in client feedback and NPS management, offering clear metrics that enable service-based businesses to enhance client satisfaction and retention. 

With a focus on professional service industries, the platform is particularly well-suited for companies seeking tailored feedback solutions.

Take a look at what this user had to say about ClearlyRated:

In-Depth Analytics and Tracking Capabilities

ClearlyRated provides in-depth analytics and real-time reporting for data-driven decisions. It tracks NPS along with key metrics like response rates, CSAT, and CLV, offering a holistic view of customer sentiment and loyalty.

Its nps dashboard is a game-changer for customer experience, offering visual insights and trends that help you benchmark performance and pinpoint improvement areas.

Users have shown great appreciation for the analytics features, with one commenting that,

Users can access detailed reports with visualized trends, compare NPS against industry benchmarks, and segment feedback by various factors. This enables businesses to identify trends, pinpoint improvement areas, and enhance customer satisfaction.

Here’s what a user had to say about the platform’s reporting capabilities:

Another user praises ClearlyRated’s reports, saying,

Integration with Tools

ClearlyRated offers plug-and-play and pre-built integrations with popular CRM systems and business tools, connecting with systems like Salesforce, Bullhorn, and Erecruit. 

One-click integrations simplify the process, eliminating manual data entry and allowing real-time feedback sync across platforms.

Ease of Use and User Interface

ClearlyRated features an intuitive interface with drag-and-drop survey builders, clear navigation menus, and customizable dashboards.

 Its simple design ensures users of all technical skill levels can operate the system efficiently, speeding up onboarding and reducing the learning curve.

Pros

• Access industry-specific insights to compare performance against industry standards and improve client satisfaction
• Navigate the easy-to-use platform with minimal training required for new users
• Benefit from highly responsive customer service for timely support

Cons

• Some users say the website gets slower as the amount of data increases

Pricing

• Available in Premium, Plus & Enterprise plans: Custom pricing

2. SurveySparrow

SurveySparrow is a powerful net promoter score tool that automates processes and distributes surveys across multiple channels, ensuring you reach customers wherever they are. With built-in sentiment analysis and word cloud visualizations, you can dive deeper into customer satisfaction and really understand their feelings.

Key Features

• Supports scheduled NPS surveys
• Consolidates all customer data into one dashboard for easy visualization
• Contact management, audience management, and segmentation features
• Features skip logic, conditional logic, question piping, and branching options
• Preview functionality and dynamic lists for better management
• Offers tools for CSAT, CES, VoC, in addition to NPS surveys
• Segment your audience with built-in contact and audience management features for targeted surveys and better insights

Pros

• Supports multilingual surveys
• Good for capturing visual feedback with multimedia questions
• Reasonable pricing options

Cons

• No email marketing features
• Some users say that the triggers are not well-written, lacking proper batching, leading to significant issues within the Salesforce Org

Pricing

SurveySparrow offers a limited free version, with paid plans starting at $19 per month per user. The pricing tiers are as follows:

• Free forever
• Basic: $19/month per user
• Starter: $39/month per user
• Business: $79/month per 3 users
• Professional: $249/month per 5 users
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

*All prices are billed annually

3. Qualtrics XM

Unlike SurveySparrow’s multi-channel outreach, Qualtrics XM sets itself apart with its powerful experience management platform that combines NPS with advanced analytics and the predictive insights offered by its Predict iQ feature. 

The Predict iQ platform analyzes survey responses and integrated data to forecast whether a respondent is likely to churn. When new survey responses are received, Predict iQ can assess the likelihood of future churn for those respondents. 

To make these predictions, Predict iQ employs Neural Networks—specifically, a subset known as Deep Learning—as well as Regression techniques to create candidate models. It tests various model configurations for each dataset and selects the one that best aligns with the data.

The platform also features role-based dashboards and detailed NPS reports, which empower your team to address specific concerns effectively. This tailored approach ensures that actions are taken based on the unique needs of your customers, ultimately driving satisfaction and loyalty.

Key Features

• Enhance survey quality and increase responses with advanced AI-driven NPS analytics for actionable insights
• Access instant insights from NPS scores, sentiment analysis, and personalized dashboards tailored to user roles
• Protect customer data with industry-leading security practices and compliance measures
• Customize unlimited surveys with over 20 variables designed to align with your brand and objectives
• Deploy NPS surveys across multiple channels, including email, web, and mobile platforms

Pros

• Industry-leading NPS platform featuring advanced analytics and AI-powered insights
• Actionable reporting and dashboards tailored to various user roles
• Omnichannel feedback collection to ensure maximum reach

Cons

• Setup and usage can be complex without proper training

Pricing

• Custom pricing

4. InMoment

If you want a net promoter tool that helps you analyze scores based on business drivers like account type, product version, and user characteristics, InMoment could be the perfect fit. This tool not only identifies areas for improvement but also encourages promoters to share their positive experiences through optional post-survey prompts, like leaving reviews or joining referral programs.

With its real-time NPS analytics, InMoment provides valuable insights while supporting multiple languages and channels. This makes it easy to engage a diverse range of customers, allowing you to take timely and effective actions that enhance customer loyalty and close the feedback loop.

Key Features

• View real-time NPS scores and response counts with continuous updates on customer sentiment
• Monitor rolling average NPS to identify trends over time
• Create custom filters to analyze NPS by various business drivers like account type or product version
• Automatic identification of recurring themes and topics in customer feedback
• Survey a sample of your customers daily using trusted NPS settings or your defined parameters

Pros

• Micro-surveys and in-app NPS for real-time feedback and higher response rates
• AI-driven sentiment analysis for enhanced insights
• Advanced targeting and segmentation capabilities

Cons

• Limited flexibility for customizing surveys
• Some users say the platform can be slow and unreliable at times, leading to data losses

Pricing

• Available in CoreCX, Enterprise & Custom plans: Custom pricing

5. ZonkaFeedback

Zonka Feedback is a comprehensive NPS survey tool offering CX automation and customizable, multichannel surveys across all customer touchpoints. It enables a well-rounded customer engagement strategy, automating workflows for follow-ups and leveraging promoters as brand advocates.

The platform provides detailed reports, trend analysis, and text analytics to identify risks and improve satisfaction. Features like survey throttling prevent over-surveying, while survey redirection channels promoters into advocacy programs.

Zonka Feedback's automation capabilities streamline issue resolution and positive feedback amplification, helping maintain healthy customer relationships.

Key Features

• Create NPS surveys using pre-designed templates for relationship or transaction NPS
• Set up automation to display NPS surveys on your website or app
• Access insightful NPS reports, including meter and trends reports
• Prevent over-surveying with throttling features
• Personalize and white-label surveys to reflect your company’s brand
• Keep your team in the loop by sending instant alerts to assigned teams regarding detractors
• Turn detractors into passives and passives into promoters, measuring customer loyalty effectively

Pros

• CX automation helps reduce operational costs and minimize errors
• AI text analysis identifies customer behavior and enhances CLTV
• Multichannel NPS allows for customer engagement across various touchpoints

Cons

• Lacks a benchmarking feature

Pricing

• Free forever
• Starter: $49/month per 3 users
• Growth: $199/month per 5 users
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

6. AskNicely

AskNicely allows you to automatically share NPS data and insights across teams like customer success, marketing, and product, which helps everyone make informed, data-driven decisions. Plus, it features direct customer replies within the platform, giving you valuable feedback on agent performance.

But it doesn’t stop at just surveys; AskNicely also offers leaderboards to help you analyze NPS scores. This lets you identify areas for improvement and the necessary steps to enhance the overall customer experience. 

Key Features

• Automate survey distribution, follow-ups, and task assignments to close the feedback loop
• Improve feedback processes with customizable workflows 
• Use AI to analyze sentiments in unstructured feedback data
• Evaluate and enhance agent performance through customer feedback reviews
• Conduct surveys via email, SMS, and websites for maximum reach

Pros

• Use AI to analyze NPS responses and identify underlying reasons for scores
• Enable targeted follow-up emails and tasks based on NPS results
• Integration with internal communication tools for gathering employee NPS feedback

Cons

• Some users say the date filtering is not tied to calendar quarters

Pricing

• Available in Starter, Standard & Advanced plans: Custom pricing

7. Survicate

Survicate is a customer feedback tool offering Mobile App Surveys, Website Feedback Surveys, and various Surveys & Forms. It boosts NPS response rates through features like email preview embedding.

The platform calculates NPS scores in real-time and offers advanced filtering for deep analysis of individual customer journeys. Survicate enables sorting customers by satisfaction levels for targeted campaigns.

Its key strengths include easy report generation and sharing, facilitating effective feedback loop closure.

Key Features

• User-friendly design for creating visually appealing surveys
• Multiple options for triggering surveys at the right moment
• Access to a questioning library that stores customer inquiries
• Unlimited free users and surveys for broad accessibility
• Flexible integration options with other tools and platforms

Pros

• Reliable NPS calculations that account for partial responses
• Enhanced targeting features for more meaningful and unbiased results
• Fully customizable surveys to align with your brand identity

Cons

• You can't combine NPS surveys from different channels, so you'll need to manually merge the feedback and calculate a global NPS score
• There may be delays in publishing NPS surveys and receiving updates. For instance, sometimes the survey doesn’t launch, or we need at least one response before it can be displayed publicly 

Pricing

• Good: $109.10/month (€99/month per 5 seats)
• Better: $164.20/month (€149/month per 10 seats)
• Best: $274.40/month (€249/month per 15 seats)
• Better than the Rest: $329.50/month (€299/month for custom seats)

8. SurveySensum

If you want a user-friendly NPS survey tool that offers streamlined NPS program creation through quick deployment and thorough analysis, SurveySensum has to be your go-to NPS tool. You can schedule surveys at times that work best for you, ensuring your questions are targeted and relevant. 

One of its best features is its AI-driven text and sentiment analysis, helping you uncover important themes from open-ended feedback without the hassle of manual coding. Plus, its automated workflows ensure that every piece of feedback gets a timely response, so nothing slips through the cracks.

Key Features

• Easily create NPS surveys with templates for loyalty and follow-up questions
• Distribute surveys via email, SMS, WhatsApp, websites, QR codes, and social media
• Automate reminders for non-responders to boost engagement and reduce fatigue
• Role-based dashboards offer tailored insights for different users
• Use AI text analysis to identify key trends in customer feedback
• Trigger automated reminders and follow-ups based on NPS scores

Pros

• AI-driven text analysis for immediate insights
• Customizable dashboards that cater to specific user needs
• Smooth integration with popular CRM systems

Cons

• Some users say it requires an API for integration with various CRM systems, complicating the setup process

Pricing

• Free forever
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

9. Delighted

Delighted is an intuitive NPS software that enables you to craft customer and employee surveys in over 30 languages. With this tool, you can gather various types of feedback, including NPS, CSAT, CES, and five-star ratings. Users can easily distribute surveys through email, SMS, web, or direct links. 

Plus, Delighted supports numerous integrations and lets customers provide detailed insights through open-ended follow-up responses to specific NPS questions.

Key Features

• Supports survey creation in multiple languages with over 30 options available
• Provides a real-time dashboard for instant insights
• Includes feedback scoring and detailed reporting
• Set up email notifications for responses to simplify feedback collection
• Use graphs to visualize survey results for simple interpretation and analysis

Pros

• Get detailed reports, trends, and AI-driven text analytics for thorough analysis
• Enhance workflows with smooth integrations and effective feedback loop management
• Make data-driven decisions with insightful reporting and benchmarking

Cons

• Doesn’t support SMS surveys or provide an Android SDK

Pricing

• Starter: $17/month per 2 users
• Growth: $35/month per 3 users
• Advanced: $134/month per 5 users
• Premium: $224/month per 10 users

10. NiceReply

Nicereply, a licensed NPS vendor, integrates surveys into email workflows and automates them after support interactions. It monitors complaints and tracks engagement, with automated workflows and push notifications for quick action on negative feedback.

The platform enables detailed customer profiling from NPS insights, allowing targeted actions to boost satisfaction, improve service, and foster loyalty.

Key Features

• Survey tool designed for marketers and customer support teams
• Gather NPS, CES, or CSAT feedback through web pages or email
• Set up follow-up actions by extracting survey responses
• Use eNPS to gauge employee loyalty and spot trends that affect customer satisfaction
• Access all NPS data, trends, and customer feedback in one centralized dashboard
• Identify at-risk customers and prioritize outreach using predictive analysis

Pros

• Seamless integration of surveys into current workflows
• Automated processes to enhance feedback management
• Predictive analytics for proactive outreach
• Close the feedback loop by directly addressing customer feedback

Cons

• Relies heavily on integrations, which limits standalone functionality
• No built-in platform for sending email surveys directly from the tool

Pricing

• Starter: $59/month per 3 users
• Essential: $119/month per 10 users
• Growth: $239/month per 25 users
• Business: $359/month per 50 users

11. Medallia

With Medallia, you can manage high-volume NPS surveys and analyze both structured and unstructured data to uncover the key drivers of customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction, all powered by AI insights. 

It’s features like predictive analysis and real-time reporting lets you create detailed customer profiles to understand their needs better. The platform uses a combination of machine learning and human insights to automatically analyze survey responses, promoting collaboration among team members. 

This allows for timely actions to address concerns and enhance overall customer experience, making it one of the best top net promoter score tools, next to ClearlyRated, of course.

Key Features

• Use AI and ML to forecast customer behavior
• Quickly gather and analyze user feedback through predictive analytics
• Create detailed experience profiles for an in-depth understanding of each customer
• Categorize NPS scores for targeted analysis 
• Monitor key NPS metrics and customer sentiment in real-time 

Pros

• Effectively manages high-volume NPS surveys
• Prioritizes improvement efforts through driver analysis based on impact
• Offers thorough customer profiling

Cons

• Integration with existing systems can be time-consuming

Pricing

• Custom pricing

12. Reputation

Reputation is an AI-driven online reputation management and customer experience platform with robust NPS capabilities. It analyzes public and private feedback data to provide predictive insights and strengthen online presence.

The platform features Reputation Score X, consolidating customer interactions across touchpoints for actionable insights. It unifies all feedback under one roof and uses Conversational Surveys via SMS for real-time, engaging feedback collection.

Reputation's comprehensive approach helps companies increase satisfaction, improve brand reputation, and drive growth.

Key Features

• Consolidate data from reviews, social media, and surveys into a single dashboard
• Get instant notifications for new reviews and customer feedback
• Access actionable insights on sentiment, trends, and competitive performance
• Simplify the process of soliciting and gathering customer reviews
• Create detailed reports tailored to reputation management metrics

Pros

• Combines data from various channels for a comprehensive view
• Provides immediate alerts for new reviews and feedback
• Streamlines the solicitation and collection of reviews

Cons

• Some users might find the features and customization options initially as overwhelming

Pricing

• Custom pricing

13. GetFeedback

GetFeedback by Momentive is a versatile NPS survey tool that provides ready-to-use templates for quickly gathering actionable feedback for your business. Focusing on agility and cross-device compatibility, the platform ensures you can receive real-time insights from your customers.

For GetFeedback, NPS is only one aspect of a broader customer experience program. In fact, you can conduct intricate CX research studies across various channels and touchpoints. The platform’s analytics feature allows you to gain insights into your users' experiences and take action based on your findings.

Additionally, GetFeedback includes automated workflows, benchmarking for targeted actions, and omnichannel survey distribution, making it a popular choice among NPS survey tools.

Key Features

• Easily launch and manage multiple NPS surveys
• Deliver surveys via SMS and websites
• Embed surveys in mobile apps using SDKs for iOS and Android
• Integrate with Salesforce for personalized survey targeting and improved customer engagement

Pros

• Intuitive interface with helpful automation features
• Benchmarking capabilities for data-driven insights and industry comparisons
• AI-powered insights for effective data analysis

Cons

• Fewer customization options compared to some of the best NPS survey tools. Some users say it lacks the option to edit CCS, HTML, etc.
• Integration setup is needed to maximize CRM functionalities

Pricing

• Custom pricing

Get Started with ClearlyRated

Choosing the right NPS survey tool is essential for unlocking valuable customer insights. Each tool mentioned offers unique features that cater to different business needs. Whether your focus is on customization, advanced analytics, or seamless integration, you can find a tool that suits your requirements. 

If you’re looking for robust Net Promoter Score software, ClearlyRated could be just what you need! This platform enables you to create NPS surveys and questions, set up follow-ups, and collect detailed responses. With its capabilities to track various metrics and alert you about detractors, you can proactively manage customer feedback.

Moreover, ClearlyRated's customizable survey designs, automated workflows for different NPS segments, and AI-driven sentiment analysis empower you to transform detractors into promoters, enhancing the overall customer experience.

So why wait? Book a free demo with ClearlyRated and get started today!

FAQs

What does NPS stand for?

NPS stands for Net Promoter Score. It’s a metric that measures customer loyalty and satisfaction by asking how likely customers are to recommend a company's product or service to others.

What is a good NPS score in software?

A good NPS score in the software industry typically falls between 30 and 50. Scores above 50 are considered excellent, while scores above 70 indicate exceptional customer loyalty and satisfaction. However, what's deemed a "good" score can vary based on the industry, so it’s important to benchmark against peers.

‍

Most of us have seen this screen in our inboxes or apps:

This straightforward question unlocks one of the biggest insights needed for any business to function: customer satisfaction. 

Measuring customer satisfaction is crucial for understanding retention and brand loyalty. When customers are satisfied, they're more likely to stay loyal to your brand, which helps reduce churn rates and drives sustainable growth.

So, how can you tell if your customers are truly satisfied with your service? That’s where the Net Promoter® Score (NPS®) comes into play.

In this guide, we’ll dive into the key concepts, calculations, and best practices for leveraging Net Promoter Score in 2024 and beyond. We’ll also discuss methods for analyzing NPS data and strategies to enhance customer loyalty and fuel business growth.

What is Net Promoter Score (NPS)?

Net Promoter Score (NPS) measures customer satisfaction by gauging how happy customers are with your brand. You can conduct NPS surveys through various channels, like email or in-app notifications, tailored to your industry’s needs. The central question is straightforward: "How likely are you to recommend our business to a friend or colleague?" Customers respond on a scale from 0 to 10.

The ratings are then aggregated, resulting in a score that ranges from -100 to 100. The higher the score, the more likely customers are to promote your business to others.

For efficient survey management and data analysis, many businesses rely on NPS Tools.

NPS stands out from other metrics like Customer Effort Score (CES) and Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT). While CES focuses on how easy it is for customers to use your service and CSAT measures their satisfaction levels, NPS is regarded as the gold standard for evaluating customer loyalty and satisfaction due to its simplicity and effectiveness.

NPS provides valuable insights into your customers’ behaviors and can predict their likelihood to purchase or refer others, helping you enhance the customer experience and boost retention.

Why is NPS important?

The ultimate goal of NPS is to monitor customer satisfaction and identify areas for improvement, but it does a lot more than that.

Helps understand customer sentiments and loyalty

NPS not only measures customer sentiment but also segments customers into three categories: detractors, promoters, and passives. This breakdown allows businesses to pinpoint actionable feedback and focus on areas needing improvement. It drives customer advocacy programs by nurturing satisfied customers into brand champions while empowering support and success teams to effectively tackle challenges faced by less satisfied clients.

Utilizing NPS provides numerous NPS Benefits, including improved customer retention and reliable performance metrics.

Furthermore, companies with a high NPS are likely to record increased referrals, high customer retention rates, and stronger brand loyalty.

Predicts business growth

Companies with a high NPS are likely to record increased referrals, high customer retention rates, and stronger brand loyalty. According to our benchmarks, the accounting industry recorded an all-time high in NPS in 2023, owing to meeting SLAs for emails/calls, and delivering results within established timelines. This, coupled with excellent service quality, further helped retain customers and fueled business growth in this sector. Additionally, our research into staffing firms revealed a $1.4M revenue growth opportunity for firms when they run dedicated NPS programs.

This type of predictable revenue/revenue potential is crucial for financial stability. It allows for better resource planning, like staffing adjustments and service expansion. It also supports long-term growth by keeping cash flow consistent, thus letting firms invest in new areas of growth.

How to calculate Net Promoter Score

While you can include other qualitative questions, the quantitative part of NPS is straightforward. 

Net Promoter Score = (Percentage of Promoters - Percentage of Detractors). This score can range from -100 to 100.

For instance, if 75% of customers are Promoters, 15% are Passive, and 10% are Detractors, your NPS score would be 75 - 10 = 60.

How to interpret Net Promoter Score

A negative NPS indicates more detractors than advocates and vice versa for a positive score. However the average NPS varies greatly based on your industry. 

Let's quickly look at what each term means:

Promoters

Promoters are your customers who give you a 9 or 10 on your NPS survey. They’re not just satisfied—they’re enthusiastic about your product or service, and they’re likely to recommend you to others. These are the people who drive positive word-of-mouth and contribute to growth by bringing in new customers, often at no extra cost to you.

While they pose a low risk of churn, happy customers need attention as well. Engaging with promoters consistently can solidify their loyalty and turn them into advocates for life. Create opportunities for them to be brand ambassadors—offer exclusive perks, invite them to provide feedback on new features, or give them early access to product launches. Acknowledging their support not only makes them feel valued but also encourages them to keep spreading the word about your brand. 

Passives

Passives score a 7 or 8 on your NPS survey, meaning they’re somewhat satisfied but not fully sold on your services. They’re sitting on the fence, and if a competitor offers a better deal, they might jump ship. 

If you’ve looked closely at the NPS formula, you’ll notice passives don’t directly affect your score, which is why they’re often overlooked. But they're the group you can influence most. By addressing their concerns, improving their experience, and making them feel valued, you have a real shot at turning them into promoters. Engage with them through personalized follow-ups, ask for feedback, and offer small but meaningful incentives like exclusive content or early access to new features. It’s about showing them you’re listening and committed to making things better. 

Detractor

Detractors are those who give you a score between 0 and 6 on your NPS survey, and they’re the customers most dissatisfied with your service. They’re more likely to leave, and worse, they can actively hurt your brand by sharing negative feedback with others. For actionable strategies on turning these challenging responses into opportunities for growth, refer to our guide on nps detractor.

Detractors can feel like a lost cause, but they’re actually a huge opportunity to make meaningful improvements. The key is reaching out directly, listening carefully to their frustrations, and taking swift, concrete actions to fix the issues that matter most to them. By addressing their pain points and showing that you genuinely care about their experience, you can turn things around. In some cases, this level of personal attention and effort can even convert a detractor into a loyal promoter—someone who not only sticks with you but starts advocating for your brand.

What is a good NPS score? 

Here’s a quick breakdown:

• Above 0: This means you’ve got more promoters than detractors, but there’s still a lot of room to grow.
• Above 20: Favourable, but there’s definitely room for improvement.
• Over 50: This is excellent. You’re doing things right!
• Above 70: You’re in world-class territory—this is as good as it gets.

Comparing your NPS by industry

At ClearlyRated, we’ve been helping service firms track their NPS since 2010. Over the years, we’ve consistently benchmarked NPS across various industries in the US. Below are the benchmarks for the top three industries we work with, based on our 2023 report.

IndustryNPS Score (2023)NPS Score Change Since Previous Assessment Staffing36%+38%Accounting41%+2%Insurance36%-6%

How to conduct NPS surveys and gather customer feedback

There are multiple channels through which you can gather responses for your NPS survey, depending on how extensive/simple the survey.

Pop-up surveys on website / mobile apps

Pop-up surveys are an excellent way to gather customer feedback in real-time. You can set the NPS survey to appear on key pages, like the “thank you” page, where customers can see it right after making a purchase. For instance, Uber collects feedback immediately after every ride, ensuring they capture fresh impressions. Additionally, you can implement it as an exit survey when customers attempt to leave your website, giving you valuable insights just before they go. 

The disadvantage here is that you cannot pose multiple questions, or questions that are qualitative in nature as it adds friction for your customers. 

Email surveys

You can also choose to collect NPS feedback through emails, inviting customers to fill out a survey after they make a purchase or interact with your brand.

While email surveys require a bit more effort from customers to open and click through, they offer the advantage of allowing customers to reflect on their experience with your product or service in their own time. This can lead to more thoughtful responses and a clearer picture of whether they would recommend you to others. On the downside, email surveys can have lower response rates since customers might overlook or forget to complete them. Additionally, email surveys are typically more detailed, which can make them more time-consuming for respondents.

Phone Calls

Conducting NPS surveys over the phone adds a personal touch that can lead to richer feedback. By speaking directly with customers, you can ask follow-up questions and clarify their responses in real-time. This interaction allows you to dive deeper into their experiences, providing valuable insights into both their satisfaction levels and any pain points they may have encountered.

Moreover, phone calls often result in higher engagement rates compared to written surveys, as customers may feel more inclined to share their thoughts when speaking with a representative. Just be sure to communicate the purpose of the call clearly and respect their time—after all, it’s about creating a dialogue, not a sales pitch. Following up on their feedback afterward can also help build stronger relationships, showing customers that their opinions matter.

A disadvantage of phone calls is that they are time-consuming and resource-intensive. Some clients might find them intrusive. 

Face-to-Face Interviews

NPS feedback collected in person is very different because of the dynamic and interactive setting. When you meet with clients face-to-face, you can gauge their physical reactions, which can add layers of understanding to their feedback. This method fosters a sense of connection and openness, allowing customers to feel more comfortable sharing their genuine thoughts.

While this approach might require more logistical planning, such as scheduling and location considerations, the depth of feedback you can obtain makes it well worth the effort. Plus, this direct engagement can leave a lasting impression, reinforcing customer loyalty and trust in your brand.

On the flip side, organizing in-person interviews can be challenging and resource-heavy. They require more time for scheduling and travel, which may not be feasible. Additionally, some customers may feel uncomfortable in a face-to-face setting, which could lead to guarded responses that don’t fully capture their true feelings​.

For additional guidance on constructing your survey, consider reviewing our guide on NPS Survey Questions.

Step By Step Process To Create an NPS Survey

Most NPS programs are run with trusted partners like ClearlyRated. Regardless of your choice of service provider, we’ve covered the best practices to ensure that your NPS surveys get the maximum responses.

Common mistakes to avoid when using Net Promoter Score

While using the NPS method is straightforward, several common pitfalls can impact the effectiveness of your surveys.

Asking Too Many Questions

While it’s tempting to gather as much feedback as possible, bombarding customers with too many questions can lead to frustration. Each additional question can drop your response rate by up to 10%. To achieve a high response rate, keep the survey simple and quick. Ensure it’s mobile-friendly, and consider embedding it in a personalized email rather than just sending a plain link.

Focusing Exclusively on the Score

Brands that pay attention to customer feedback are 1.6 times more likely to achieve high satisfaction rates. However, this only happens when they genuinely listen to customers and act on their feedback. Many businesses fall into the trap of solely measuring and calculating their NPS, neglecting the valuable insights that customer comments provide. Use the NPS score as a starting point, but dig deeper to understand what drives customer satisfaction and identify areas for improvement.

Overlooking Data Segmentation

While the NPS score gives you a snapshot of customer loyalty, it’s crucial to segment the data by demographics, feedback, and product usage. This approach helps reveal patterns and trends that the overall score might obscure, preventing wasted time and resources on issues that don’t matter to specific groups. Analyzing NPS data by segments allows you to identify strengths and weaknesses, enabling you to tailor your strategies to meet the specific needs of different customer groups.

NPS Case Studies

The NPS score drives growth, and this can be seen in a couple of industries. Here are two success stories from companies that have benefited from NPS.

Essential: StaffCARE (ESC):

‍ESC, a leading provider of ACA-compliant health insurance and employee benefits, faced the challenge of quantifying the service it provides to customers.  

ESC worked with ClearlyRated to gather feedback from their entire customer base. The outcome was a 74% NPS in their first annual survey, a world-class score based on the global NPS standards.

“We saw the amazing impact that ClearlyRated’s Net Promoter® Score survey program has had in the staffing industry, and we knew that the same benefits were applicable in our business. We had been looking for an opportunity to invest in an independent, third-party feedback system to more thoroughly understand how our clients view ESC. We saw how the ClearlyRated solution could bring more credibility to our message while allowing us to drill down much deeper on our successes and areas for improvement.”

– Aaron Lesher

Executive Vice President at Essential StaffCARE

Woodruff Sawyer:

Since 2014, Woodruff Sawyer's has maintained its exceptionally high NPS with the most recent being 86.1%. This figure exceeds the insurance industry average of 34%. NPS survey results have enabled them to identify detractors and curate service-oriented approaches to address these issues before they escalate and lead to revenue loss.

“Our team is passionate about serving clients and helping them succeed. When we launched our first ClearlyRated survey, we took our first step towards a formal, direct feedback mechanism. We used the survey to understand: Are we delivering an outstanding experience? Where are we doing well? Where are we not?”

– Melinda Miu

Woodruff Sawyer’s Assistant Vice President of Marketing

Integrating NPS Into Your Business Strategy

Incorporating NPS into your business processes goes beyond just collecting scores; it’s about actively using customer feedback to drive informed decisions and implement improvements. This means identifying pain points from survey data, developing actionable plans to address these challenges, and effectively communicating those plans with your team.

By taking customer feedback seriously and showing tangible improvements over time, businesses can boost customer satisfaction and loyalty, giving them a competitive edge. 

If you’re looking for a starting point, the ClearlyRated CX program provides a reliable method to assess customer loyalty through NPS surveys. This platform helps you pinpoint friction points in the customer experience, allowing you to make informed decisions and implement changes that align with your goals.

Schedule a demo to see how ClearlyRated can help you improve your NPS score.

FAQs on Net Promoter Score (NPS)

How often should I send NPS surveys to customers?

The frequency of NPS surveys depends on your business, but generally, relational NPS surveys should be sent quarterly or semi-annually. This timing helps you effectively track customer satisfaction and loyalty over time without overwhelming your customers with too many requests. However, if the nature of your business necessitates a higher frequency of customer feedback, ClearlyRated has options for you to run that each week.

Who uses Net Promoter Score?

Net Promoter Score is widely utilized across various industries to gauge customer satisfaction and loyalty. This includes sectors like technology, finance, legal, IT, telecommunications, staffing, accounting, and HR services. Essentially, if you value customer feedback, NPS is a great tool for you!

Is NPS capable of forecasting business growth?

Absolutely! NPS can serve as a valuable indicator of future business growth. It provides a comprehensive view of your customer experience, where high scores often correlate with increased satisfaction, lower churn rates, and overall business expansion.

How can I improve my NPS score?

To enhance your NPS score, focus on addressing customer feedback. This means analyzing the insights you receive, closing any gaps in service, engaging with your promoters, tracking your progress, and consistently delivering a positive customer experience. By doing so, you'll not only boost your score but also strengthen customer loyalty.

Medallia is a popular tool known for its enterprise customer feedback capabilities, holding a share of 5.29% in the customer loyalty market—and for good reason.

It is a great customer experience management platform that gathers feedback across multiple digital touchpoints and human interactions. 

However, you’re in the right place if you're exploring alternatives. Many businesses find Medallia's pricing a barrier, prompting the search for more cost-effective solutions that don’t compromise on quality or require extensive tech support.

Continue reading to discover the top Medallia alternatives in 2025, ensuring you find a solution that perfectly fits your needs and budget.

But first things first…

Why Do You Need a Medallia Alternative in 2025?

Just like any other tool, Medallia comes with its own set of challenges and might not be suitable for all businesses.

Below are some of the most common reasons why you might consider exploring Medallia competitors:

Slow Onboarding

One significant challenge with Medallia is its slow onboarding process. The platform's complexity can lead to a prolonged time to value, making it difficult for businesses to start seeing benefits quickly. 

Users have reported that the lack of dedicated account managers and limited support resources can prolong this process, delaying time to success. 

As a result, businesses may wait longer for the tool to deliver meaningful results, hindering their ability to respond quickly to customer feedback and drive improvements.

Here’s what a G2 user had to say:

It is Expensive

Medallia users often point out how its pricing can be a significant barrier, especially for small to medium sized businesses. Additionally, the requirement for a yearly commitment can make it even more challenging for organizations looking for flexibility.

If you find yourself in one of these categories, you might want to explore tools that offer similar features at a more affordable price.

Here’s what a Capterra user had to say about Medallia:

Poor Customer Support

Many Medallia users cite their support as inefficient. For instance, users have reported challenges such as slow response times and a lack of knowledgeable assistance, which can be problematic for businesses needing reliable help from platform experts. 

One user specifically mentioned their frustration with the support team's responsiveness, stating that improvements are necessary.

Another G2 user reported,

Basic Text Analytics Capabilities

Medallia’s text analytics capabilities may fall short, particularly when it comes to processing and analyzing large volumes of feedback. Users have noted limitations in features such as sentiment analysis and categorization, which can hinder in-depth insights. 

If you require advanced text analytics software to process and analyze extensive feedback, Medallia may not meet your needs effectively.

With these considerations in mind, let's study the top 11 alternatives to Medallia in detail.

A Detailed Overview of the 11 Medallia Alternatives in 2025

Here’s our list of must-try Medallia competitors in 2025:

Now that we have a basic understanding of these tools, let’s look at them in detail.

Top 11 Medallia Competitors and Alternatives in 2025

Below are the 11 best Medallia alternatives and competitors in 2025. We’ve also mentioned each tool's best features, pros and cons, and pricing to help you make your decision.

1. ClearlyRated—The #1 Medallia Alternative & Competitor

ClearlyRated is an NPS and customer experience management platform specifically designed for professional service firms, including staffing, accounting, legal, and consulting industries. 

What sets it apart is its industry-specific focus and robust benchmarking capabilities, backed by over a decade of data. This allows firms to precisely compare their performance against industry standards and identify areas for improvement. 

The platform enables businesses to collect, analyze, and leverage client feedback through tailored surveys and Net Promoter Score (NPS) metrics. 

Comparison of Key Features

Ease of Use and User Interface

Known for its intuitive, user-friendly interface, ClearlyRated makes it easy for businesses to gather, analyze, and act on client feedback. Users appreciate the simplicity and straightforward navigation that does not require extensive training.

Medallia’s complex interface often has a steep learning curve. Users have noted navigation difficulties, particularly during the initial setup, making ClearlyRated a more approachable choice for teams new to feedback management.

Advanced Analytics Capabilities

The platform’s advanced analytics offer real-time insights into client satisfaction, helping firms identify areas of improvement and enhance their service delivery. 

That is, after you receive feedback from the satisfaction survey, your dedicated ClearlyRated Customer Success Manager will help you take proactive, data-driven actions. They will address churn risks and tackle critical issues directly.

Users have expressed strong appreciation for the analytics capabilities, with one noting that,

In contrast, Medallia's analytics can be challenging to navigate; many users find it difficult to use the platform’s potential fully. One user remarked,

Integration with Tools

ClearlyRated integrates easily with CRM and other business tools, allowing for seamless feedback management within the existing workflows. Users often appreciate the straightforward integration process, which helps maintain efficiency and consistency across systems.

On the other hand, Medallia’s third-party integration options can be more cumbersome. Users have reported difficulties connecting Medallia with other tools, often citing a lack of intuitive integration pathways. 

Here’s what one G2 user had to say,

Client Feedback and NPS (Net Promoter Score) Management

ClearlyRated specializes in client feedback and NPS management, providing clear metrics that help service-based businesses improve client satisfaction and retention. The platform’s focus on professional service industries makes it highly relevant for companies looking for specialized feedback solutions.

Medallia offers NPS tracking as part of its broader customer experience management suite. However, it lacks the tailored approach ClearlyRated provides specifically for professional services, making ClearlyRated better suited for firms seeking industry-specific insights.

Customer Support and Implementation

Known for its excellent customer support, ClearlyRated offers personalized assistance during the implementation process, ensuring a smoother transition and more effective use of the platform’s features. 

Take a look at what this user had to say about ClearlyRated:

On the other hand, Medallia’s implementation process is often cited as lengthy and complex, with mixed reviews about customer support quality. While it offers robust capabilities, the setup can be challenging, especially for smaller businesses without dedicated IT support.

Pros

• Gather feedback with simple survey tools, reducing the time needed to manage client feedback processes
• Leverage industry-specific insights to improve client satisfaction
• Easy to use platform, with an intuitive design that requires minimal training for new users
• Highly responsive customer service

Cons

• Some users say the website gets slower as the amount of data increases

Pricing

• Custom pricing plan based on your needs

2. Qualtrics—Best for AI-based text analytics and email triggers 

Qualtrics goes beyond just feedback collection and offers advanced data analytics capabilities, making it a popular Medallia alternative. This tool offers a range of built-in templates and over 100 question types, allowing you to create surveys that are both visually appealing and engaging.

Its proprietary iQ™ engine powers advanced capabilities like text analytics, predictive analytics, and sentiment analysis. This engine ensures you can make sense of every piece of data, positioning Qualtrics as a top competitor in the field.

Key Features

• Collect feedback from various channels, such as your website, mobile app, SMS, email, and QR codes
• Utilize over 100 question types and templates to always ask the right questions
• Gain quick insights with on-site survey popups, inline feedback buttons, and sidebar forms
• Analyze future trends and patterns in customer experience using behavior analytics
• Track responses in real-time through AI and machine learning technologies
• Identify key factors affecting customer experience, like quality, usability, and price
• Seamlessly integrate with popular tools like Salesforce and Adobe

Pros

• Offers custom charts
• Supports crosstabs
• Access to superior analytics

Cons

• Some users report responses don’t automatically attach to threads
• The interface is not as intuitive as other tools mentioned in the list

Pricing

• Custom pricing

3. InMoment—Best for customer feedback analysis 

InMoment is a top choice for experience intelligence, helping you gather valuable feedback to guide strategic decisions. What sets InMoment apart is its ability to turn feedback into actionable insights, thanks to its AI-driven analytics. Unlike traditional platforms, it doesn’t just gather data—it helps you uncover sentiment and intent, giving you a deeper understanding of your customers. 

The leadership board and employee communication tools further create a collaborative environment, ensuring feedback reaches all levels of the organization. This means everyone, from frontline staff to executives, can contribute to improving the customer experience.

Additionally, its Voice of Customer (VoC) services capture real-time feedback across multiple touchpoints, providing insights that can be applied immediately. This seamless integration of feedback and decision-making positions InMoment as a strong competitor to Medallia, offering more than just the basics.

InMoment operates across three distinct clouds—Customer Experience (CX), Employee Experience, and Market Experience—to provide a comprehensive view of your audience.

Key Features

• Manage large volumes of data effortlessly through its CX dashboard
• Boost customer retention with detailed customer journey mapping
• Capture feedback from both individual customers and groups using its case management and action planning tools
• Conduct self-serve NPS, CSAT, CES, and micro surveys to gauge customer sentiment
• Gather data from diverse sources like websites, mobile apps, SMS, and email
• Analyze feedback with industry-specific text and sentiment analysis for deeper insights

Pros

• Easy-to-use interface and intuitive design
• Effortless and quick to update
• Wide range of filters and options

Cons

• Limited customization

Pricing

• Available in CoreCX, Enterprise & Custom plans: Custom pricing

4. Verint—Best for CX automation

Verint is a customer engagement and experience management platform that provides advanced solutions for capturing and analyzing customer interactions across multiple channels. 

The platform's AI-powered solutions help you address the top CX automation challenges in your contact center and beyond. Its flexible, distributed CCaaS platform allows you to rapidly boost agent capacity and enhance your customer experience. 

Additionally, the platform combines AI-driven analytics with automation to help businesses improve customer satisfaction, optimize processes, and make data-driven decisions.

Its versatile capabilities make it a strong alternative to Medallia, especially for companies looking for robust customer experience tools that offer deeper data integration and advanced analytics.

Key Features

• Gather customer feedback across various channels, including voice, digital, social media, and in-store interactions
• Use AI-driven analytics to uncover trends, customer sentiments, and patterns from complex data sets
• Automate tasks such as feedback collection, alerts, and reporting to enhance efficiency and reduce manual workload
• Design personalized dashboards to visualize key metrics and insights tailored to specific business needs and objectives
• Seamlessly integrate with popular CRM and business intelligence tools, enabling a unified view of customer data
• Leverage built-in security features that ensure data protection and compliance with industry regulations

Pros

• Customize and tailor solutions to meet specific business needs
• Highly scalable platform
• Get access to robust tools to manage community interactions

Cons

• Some users find the platform difficult to learn and navigate initially
• Upgrading to a new version process is a bit tricky for nontech people

Pricing

• Custom pricing

5. SurveySparrow—Best for conversational and offline surveys

SurveySparrow is a dynamic survey platform with an engaging, conversational interface. It's also incredibly user-friendly, making it a solid pick for small- to medium-sized businesses or anyone just diving into customer feedback tools.

Getting started is a breeze with SurveySparrow. Its quick setup integrates easily with more complex systems, allowing you to collect feedback swiftly and efficiently. This ease of use means you’ll onboard and implement the tool faster.

By using SurveySparrow, you can gather valuable insights to enhance your customer journey strategy and make informed decisions.

Key Features

• Create custom objects, fields, rules, calculations, and views
• Multi-lingual and multi-currency support to view and transact businesses
• Use a centralized dashboard to interact with other team members and users
• Design surveys with a variety of question types and tailor them to align with your brand voice with custom themes and logos
• Analyze survey results in real-time with built-in reporting tools
• Integrate with popular tools and platforms such as Google Sheets, Salesforce, and Mailchimp to streamline workflows

Pros

• Gathering feedback across multiple channels
• Support for different use cases
• Multi-lingual surveys and custom dashboards

Cons

• Some users report their UI might need improvement

Pricing

InMoment offers a limited free version, with paid plans starting at $19 per month per user. The pricing tiers are as follows:

• Free forever
• Basic: $19/month per user
• Starter: $39/month per user
• Business: $79/month per 3 users
• Professional: $249/month per 5 users
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

*All prices are billed annually

6. GetFeedback—Best for customer feedback collection

GetFeedback offers a robust solution for enhancing customer, employee, and product experiences. With its advanced survey builder, you can easily create and analyze various surveys to gain valuable insights. This makes GetFeedback an excellent entry-level tool for those just getting started with feedback collection. 

It’s a great alternative to Medallia, given it’s a simple solution with an interactive interface. However, if you need advanced survey customization or complex question creation, you might find this tool lacking, as some users have noted. Additionally, if you’re looking to integrate with Salesforce, be aware that this can be quite pricey.

Key Features

• Unlock valuable information from extensive text feedback with sentiment analysis and keyphrase identification
• Conduct feedback surveys in multiple languages to reach a broader audience
• Place all business information in one place with tailor-made survey dashboards
• Utilize real-time surveys and powerful analytics to pinpoint specific customer needs

Pros

• Intuitive user interface
• Good customization options

Cons

• Difficulty generating shareable survey URLs
• Relatively high cost

Pricing

• Custom pricing

7. AskNicely—Best for customer experience

AskNicely offers a fresh approach to customer experience management by collecting regular feedback through quick surveys. It’s designed to give you immediate answers from individuals via online surveys, seamlessly integrating with your existing CRM systems for easy use. Marketed as the world’s first pocket-sized customer experience coaching platform, AskNicely focuses primarily on NPS (Net Promoter Score) surveys.

One of AskNicely's best features is NextAI, its proprietary Generative AI tool. NextAI delivers deeper insights with dynamic questions that adjust in real time. Using all available customer data, NextAI provides personalized feedback based on each customer’s attributes and past interactions. This means you get more detailed and relevant insights into the customer experience.

While AskNicely is an excellent alternative to Medallia with advanced features tailored for enterprises, these features might be a bit costly for smaller businesses.

Key Features

• Rapidly assess each customer experience and inspire your frontline teams with ease
• Utilize workflow automation and integrations to act on customer feedback effectively
• Evaluate performance across various locations for every team member
• Ideal for enterprises looking for a more intuitive and efficient solution
• Includes predictive analytics to help businesses anticipate customer behavior based on their feedback
• Features real-time feedback collection and specializes in enhancing customer loyalty

Pros

• User-friendly with no training required
• High degree of customization

Cons

• Complex survey setup with workflows can be challenging
• UI for filters could use improvement

Pricing

• Available in Starter, Standard & Advanced plans: Custom pricing

8. Forsta—Best for customer experience and market research technology

Trusted by over 2,500 customers in over 100 countries, Forsta is a leading customer experience and market research technology platform. It is an all-in-one platform that emerged from the merger of Confirmit, FocusVision, and Dapresy. It offers a full suite of tools designed to gather, analyze, visualize, and act on data from any audience, whether it’s a small team or a global community.

With Forsta, you can integrate with popular CRM systems, web data sources, digital marketing platforms, and analytics tools. This integration helps you harness better data and gain deeper insights, pushing your business forward.

Forsta could be a great fit if you’re looking for a straightforward customer feedback tool. However, if you need advanced analytics with features like detailed analytical dashboards for reporting, you may have to look for other alternatives in this list..

Key Features

• Gain rich insights from textual data to make informed decisions
• Analyze survey results and get recommendations on the next steps
• Manage and monitor multiple operations efficiently

Pros

• User-friendly and adaptable
• Customizable features

Cons

• Reporting functions can be confusing
• Cannot download dashboards as PPTs 

Pricing

• Custom pricing

9. Reputation.com—Best for competitive intelligence and customer sentiment analysis

Reputation.com is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that helps businesses manage their online reputation. 

Unlike Medallia, which focuses heavily on survey-based feedback and experience management, Reputation.com offers a more integrated platform that combines reputation management with customer intelligence. Its ability to consolidate and analyze data from various sources—including online reviews, social media, and customer feedback—provides a holistic view of your brand’s reputation and performance. 

This platform excels at real-time reputation management and actionable insights, making it a robust option for businesses seeking to address reputation and customer experience simultaneously.

Key Features

• Aggregate data from reviews, social media, and surveys into a unified dashboard
• Receive immediate notifications for new reviews and feedback
• Gain actionable insights into sentiment, trends, and competitive performance
• Streamline the process of soliciting and collecting customer reviews
• Generate detailed reports tailored to reputation management metrics

Pros

• Integrates data from multiple channels
• Immediate notifications for new reviews and feedback
• Simplifies review solicitation and feedback collection processes

Cons

• Some users may find the extensive features and customization options complex to navigate initially

Pricing

• Custom pricing

10. Survicate—Best for customer feedback

Survicate is another alternative to Medallia, offering a streamlined approach to gathering and utilizing customer feedback.

Survicate simplifies survey deployment with its user-friendly interface, allowing you to create both recurring and one-off surveys. Its advanced skip logic ensures respondents only see relevant questions, enhancing engagement and the quality of feedback.

The platform provides real-time alerts for specific responses, enabling prompt action and creating a responsive feedback loop. This immediate notification system helps businesses act quickly on valuable insights, making Survicate a strong choice for improving customer experience metrics.

Key Features

• Tailor survey questions based on user responses for better engagement
• Receive immediate notifications when specific feedback is given
• Deploy surveys across multiple channels, including email, website, and social media
• Benefit from robust data protection and security measures

Pros

• Enjoy easy setup with no-code integrations for seamless operation
• Reach customers through various channels like email, in-app, and QR codes
• Integrates with over 50 native platforms easily

Cons

• Lack of support for video-based research
• No features for quality management and team coaching

Pricing

• Good: $109.10/month (€99/month per 5 seats)
• Better: $164.20/month (€149/month per 10 seats)
• Best: $274.40/month (€249/month per 15 seats)
• Better than the Rest: $329.50/month (€299/month for custom seats)

11. Delighted—Best for experience management

Delighted is an experience management platform responsible for managing NPS, CSAT, and CES surveys. It is easy to set up and use, allowing you to distribute surveys via SMS, email, and web links. It integrates smoothly with popular platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot.

However, if you need to close the feedback loop directly within the tool, Delighted may not meet your needs. Responding to customer feedback requires contacting them separately, which can be time-consuming.

Key Features

• Complete surveys directly within email, bypassing external links
• Leverage unique branding and customization options
• Available in over 37 languages
• Connects with Slack, Shopify, Salesforce, Zendesk, and more

Pros

• Quick and straightforward data exporting
• Seamlessly filter and segment survey responses
• Responsive customer support

Cons

• The application can be quite expensive
• Lacks a mobile app for on-the-go access

Pricing

• Starter: $17/month per 2 users
• Growth: $35/month per 3 users
• Advanced: $134/month per 5 users
• Premium: $224/month per 10 users

Get Started With ClearlyRated

While Medallia is a powerful enterprise-grade customer experience platform, it may not suit every organization’s needs. Users frequently cite challenges with customer support, high pricing, and a steep learning curve. 

If these issues impact your ability to gather and act on customer feedback, it may be worthwhile to explore alternatives that offer better support, cost-effectiveness, and user-friendliness. By doing so, you can ensure your customer experience initiatives are both impactful and sustainable.

As we wrap up this comprehensive guide, we hope you now have enough information to choose the Medallia alternative that best fits your business's specific needs. The most important thing to remember when selecting the right platform is to ensure it aligns well with both your current operations and future growth plans, as well as your team and industry requirements.

If you’re still unsure which platform to choose, book a free demo with ClearlyRated. Explore this cost-effective option, gather insightful feedback, and get started on enhancing your customer experience today!

You’ve probably seen competitors touting various industry awards and wondered whether it’s worth pursuing one of your own. While some awards are just pay-for-play, others you truly have to earn—and those mean the most. ClearyRated’s ‘Best of’ award falls into that second category. 

But who’s eligible, how do you earn the award, and what are the perks of being a winner? We’re here to answer these burning questions.

What are the ClearlyRated ‘Best of’ awards?

Each year for the past 15 years, ClearlyRated has recognized B2B service firms in North America whose service has been recognized as excellent by their clients and/or employees.

The ‘Best of’ Awards for Client and Employee Satisfaction are awarded in the following industries: Accounting, HR services, Insurance, IT services, Legal, RPO, and Staffing & Recruiting. Firms can earn additional designations - the Best of Diamond Awards - for consistent excellence over 5, 10, and, now, 15 years.

‘Best of' award process and eligibility

Eligibility for this annual award is based on each firm’s Net Promoter® Score (NPS®), which is determined by verified ratings provided by their clients and employees. ClearlyRated validates every firm's score, measures them against industry benchmarks, and announces the winners in every industry during our Winner Announcement Day each February - more on that below!

Only companies that receive at least a 20% survey response rate with at least 15 responses, or that receive at least 250 total responses, are eligible to earn a ClearlyRated ‘Best of’ award. For this year's competition, they must also earn an NPS score of at least 50%.

Less than 2% B2B service firms in any industry in North American earn the award, making them a credible and sought-after differentiator of service quality.

Register for the "Best of" Award Today

How ClearlyRated celebrates the ‘Best of’ winners

The first Tuesday in February is one of the biggest days of the year for us here at ClearlyRated - Winner Announcement Day! What do we do to help winner celebrate? Let's try to count the ways.

We: publish press releases announcing the 'Best of' winners for every industry; post on all of our social media channels about the winners in each industry; re-post and boost our clients' winner announcement social posts; send congratulations emails to each winning firm; get our association partners in each industry in on the public celebrations with visibility to their audiences; shoot fireworks from the roof of our Portland, OR headquarters... okay that last one was a joke, but you get the idea. We love celebrating our winners and the excitement is palpable throughout ClearlyRated and beyond.

All the ways we help our winners celebrate

But that's how we celebrate. The winners themselves get so much more:

• Winning firms names and award badges prominently displayed on the ClearlyRated B2B business directory
• Customized press release templates with actual NPS data from each winning firm alongside industry benchmarks
• 'Best of' winner badges, with a Best Practices guide to maximizing their impact brand reputation and marketing and sales efforts
• A social media toolkit that includes 'Best of' Winner social sharing images, hashtags, and tips
• Access to the winners-only award merchandise shop
• Resources for leveraging the deluge of testimonials and shout outs that winning firms receive from adoring clients in their surveys
• Exclusive 'Best of' winner data and benchmarking
• A winners-only webinar about how to maximize the value of your best of win
• The full support of our world-class Customer Success team

Pretty amazing, right? Don't just take our word for it...

What ClearlyRated clients say

Here’s what ClearlyRated clients have said about their experience with the 'Best of' program—including what it has done for their service and reputation:

‘Best of' award timing

The annual 'Best of' awards calendar is cyclical, starting with the Winner Announcement Day in February. Firms must survey by December to compete to earn a 'Best of' award in time for the Winner Announcements in February.

Firms who don't survey in time for Winner Announcements can still earn the award for that year if they survey by July, but they'll miss the Winner Announcement celebrations. The competition to earn the following year's award begins in August. Below is the awards cycle for the 2025 award season.

Register for the 'Best of' Awards today!

Ready to get started and prove that your firm is one of the best? Simply fill out the form below and we'll be in touch!

[hubspot portal="2787478" id="0a6e6a9d-cace-49c3-8459-09dbd57e8458" type="form"]

Customer experience (CX) strategist and ClearlyRated co-founder, Eric Gregg recently spoke with two CMOs from top-performing accounting firms. Each has successfully implemented CX initiatives with transformative results. Eric was joined by Sarah Cirelli, CMO at Grassi, and Suzanne Reed, CMO at LBMC. A four-time winner of ClearlyRated’s Best of Accounting Client Satisfaction award, Grassi has earned an overall client rating of 4.8 stars. Newer to using ClearlyRated, LBMC already has 180 verified ratings, 40 client testimonials, and a 4.6-star client rating.

<< Watch the webinar | Peer Insights: Driving Accounting Firm Growth Through CX Excellence >>

Expert Guidance from our Accounting CX Panelists

Their conversation was packed with insights for everyone, from the customer experience beginner to firms with well-oiled CX machines. As always, we won’t gate-keep! ICYMI, here are four key tips from our panelists.

1. Suzanne Reed on how to make a business case for your customer experience program

When selling the idea of investing in a CX initiative within her firm, Suzanne touched on these three points to explain how it would deliver high returns on investment (ROI). Here they are in her words:

✅ It helps drive growth. 

“Retaining and expanding our current client accounts is a hugely important part of our growth strategy. A CX initiative will help us make sure that we've got the right client experience and understand what our clients are looking for from us.”

✅ It helps maintain a consistently positive experience as organizations evolve.

“As a firm, we are going to go through changes, including leadership succession planning. Putting a formal client experience program in place is a proactive step toward maintaining consistency in our CX and provides a channel for open communication with our clients.”

✅ It helps stay ahead of client needs.

“Not only can we pinpoint where we may be falling short and even prevent accounts from moving to our competitors, but we can also ask our clients what they’re worried about or wanting for the future. Their answers help us plan for those needs so we can best help our clients. Now instead of clients having to come to us and ask for things, we can proactively help them and cross-sell by saying: ‘We believe these other services would be beneficial to you.’”

2. Sarah Cirelli on how to prepare and maintain client data

Sarah will be the first to say that cleaning up client data isn’t the most fun experience but she adds, “Thank goodness we did it, because once we were done, we were in a much better place.” 

After Grassi’s very first survey, her team learned what many do: The majority of the client contact information they had was for billing contacts, not the people who interacted with their services and should get the survey. 

Their solution: After pulling the list of clients they wanted to survey, Cirelli’s team segmented them by partner and, over the course of three days, they ran what they called a “data clinic.”

“We cycled partners in and out the door,” she explains. “Sitting with them hip to hip, we went through their list. I don't even want to tell you a scary percentage of client contacts we identified who had never received any information or thought leadership from the firm.”

Despite the potential tedium of a project like this, Sarah says that it ended up being a wholesome experience between her team and the partners: “It was actually a great project for us—we bonded over it.” She continues:

Her ultimate advice, echoed by Eric: Just do it. The first time is the hardest, but it’s a simple matter of regular data hygiene to maintain it from there.

3. Suzanne Reed on identifying and winning over unhappy clients

“It can be hard to say something to somebody’s face. That's why it’s helpful to have a third party asking the questions. People feel they can be more honest,” Suzanne says. She goes on:

We all make mistakes, she notes, but when we recover well we create a memorable positive experience. Not only do we have a better chance of retaining those clients, but even creating more vocal brand ambassadors. 

“I’ve actually seen some detractors – clients who were initially dissatisfied – end up becoming more loyal to us after a service recovery than some of our promoters,” Suzanne says. “So, I like to jump on those detractors immediately when they come up in our survey responses.”

4. Sarah Cirelli on how to use surveys for account expansion

Sarah shared one of the most impactful questions her team has asked in their customer satisfaction survey: Is there any service that Grassi doesn’t currently provide that you wish we did? 

“Maybe they’re already getting those services from another firm and would like to move them to us, or maybe it would just help them if they could tack something new onto their services with us,” Sarah says. Either way, she didn't expect to generate such obvious new business from their survey—but they did.

“We ended up getting about 30 new opportunities the first time we asked, and that was just from our current clients. It was mind blowing. Our managing partner, of course, loved it.”

Watch the full webinar for more insights

Learn how Sarah nurtures top-to-bottom positivity around Grassi’s CX surveys. Hear Eric’s advice on how to make the most of “shout outs.” And get the goods on how and why Suzanne’s team at LBMC has begun surveying multiple times a year.

As an industry partner since 2007, ClearlyRated has helped more than 300 staffing firms annually navigate growth through various economic conditions—from the downturns of 2008 and 2020 to the rapid expansions of 2021 and 2022. However, the sustained decline of the past 24 months presents an unprecedented challenge. While current conditions make growth challenging, it is not unattainable. Below are five proven strategies to help your firm gain market share and unlock growth in today’s market.

Our 5 Strategies for Staffing Firm Growth In An Economic Downturn

1. Make your firm the safe option for prospects and candidates

Most staffing firms focus their marketing and sales efforts on differentiating themselves from competitors, yet they often neglect to provide tangible proof of their claims. Today’s prospects and candidates expect evidence of quality. Ratings, reviews, testimonials, and referrals are significantly more trusted than traditional marketing and sales efforts. In times of economic uncertainty, risk aversion increases. It’s crucial not only to be the best firm to partner with, but also the least risky.

2. Double down on sales enablement resources

Many staffing firm leaders aim to increase their pipeline but often overlook the importance of equipping their sales teams with essential resources to help them both get meetings, and also turn those meetings into orders and revenue. Benchmarks, thought leadership, and industry-specific tools can be invaluable for prospective clients and job candidates. To see a rise in meetings and engagement, invest time in understanding how to add real value. Share industry-specific hiring trends, wage fluctuations, interview best practices, or other high-value content. This approach helps your account managers and recruiters demonstrate their expertise in a credible and differentiated manner.

3. Focus on the candidate experience to minimize churn

With volume down, many firms concentrate on securing new orders. While this focus is natural given the decline in order volume and revenue, it’s essential not to overlook the historically low unemployment rate. Talent remains hard to find, and in our industry, an unfilled order is worse than no order at all. Both scenarios have the same revenue implications, but an unfilled order also drains resources that could be better utilized elsewhere. Economic downturns demand diligence with clients, but not at the expense of your candidate experience.

4. Minimize unwanted turnover of internal staff

Here’s a quick calculation: Multiply the average weekly margin generated by a productive recruiter by the number of weeks it takes to fill a position and get the new hire up to speed. For most firms, this yields a loss of over $250k in margin for each productive recruiter or account manager who leaves. In 2024, ClearlyRated data shows that the typical firm lost more than 1 in 3 of their account managers and recruiters to churn. Although the market isn't as heated as it was two years ago, your best talent will still have other options. Ensure you have robust retention strategies in place to keep your top performers through challenging times.

5. Focus marketing and sales resources narrowly to win

Firms that successfully navigate economic uncertainty often resist the urge to broaden their focus. Instead, they concentrate their marketing and sales efforts on the two to three areas where they excel the most. This might be a specific type of placement, industry, or project type. Identify where you have a competitive advantage and target your efforts towards prospects that fit this profile.

Economic headwinds make growth challenging, but not impossible. By focusing on delivering exceptional experiences and honing in on areas of strength, your firm can not only weather a weak broader economy but also be well-positioned for accelerated growth when conditions improve.

Providing a positive customer experience (CX) is a must if you want a successful business, and understanding your position on our CX maturity model can guide you there.

While only a small minority of customers will tell you when they have a service issue, most will complain about it to others. Fair enough—many of us get uncomfortable with confrontation. On the other hand, though, a great CX yields strong benefits. A Gartner report on customer service showed that 86% of customers will spend more money with a company after receiving value-enhanced services and almost all of them (97%) will reciprocate those good vibes by sharing news of their good experience with others. 

This shows that by providing a positive CX, you can improve your company’s bottom line. In fact, we have compelling proof that CX-driven accounting firms grow at a faster rate than their peers. 

But what does a good CX really look like, and how do you build one?

The Stages of CX Maturity

To answer the above question, we’ll start by covering the five stages of CX maturity.

Stage 0 – Your CX knowledge is anecdotal

Your organization doesn't have a standard, reliable way to measure and track the quality of your CX across the board. You don’t know your Net Promoter® Score (NPS®), and you lack related insights. 

Impact: At this stage, your CX is unknown. You cannot, therefore, improve it or capitalize on it.

Stage 1 – You have a CX report card

You measure CX metrics like NPS and can use industry benchmarks to compare your CX to your peers. While you can use point-in-time insights to identify at-risk accounts, you don’t have ongoing reporting to learn what’s going well or where you’re failing. 

Impact: When you can get meaningful reports, you improve your visibility into your CX and can begin to manage your online reputation.

Stage 2 – You’ve operationalized your CX reporting

If you use NPS surveys as a way to measure your CX, you get decent response rates and have a process for following up on customer feedback. Your team is proficient not only at measuring and reporting on CX, but also using those insights to take action. You use CX feedback reports to:

• Connect with at-risk accounts and save the relationship before they churn. 
• Identify areas for improvement and create action plans that raise your future NPS. 
• Gather positive feedback to support your marketing and sales efforts. 

Impact: You have the knowledge and power to improve your NPS, retention numbers, and online reputation.

Stage 3 – You have a CX-centric firm culture

By measuring, tracking, and reporting on CX metrics like NPS, you have clear proof of a positive CX. You also use validated customer feedback to guide business decisions, prioritizing your product and service roadmaps in ways that matter most to your customers. CX excellence is now integral to your brand story.  

Impact: Your NPS stays above industry standards, improving both customer and talent retention. You use CX insights to improve marketing materials, expand current customer accounts and boost new client acquisition (often thanks to referrals from happy customers), all of which help grow your firm’s revenue and gross margin.

Stage 4 – Your firm is CX driven

Your firm could serve as the best practice model for your industry. Not only do you regularly gather customer feedback to track CX metrics, but you also have processes for responding to customer feedback both at the micro level (i.e. individual customers) and the macro level (i.e. using trending insights to improve your overall CX). Your team consistently delivers remarkable experiences, and many of your customers act as brand ambassadors, singing your praise to potential customers.

Impact: In addition to the benefits from Stage 3, you have a team of productive professionals who take pride in providing great customer service.

5 Tips for advancing your CX maturity

We’ve spent two decades working with hundreds of firms across various industries to track and improve their CX, so we’ve seen what works best. Firms that consistently provide the best CX do the following:

1. They have an established process for collecting data from their clients (and often their own talent!). They then use these insights to predict and prevent churn while making firm-wide CX (and EX) improvements.
2. They automate their survey process with strategic integrations. Our clients have integrated Clearlyrated’s survey platform with Salesforce, Bullhorn, erecruit, Microsoft Dynamics, and Avionté. (Our Hubspot integration is coming soon!)
3. They involve their workforce. Top CX firms make sure their client-facing teams understand and actively support their CX measurement efforts. They route feedback to appropriate customer-facing team members while also celebrating CX shout-outs internally. Doing so boosts morale—and by rewarding CX excellence, they nurture a CX-focused culture.
4. They create processes for responding to and acting on survey insights. CX-driven firms don’t just survey their customers, they respond to the feedback. This shows customers that they care about their experience, building trust and fostering long-term relationships.
5. They’re proactive about using customer engagement to discover up-selling and cross-selling opportunities. ClearlyRated can help you customize your surveys to effectively capture new business opportunities from existing customers.

If you would like to deepen your understanding of your firm’s CX and identify ways to make meaningful improvements and grow your CX maturity, learn more about client satisfaction surveys.

What I’m about to write shouldn’t surprise anyone. Unfortunately, based on how B2B firms compare with their B2C cousins, it might. Here goes: Customer experience (CX) management is not a “nice to have” for B2B firms — it’s mission critical.

According to PwC research, 86% of clients say the quality of a professional services firm’s CX is a top factor in determining whether to hire them. Our own survey of B2B buyers revealed that 98% of clients expect a response to their calls and emails within 24 hours, and two-thirds expect a call back within 4 hours.

What is CXM and what does it do for B2B firms?

CX management (CXM) isn’t just about reacting quickly to calls and emails. It also includes efforts to make things quick and easy for customers, often by offering intuitive self-service tools. On the other hand, there may be times when a good CX means smoothing the way with high-touch customer care. Finally a truly CX-focused firm always ensures that it delivers its promised value to customers. To cover all those bases, B2B service providers need to manage and measure their CX success across multiple touchpoints, from publishing content that encourages self-guided research to training account reps to offer service and guidance to managing survey programs and acting on customer feedback.

Yes, CXM is a lot — but it’s worth it! When you provide an exceptional CX, your customers’ loyalty and positive word of mouth will pay you back in dividends. As Gartner’s Customer Service Experience report states, “Great service experiences may stem customer attrition, but only ‘value enhancing’ service experiences drive retention and growth.” We’ll let the numbers do the talking: 86% of customers are likely to spend more money after receiving value-enhanced services, and 97% will share their positive experience with others.

3 points that prove B2B CX is having its moment

If you haven’t yet announced to your team that 2024 will be your “CX Era,” get ready to. I’ll give you three more reasons.

1. Ignoring your CX leads to B2B customer loss.

A bad experience is one of the top reasons a customer will leave a brand, and younger generations are increasingly likely to abandon ship for this reason. According to the B2B Buyer Report, 74% of B2B buyers would switch suppliers if offered a better experience. And it’s not all hypothetical. According to Forrester, 67% of clients say that they’ve already switched professional service firms due to a poor CX.

2. Your B2B clients are B2C consumers—and they expect a good CX.

Your clients lead double lives. Shocking, I know. When they’re not at work, they’re at home… being consumers — consumers who benefit from great CX journeys provided by B2C companies. This means that B2B customer expectations are higher, and they’re losing patience.

Kevin Neher, a McKinsey & Company Senior Partner on a Harvard Business Review-hosted podcast said it well: “What we’re seeing is that it’s B2B companies… companies that serve businesses, companies that serve all these other industries, are now the ones trying to catch up.” He points out that someone who can get a package from Amazon in less than 48 hours is going to start to wonder why they can’t get the supplies they need for their business as quickly.

In fact, research from McKinsey has been pointing out B2B’s lagging CX since 2016, when it published comparison stats (back then B2B companies’ CX ratings already lagged 15–35% behind B2C ratings) and astutely predicted that the gap would grow ever more obvious as B2B customer expectations rise.

3. Great CXM fosters customer loyalty that fuels growth.

Consider this stat from Forrester: 73% of clients are willing to pay more for a better customer experience. Sounds pretty good considering we’ve all been racked with inflationary pressure, right? Plus, customer retention is less expensive than customer acquisition.

Here’s more from another McKinsey report: Companies that have improved their CX see their sales revenues improve by up to 7%, bumping their profitability by up to 2%. And that’s not all! Their overall shareholder return increased by up to 10%.

Arrive early to the B2B CX buffet table—there’s a feast for the taking

B2C companies have understood the innate value of investing in their CX for a while now, but B2B firms have been slower. According to research by B2B International, just 14% of large B2B companies are truly customer centric. While 31% are at least engaged in a fledgling customer focus, it still presents a huge white space for B2B CX champions to win the game. Imagine all the low-hanging fruit your firm could pick if you master it early.

I’ll share a round up of our most updated NPS benchmarks by industry below. The Net Promoter Score® is a great gauge of a company’s CX efforts. As you compare the numbers, keep two things in mind:

1. The firms included in our benchmarks are demonstrating a certain threshold of CXM by using our client satisfaction survey program, so they’re likely ahead of most competitors in their field and
2. Leading B2C companies include Starbucks and USAA, with a 77% and a 75% NPS, respectively.

Average 2023 NPS by industry

Please notice the positive movement over the past few years, which shows the possibilities for quick improvement once you dedicate resources to your CX.

• B2B Services = 39%
  (-1% YOY, but +14 points since 2020)
• IT Services = 42%
  (-2 points YOY, +4 since 2020, +28 since its low in 2017)
• Legal Services = 37%
  (+5 points YOY; +11 since 2020)
• Insurance = 36%
  (-6 points YOY, +19% since 2020)
• HR Services = 46%
  (+9% YOY, +31 since 2020)
• Staffing = 36%
  (+5 YOY, +8% since 2020, +38 points since a low of -2% in 2019)
• Accounting –+41%
  (+2% YOY, +18 points since 2020)

How to move your B2B CX forward

To catch up with consumer expectations, B2B companies can’t just, well… catch up. They need to move beyond traditional internal CXM that simply “measures and diagnoses” into fully modernized, proactive CXM that acts on customer insights, enhances your online reputation and, based on the merit of your CX, helps acquire new business. To do this, keep in mind that your own employees are an important audience too, as they affect your CX. Happy employees help inspire 360-degree loyalty.

To achieve this, you can’t just think you know how your clients feel, you must work to know how they feel. In fact, based on our own research we know that 16% of customers won’t ever tell you or your firm when they have a service issue, yet 74% will complain about it to others. Ouch. This is why companies must move from static, annual surveys that yield outdated intel by the time they get it, to timely, insight-focused surveys that you can act on now and use to anticipate upcoming needs.

Learn more about how to move your tired B2B CX forward. Watch my webinar The Evolution of CX: What’s Now and What’s Next in which we share 10 ways to improve your CX.

ClearlyRated is thrilled to announce the trailblazing staffing firms that have earned inclusion on the 2024 Best Staffing Firms for Women list. Join us in celebrating the staffing and recruiting firms that have gone above and beyond to cultivate a workplace culture that champions gender equality, professional growth, and opportunities for women!

2024 Best Staffing Firms for Women

• Acclivity Healthcare
• ACS Professional Staffing
• Adecco
• Advantage xPO
• APT
• AREVO Management Group
• Atlas Staffing, Inc.
• Employee Management Services
• GDH
• Genesis10
• GLC On-The-Go
• Health Advocates Network
• Horizontal Talent
• IDR
• KP Staffing
• Lucid Staffing Solutions
• Luttrell Staffing Group
• Medicus Healthcare Solutions
• Medstaff National Medical Staffing
• MeeDerby
• Motus Recruiting and Staffing
• PrideStaff
• PrideStaff Financial
• Roth Staffing
• RPC Company
• Sterling
• Talon Professional Services
• TempStaff
• The HT Group
• Workforce Unlimited
• YUPRO Placement

How Firms Earn Inclusion on the List

Staffing and recruiting firms that conducted internal employee surveys with ClearlyRated are eligible to earn the Best of Staffing® award in the Employee Satisfaction category. Within this category, firms that included identity-based demographic survey questions and met the following criteria related to female employee Net Promoter® Score (eNPS) and representation earned the prestigious designation as a member of the Best Staffing Firms for Women list:

• SIZE: A minimum of 15 employee survey responses, and at least 47% of the responses from employees who identify as Female
• SATISFACTION: Net Promoter® Score (NPS®) of 50% or above for those who identify as Female
• REPRESENTATION: Females representation above U.S. workforce (at least 47% of staff who identify as Female)
• OPPORTUNITY: Females represent at least 47% of total leadership roles (Branch Manager and above)
• EQUITY: There is no significant gap in satisfaction (less than 5 percentage points) between male and female employees at the firm.

The Benefits of Earning the BSFW Designation

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Fewer than 0.2% of staffing firms in the United States and Canada qualified to earn the Best Staffing Firms for Women designation, making this a prestigious recognition for staffing firms seeking to hire and retain top internal talent. Some additional benefits:

• Positive PR exposure via inclusion on the published list, which ClearlyRated will promote via a press release to the North American newswire
• Increased traffic to your ClearlyRated profile page via links in the published list, which drives more lead generation opportunity and visits to your website
• Additional opportunities to highlight and celebrate your Best of Staffing Employee win and BSFW list inclusion with your employees internally and with recruits externally

Think your firm does an exceptional job of supporting and championing its female employees? If you’d like to see your firm on the 2025 Best Staffing Firms for Women list, complete this registration form now to get started!

The Net Promoter® Score (NPS®) is a powerful tool. One simple question to your customers can reveal the health of your entire customer experience (CX). From there, you can pinpoint and fix areas of weakness, improving your CX. You can also uncover and capitalize on CX strengths, even celebrate those successes internally. Morale boost anyone? With good NPS survey software, it’s even possible to segment data, slicing and dicing to examine how the perception of your CX changes depending on various customer demographics and locations.

Most NPS users know all this (and love it), but all too often they also miss a golden opportunity—one that’s indicated in the title of this blog post. They underutilize their NPS in marketing communications.

In light of decreasing trust in various institutions over the years, the focus on client experience (CX) is growing significantly. In our recent webinar, The Evolution of CX, we shed light on this trend in the context of the staffing industry, with implications that reach far beyond.

Client Experience as the Heart of Decision-Making

The current era reveals an interesting pattern – trust in establishments, from organized religion to business entities and governments, is diminishing. This trend, which Gallup's 2023 Confidence in Institutionssurvey confirms, presents an unparalleled challenge to all sectors, including the staffing industry. To overcome this, companies must meet the challenge of delivering on their promises and fostering client trust.Evidence-based research adds more weight to this argument. A study by PwC revealed that a whopping 86% of clients choose a professional service firm based on the quality of customer experience. Beyond that, the urgency of response times has escalated, with our most recent staffing industry benchmark study, conducted in partnership with ClearEdge, revealing that 98% of clients expect a response to their call or email within 24 hours, and close to two-thirds expect a response within four hours.

Negative experiences can prompt clients to switch service firms, reducing their likelihood to recommend the brand and impacting the company's bottom line. A remarkable statistic from Forrester suggests that 67% of clients have switched professional service firms due to poor customer experience. Additionally, about half of clients report having a negative customer experience with a professional service firm in the past year. However, on a positive note, almost 73% of clients are ready and willing to pay more for a better customer experience.

The Evolution of CX: From Insights to Action

In response to these evolving client expectations, the staffing industry has progressively adopted client experience management as a strategic defense against commoditization. This approach demands adaptability, innovation, and preparedness for continuous evolution.Many firms are expanding their CX programs, emphasizing client, candidate, and employee experiences. Each interaction shapes the client's overall experience and influences their perception of your brand.We are currently seeing a transition from mere measurement of CX to action based on insights. Simultaneously, the practice of feedback collection is evolving from a static calendar-based operation to a more dynamic, journey-based approach.Looking ahead, CX is poised to move towards a customer health program, where anticipating customer’s needs is as important as receiving their feedback. The aim is to track customer sentiment in real time, requiring adjustments in approach and a client-centric business model.

Conclusion

This shift towards a comprehensive and anticipatory customer experience approach could be the solution to reestablishing trust, ensuring business success, and most importantly, creating improved experiences for everyone. The future of the staffing industry rests on the continuous optimization of stakeholder (client, candidate and internal employee) experiences.*Watch a quick 30-minute webinar “The Evolution of CX: What’s Now and What’s Next”, presented by Eric Gregg, ClearlyRated CEO & Founder.