The market for apps and tools that are designed to help businesses grow and thrive offers something for just about every aspect of business operation. There are tools to handle marketing, invoicing, productivity and automation, payroll and HR, and endless choices for tools that are designed to measure and enhance the customer experience.

The problem, of course, is that the "customer experience" is not a numbers game—it's a nonlinear, sometimes chaotic, and hopefully full-circle journey that starts the minute that someone becomes a lead and continues through their purchase into their role as a lifetime customer. For some customers, that journey may end after the first purchase because they have found what they need. The majority, however, should be on your list to keep an eye out for in the future so that you can continue to cultivate that customer relationship.

How, though, are you supposed to generate a metric that's so intangible? What does it look like, on paper, when customers are loyal and the experience is good? That's exactly why the Net Promoter Score was created. Also referred to as the NPS, this score not only helps you measure your customer loyalty, but it can also help you increase your customer base and encourage the existing customers that you have to come back or stay on longer. When you can identify the people who love your brand the most, you'll be able to turn them into active promoters for your business.

Before we get ahead of ourselves, though, let's dial it back and talk more about the Net Promoter Score and what it means to your business. After all, most of the numbers and details are covered by the apps that we'll be reviewing below. First up, a little more about NPS.

What is NPS and how is it calculated?

The Net Promoter Score is a measurement of customer experience that is based on a simple set of just two questions. The first question provides a very basic premise, but it's one that is an invaluable metric:

On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to recommend this brand/service/product to a friend, family member, or colleague?

For people who don't have a lot of time, it's easy to answer one question. Then, when you pose the second question, they feel like you're doing them a favor:

What was the most important factor in your answer/score?

You can choose to follow their response with this question immediately or even send a follow-up email to give them another touchpoint to interact. Giving people a text box (and keeping it optional) allows them to share their input and makes them feel empowered as a customer. Once you have the answers, you can use that insight to calculate your own NPS.

One of the best things about this score is that you can present the survey in any format on any channel: email, text message, on a website, through a push notification, and so on and so forth. However you want to reach out, you can, and you can use this insight to figure out where your customer satisfaction really stands.

The math

Without getting too technical, here's a simple look at how the math works.

1. Calculate how many people responded with either a 2, 9 or 10, or 6 or lower. Why not 7 and 8? Because those numbers don't really tend to lean one way or the other strongly enough to impact ratings. Although 6 might still seem like a decent score, it's also a big indicator that something is wrong when it's rated 6 out of 10.

2. Let's say you have 65 out of 100 respondents who answered 9 or 10. Those are your promoters and account for 65%. There are 25 detractors or 25%, so you'll subtract the detractors from the promoters:

a. 65% - 25% = 40

(Bear in mind that your NPS score can also go negative. If you were to have, say, 30% promoters and 50% detractors, your NPS would be –30.)

Scoring the NPS is simple. The worst score is –100 and the highest score is +100. According to the ratings scale, anything above zero is considered "good", while anything +50 or higher is "excellent," and scores over +70 are considered "world-class".

This number is revered by many as the respected and accurate way to measure the customer experience, and it's ultimately going to give you value depending on how you use it. This number can help you improve several aspects of the customer experience, so be sure to use it well.

To do that, you can enlist the assistance of any of the apps below. These NPS promoter score apps are designed to automatically take in data, perform the calculations, and provide you with all the details, including other rich analytics that can offer valuable insights about where and how you can make improvements. While you could attempt to set this up on your own, it's easy and takes just seconds when you use one of these apps.

Speaking of not going it alone, ask how our dedicated virtual receptionists can take care of all of the mission-critical services for your business so that you can focus on the customers and their experience, with solutions like 24/7 live website chat and call answering, and more.

What to look for

Choosing the best net promoter score apps is all about finding tools that fit the job. Although everyone has their own needs and wants, there are also some integral elements that will define what the best net promoter score apps actually are.  In the programs below, we considered things like:

·  User interface and usability

·  Integrations

·  Value for the money

·  Ability to run multiple campaigns

·  Custom follow-up

·  Integration with CRM tools

·  Survey distribution options

Based on that list, we arrived at these top picks.

SurveyMonkey

This is a tool that's rated as the best free option, and it's got several different features that  prove it, starting with the user-friendly interface that makes it simple for you to set up surveys and create the perfect campaigns. When you want to get a read on where your customers stand and what types of improvements you can make, this is a great tool to use.

Templates are available, too, allowing you to customize your own and get the insights that you need. According to SurveyMonkey, 81% of the companies that track their NPS scores will describe their business as "very or extremely successful". SurveyMonkey is used by hundreds of Fortune 500 companies, including Intuit, Johnson & Johnson, and others. It grows along with your organization and gives you everything that you need for total control.

There's a free platform available for personal users that might do the job for solopreneurs and small businesses, but business plans start at just $25 per month for team plans. If you are looking for an alternative to SurveyMonkey, Jotform's SurveyMonkey Alternatives guide can help you find the perfect online survey solution.

Client Heartbeat

Client Heartbeat makes it easy to get a pulse on what your customers want and need. It's a simple tool that makes it easy to measure customer satisfaction using the NPS method and you can even automate several analytics and use the rich feature set to do several other things. This survey tool is cloud-based and includes 24/7 support in case you get stuck along the way, but it's really easy to use.

You can use this tool to get customer feedback that can allow you to take action and improve your business, manage customer satisfaction and retention, and so much more. It has feedback management and complaint monitoring to help you stay organized and get those negative issues resolved quickly. It also integrates easily and lets you create surveys in minutes.

Client heartbeat doesn't offer a free version, but a trial is available, and you can get this app for as little as $25 per month to start.

InputKit

InputKit is a great tool for startups and small companies that need something simple and affordable. It offers a basic NPS survey app that allows you to use stock questions or create your own custom surveys, and it takes minutes to set up and get started. The program comes with a free demo and makes it easy to gauge your Net promoter score with all kinds of survey tools.

You can enjoy the real-time dashboard with colorful graphics so that you can address what needs your attention. You can take a proactive approach to customer retention to improve your customer experience across all locations and channels. Plans can be tailor-made to suit the needs of your business and you can benefit from having unlimited support from the company in case you need anything.

InputKit is not free, but it comes with a free demo. It's available starting at $30 per user per month and will easily deliver value for the money with all of the features it offers.

Promoter.io

This is the best survey app for tracking historical customer surveys so that you can understand the impact of your marketing efforts and changes over time. While it makes it easy to get feedback, it makes it even easier to track that feedback and integrate positive changes that will eliminate negative issues. Promoter.io will allow you to integrate the tool with your platforms, set up surveys in a matter of minutes, and even capture audio and video feedback.

Promoter.io makes it easy to analyze real-time reports and find areas for improvement. You can also enjoy free access if you need less than 250 surveys a month and don't want any of the premium features. If you choose the $100 per month plan, you'll get up to 10,000 surveys, premium online support, detailed reporting and turnkey integrations, and more.

Keep in mind that the premium plan is required for access to video and audio feedback, as well as other premium features.

Nicereply

This tool is a lightweight solution that offers a little more customization and more interesting features than you'd find with a standard tool. It's also got a user-friendly dashboard that helps you monitor your surveys, create new ones, and get feedback in several different ways. The colored graphics and text options make this a more inviting option than some, which is why some people prefer it.

Nicereply offers a customer satisfaction score, customer effort score, and of course, your NPS so that you can find out who trusts your brand, what you can do to improve that, and more. The tool integrates with tons of apps and software that you already use, too, including CRMs and more. Streamline your efforts, sync your information, and make sure your customers are always satisfied.

Nicereply offers a 14-day trial and 30-day money-back guarantee and starts at just $39 per month for paid plans.

Level up your customer satisfaction with the assistance of Smith.ai

Using your NPS can provide a lot of insights for your business. It is a valuable metric because it allows you to identify pain points, follow up with disappointed customers, and figure out which services are most valued. It can also provide you with valuable ideas for future product direction and help you anticipate what customers may expect from you down the line.

No matter which of the tools you decide you use, you can collect data easily and evaluate insights without having to do the calculations yourself. That will give you the chance to capitalize on your scores to improve the customer experience in every way possible. One of the ways you can do that is by partnering with Smith.ai.

Our dedicated virtual receptionists can handle all kinds of customer service needs, from overflow call answering and after-hours phone services to 24/7 live website chat and more. When you want to make sure that your customers are put first, even when you can't be the one to do it, you can depend on our team to get the job done.

Schedule a consultation now to discuss how we can help create a custom solution to improve your customer service on every level. We can even handle lead intake, appointment scheduling, SMS message answering, and more. Let us know what you need at hello@smith.ai or (650) 727-6484, as well.