Why Most NPS Reports End Up in a Drawer

Anna Cluytens
Jul 10
3 min read

And what your NPS could actually deliver — if you ask the right questions and act on the answers.

"How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?"

A simple question. So simple it seems brilliant. Enter: the NPS. The Net Promoter Score.

Since its invention, the go-to metric for customer satisfaction, loyalty and — in theory — growth.

Today, every self-respecting organisation has one. Often neatly included in a monthly report, a quarterly summary or a strategic review.

It looks impressive. A score. A comparison with last quarter. Some open comments. And then? Then it disappears into a drawer. Until the next round.

A high NPS means nothing if you do nothing with it.

From shiny report to missed opportunity

We see it too often: companies investing in an NPS survey, doing it 'right', collecting feedback... And then: nothing happens.

Beautiful visualisations. Segmentation by team or product line. Maybe even a top 10 of positive quotes.

But beyond that? No action. No reflection. No dialogue. The report lands on the intranet. Management ticks off the insights. The score enters next quarter's KPI list. And in the meantime, nothing changes.

The real question isn’t: "What’s your NPS?" The real question is: "What do you do with your NPS?"

Because an NPS score is not an outcome. It's a signal. An entry point. An invitation to go deeper.

And at the same time: a massive missed opportunity if you fail to act.

NPS as a signpost, not a finish line

Used well, NPS offers a goldmine of insights. But only if you dare to ask the right questions:

Who are your promoters? What do they truly value? Which touchpoints make the difference? And more importantly: how can you activate them — as ambassadors, references, co-creators?
Where do detractors drop off? What’s not working? What clashes with your brand promise? What causes friction, frustration, or churn?
What are your passives really saying? They seem satisfied, but leave without drama. They don’t say anything bad. But also nothing good. That’s what makes them dangerous.

Passives are the silent leak in your customer relationship.

Many companies focus on promoters and detractors — understandable, since they count toward the score. But passives (score 7-8) often disappear from view. And that’s risky. Because:

They don’t trigger alarms, so you miss them.
They don’t complain, so you assume it’s fine.
But they’re not loyal.
And they’ll never promote you.

They’re often your largest segment. And at the same time: your least engaged customers.

A high NPS with a sea of passives? That’s a brand standing still.

What makes NPS strategically relevant — or completely pointless?

The difference isn’t in the tool. Or in how you ask the question. It’s in what you do next:

You interpret in context A score of 30? Nice. Or not. Depends on your sector, audience and competitors. Without context, any number is hollow.
You look beyond the number The open comments are often more valuable than the score itself. What customers write, say and mean — that’s where the gold is. Especially when it stings.
You share across the organisation NPS isn't a customer service thing. Sales, ops, admin, invoicing — all contribute to the customer experience. If only management sees the results, nothing shifts.
You use it as a flywheel, not a mirror NPS isn't a yearly temperature check. It's a flywheel for sharper commercial focus, cultural shifts, and real customer-centricity.

Promoters aren’t trophies. They’re opportunities. Detractors aren’t failures. They’re insights.

Why do we measure — but not act?

Because numbers feel safe. Because it’s easier to track than to confront. And most of all: because action requires choices.

Choices about what to let go. About which customers you really want to serve. About what to change in your internal workings.

As long as you don’t choose, you can keep doing things the same. As long as you only measure, you don’t have to change.

But then you miss the point: customer feedback isn’t a report. It’s direction.

From score to strategy

At Holmes & Watson, we never use NPS as an endpoint. We use it as leverage for:

Positioning — Does your story still align with your customer’s experience?
Customer journey optimisation — Where is there noise, delay, or mismatch?
Culture — What does this feedback say about how people feel treated?
Ambassadorship — Who are your fans — and how do you let them speak for you?

We dig. We cluster. We go deeper. We also listen to what customers don’t say.

Because a 9 or 10 doesn’t just say: "Well done." It also says: "You make a difference."

And then it’s up to you to ask: what difference, exactly? And how can we amplify that?

NPS is not a project. It’s a culture choice.

Too many organisations treat NPS like a check-in. Take the temperature. Gather data. Make a report.

But if you truly want to be customer-centric? It’s not a project. It’s a process. A cultural choice. A mindset: Listen. Translate. Change. Share back. Repeat.

Because customers feel it immediately: Whether you take their feedback seriously. Whether it makes a difference. Whether it lives inside your organisation. Whether it’s a standard question — or a genuine invitation to dialogue.

Measure your NPS. But don’t stop there. As long as it’s just measurement, nothing changes. But if you see it as a starting point? As a signal? As both mirror and lever?

Then one question becomes the start of:

Better conversations
Strategic decisions
Loyal customers
Sharper positioning
And a culture where listening isn’t a department — but a habit

Ready to make your NPS work for you?

We help you go beyond the report. We dive into the answers. Lower the noise. Spot the patterns. And turn the silence into direction.

Not with standard surveys. But with sharp analysis, honest conversations, and strategic guts.

Because listening is one thing. Doing something with it — that’s where change begins.

Want to use NPS as a lever for commercial focus, customer culture or positioning? Let us know. Then together, we’ll turn that report into a flywheel. And your score? Into a strategic accelerator.