Self-praise is easy, but widespread. Forklift manufacturer Still has found a good method to find out how satisfied customers really are with their purchased vehicles: It's the "willingness to recommend" in the "Net Promoter Score" (NPS).
The system was developed approximately 20 years ago and has since been used by numerous companies worldwide. It provides information on a scale of zero to ten about the likelihood of customers recommending the manufacturer. The result of the evaluation is a metric between -100 and +100, with an NPS greater than zero already representing a positive rating. Still states that in the past twelve months alone, they have conducted a massive number of more than 23,000 such interviews across all business units in 20 countries throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).
Photos: Still
The results show that, despite the tendency in many industries to report only positive results, much could still be improved and cannot simply be categorized as "Yes, great, nice, and good." For example, the score of 59.7 in the service segment (based on approximately 18,000 interviews conducted in this area) still represents an extremely good result for the company.
“Of course, receiving praise is always the best.” But brand manager Frank Müller says they also see critical customer feedback as a valuable opportunity. If criticism or dissatisfaction is expressed during an interview, the company in question is contacted personally by the regional representative. The criticism is discussed in detail, and solutions are sought together. Müller explains: “We repeatedly find that often only minor adjustments are needed to resolve issues and transform a critical customer into a satisfied brand advocate.”
