The primary metric for a survey should be asked as the first question, since in that way it gathers the most reliable, top of mind indicator of a respondent’s overall experience without any bias from subsequent questions. This holds true whether it is measuring an end to end journey perspective (as with the Likelihood to Recommend question to determine the Net Promoter Score) or measures a specific interaction or experience (when another primary metric is more suitable).

The primary metric in feedback collection serves two key functions. First, it is the key indicator that the organization focuses on when looking at overall performance and performance by business unit, segment, or region. Second, it is foundational for both qualitative and quantitative analytics to enable prioritization of improvement initiatives and experience optimization.

For foundational CX programs especially, the primary metric is generally an attitudinal measure. More advanced programs enhance their insights by incorporating behavioral metrics in their analysis, such as repurchase or renewal, or a related operational metric such as on time delivery.

Foundational practices related to NPS metrics look primarily at data you get when seek direct feedback from customers. It’s limited by response rates – a problem that only gets worse over time – and response bias. Taking metrics to the next level means transforming robust, always-on streams of operational data into calibrated, AI-created scores, so that you have a personalized Net Promoter Score for every customer based on their ongoing interactions with your company. To get there, download our guide, take our comprehensive training course, or read about the future of NPS.