Net Promoter Score (NPS) in Courses: How to Collect and Act on Feedback

Imagine you’ve spent months building an online course. You recorded videos, wrote quizzes, designed assignments, and launched it. But when you check your enrollment numbers, they’re flat. Your completion rate? Below 20%. You know something’s off-but you don’t know what.

That’s where Net Promoter Score (NPS) comes in. It’s not just a buzzword. NPS cuts through the noise and tells you one simple thing: Would your learners recommend your course to a friend?

Unlike surveys that ask 10 questions, NPS asks one. And that one question gives you more actionable insight than a dozen metrics combined. It’s not about how many people liked your course. It’s about who will go out of their way to tell someone else about it.

Why NPS Works Better Than Regular Course Ratings

Most platforms ask learners to rate courses on a 5-star scale. But here’s the problem: 4.7 stars doesn’t tell you who’s loyal. It doesn’t tell you who’s angry. It doesn’t tell you who’s going to refer others.

NPS fixes that. It asks: “On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend this course to a friend or colleague?”

Then it sorts people into three groups:

• Promoters (9-10): These are your fans. They’ll sign up for your next course. They’ll leave glowing reviews. They’ll mention your course in Slack groups or LinkedIn posts.
• Passives (7-8): They’re satisfied, but not excited. They won’t refer anyone. They’re one bad update away from leaving.
• Detractors (0-6): These are your warning signs. They might leave public complaints. They might cancel their subscription. They might tell five people why they quit.

Your NPS score? Subtract the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters. Passives don’t count. A score of +50 is excellent. +20 is good. Below 0? You’ve got a problem.

Companies like Apple and Amazon track NPS religiously. So should you. Because in education, loyalty is the only thing that scales.

When to Ask for NPS: Timing Matters

Asking for feedback too early? You’ll get surface-level answers. Too late? People forget.

The sweet spot? Right after they finish the final assignment-or when they earn their certificate.

For example, if your course runs for 6 weeks, send the NPS survey 24 hours after the last module unlocks. Don’t wait until the end of the month. Don’t bury it in a newsletter. Send it when the experience is fresh.

Some platforms make this easy. Thinkific, Teachable, and Kajabi let you trigger automated surveys based on completion. If you’re using a custom LMS, set up a simple email trigger using Zapier or Make.com. The key is consistency: send it the same way every time.

And don’t make it a chore. Keep it under 30 seconds. One question. One optional follow-up: “What’s the main reason for your score?” That’s it.

How to Collect NPS Without Annoying Learners

People hate surveys. Especially when they’re long, vague, or sent at the wrong time.

Here’s how to avoid that:

• Don’t use pop-ups. They feel invasive. Use a clean, mobile-friendly email or in-app message instead.
• Don’t ask for personal info. No names. No emails. Just the score and one open-ended comment. People answer more honestly when they feel anonymous.
• Offer a tiny incentive. Not a discount. Not a free module. Just a thank-you note that says: “Your feedback helped shape our next update.” That’s enough.
• Send it once. No follow-ups. No reminders. If they didn’t respond, they’re not ready to give feedback. Move on.

One course creator in Austin saw a 42% response rate by sending NPS via email with a subject line: “You finished the course. Could you spare 10 seconds?”

That’s the power of clarity and respect.

What to Do With the Data: Action Over Analysis

Collecting NPS is useless if you don’t act on it.

Here’s how to turn scores into changes:

Step 1: Group the feedback

Look at the open-ended comments from detractors. What words keep appearing? “Too slow,” “no support,” “confusing quiz,” “didn’t help me get a job.” These aren’t complaints. They’re red flags.

One course on digital marketing had 37% detractors. The common phrase? “I learned a lot, but I still couldn’t apply it.” That wasn’t a content issue. It was a structure issue. The course taught theory but didn’t show real-world application. They added three project-based modules. Detractors dropped to 18% in the next cohort.

Step 2: Share wins with promoters

Don’t ignore your promoters. Reach out to them personally. Say: “You gave us a 10. Thank you. Would you be open to writing a short testimonial?”

Some will say yes. And those testimonials? They’re your best sales tool. Use them on your homepage. In your ads. In your email campaigns.

Step 3: Fix the passives

Passives are the quiet majority. They’re not leaving. But they’re not staying either. Send them a quick message: “We noticed you didn’t recommend the course. What would make you more likely to?”

One instructor in Chicago found that passives wanted downloadable templates. He added a resource pack. Within two months, 61% of passives became promoters.

What NPS Can’t Tell You (And What to Pair It With)

NPS doesn’t tell you why someone dropped out after week two. It doesn’t tell you which video got the most replays. It doesn’t tell you if the quiz was too hard.

That’s why you need to combine it with other data:

• Completion rate: If your NPS is high but completion is low, your course is engaging but too long.
• Quiz scores: If most people fail the final quiz, your content isn’t landing.
• Time spent per module: If learners spend 2 minutes on a 15-minute video, they’re skipping it. Something’s wrong.

NPS gives you the “why.” The rest gives you the “what.” Together, they paint a full picture.

Real Results: How NPS Turned a Failing Course Around

A course called “Excel for Non-Financial Professionals” had a 12% completion rate and an NPS of -15. It was dying.

The instructor dug into the feedback. Detractors kept saying: “I just needed to know how to make a pivot table. Everything else felt like fluff.”

They did three things:

1. Removed four modules that weren’t directly tied to job tasks.
2. Added five 3-minute video walkthroughs showing real Excel files from actual jobs.
3. Added a “Download This Template” button after each video.

Three months later, completion jumped to 58%. NPS went from -15 to +41. Enrollments tripled.

That’s not magic. That’s listening.

Start Small. Track One Course. Watch the Change.

You don’t need to survey every course you offer. Start with one. Pick the course that’s been running the longest. Or the one with the lowest completion rate.

Set up the NPS survey. Wait for responses. Read every comment. Then make one change. Just one.

Wait 30 days. Check the numbers again.

That’s how you build courses people love-not just use.

NPS isn’t about looking good. It’s about getting better. And in online education, that’s the only thing that matters.