Survey and follow-up template · 6 steps · 7 min read
NPS Survey Follow-Up Template: Emails by Score Group
An NPS follow-up template sends the Net Promoter Score question, then replies to each person according to their answer. This template has six emails: the survey, a single reminder, separate follow-ups for promoters (9 to 10), passives (7 to 8) and detractors (0 to 6), and a close-the-loop update once you have acted on the feedback. The detractor reply comes from a named person and asks for a conversation, not a rating.
NPS asks one question: how likely are you to recommend {{product_name}} to a friend or colleague, on a scale from 0 to 10. The score is the percentage of promoters minus the percentage of detractors. The number is less useful than the follow-up, because the follow-up is where you learn why. Collect responses in your survey tool and send each score into your customer data as an event or user attribute, so the follow-up emails can branch on it. Placeholders appear in double braces.
Sequence at a glance
- Entry ruleUser has been a customer for at least {{min_tenure_days}} days, has been active in the last 30 days, and has not been surveyed in the last {{survey_interval_days}} days.
- Exit and suppressionRemove anyone who unsubscribes. Do not survey users with an open support ticket; survey them after it closes. Never send more than one reminder.
| Step | Send | Audience |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Survey email | Day 0, on a weekday, in the recipient's local morning where you know their time zone | Matches the trigger AND is not in an onboarding or win-back sequence this week. |
| 2. One reminder | Day 3 | Received the survey email AND has not responded. |
| 3. Promoters (score 9 or 10) | Within 1 day of the response | Responded with a score of 9 or 10. |
| 4. Passives (score 7 or 8) | Within 1 day of the response | Responded with a score of 7 or 8. |
| 5. Detractors (score 0 to 6) | Within 1 business day of the response | Responded with a score of 0 to 6. Send from the account owner or a support lead, never from a no-reply address. Also create an internal task for that person. |
| 6. Close the loop | 30 to 45 days after the survey, only once a change has shipped | Responded AND left a written comment AND that comment relates to a change you have since shipped or decided on. |
Copy, timing and audience for every step
Replace each placeholder in double braces with your own value. Send a test of every step to an internal address before you switch the sequence on.
Step 1: Survey email
Subject: One question about {{product_name}}
Preview text: It takes one click. The follow-up question is optional.
Hi {{first_name}},
How likely are you to recommend {{product_name}} to a friend or colleague?
{{score_links_0_to_10}}
Click a number and you're done. If you have a moment, the next screen asks what drove your score; that answer is the part we read most closely.
{{sender_name}}
Button: The 0 to 10 scale, each number a link that records the score
Step 2: One reminder
Subject: Re: One question about {{product_name}}
Preview text: Last reminder, we promise.
Hi {{first_name}},
In case this got buried: one click tells us how we're doing.
{{score_links_0_to_10}}
This is the only reminder you'll get.
{{sender_name}}
Button: The same 0 to 10 scale
Step 3: Promoters (score 9 or 10)
Subject: Thank you, {{first_name}}
Preview text: Your score made our week. One small favour, if you have time.
Hi {{first_name}},
Thank you for the {{score}}. {{comment_acknowledgement_if_they_left_one}}
If you're willing, a short review on {{review_site}} helps other teams decide whether {{product_name}} is right for them. Honest reviews only; there's no script.
And if a colleague at another company is dealing with {{problem_you_solve}}, you can share {{referral_link}}.
{{sender_name}}
Button: Leave a review
Step 4: Passives (score 7 or 8)
Subject: What would make {{product_name}} a 10 for you?
Preview text: One answer is enough.
Hi {{first_name}},
Thanks for scoring us a {{score}}. That tells us {{product_name}} works for you, but something is missing.
If you could change one thing, what would it be? Reply with a sentence. I read these myself and share them with the team that owns that part of the product.
{{sender_name}}
Button: None. Ask for a reply.
Step 5: Detractors (score 0 to 6)
Subject: Your feedback on {{product_name}}
Preview text: I'd like to understand what went wrong.
Hi {{first_name}},
Thank you for being honest. A {{score}} tells me we've let you down, and I'd rather hear about it directly than guess.
{{comment_acknowledgement_if_they_left_one}}
Would you be open to a 15-minute call this week? If a call isn't convenient, a reply works just as well. Either way, I will tell you what we can fix, and be straight with you about what we can't.
{{sender_name}}, {{sender_role}}
Button: Pick a time ({{booking_link}}), or reply
Step 6: Close the loop
Subject: You asked for {{requested_change}}. It's live
Preview text: Thanks to your survey answer.
Hi {{first_name}},
In our last survey you told us {{paraphrase_of_their_comment}}. You weren't the only one, and it moved up our list.
{{what_changed_in_two_sentences}}
Here's how to use it: {{how_to_link}}. Thanks for taking the time to tell us.
{{sender_name}}
Button: See what changed
What to measure
| Metric | Definition | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Response rate | Responses divided by surveys delivered, per wave. | A falling rate makes the score less representative. Compare waves using the same audience rule. |
| NPS | Percentage of promoters (9 to 10) minus percentage of detractors (0 to 6). | Track the trend between waves and by segment, such as plan or tenure, rather than one company-wide number. |
| Comment rate | Share of responses that include a written reason. | Comments are what make the follow-ups specific. Keep the second question optional and short. |
| Detractor response time | Hours from a detractor's response to a personal reply. | Set a target, such as one business day, and report misses. Slow replies undo the point of the follow-up. |
| Detractor retention | Share of detractors still active or subscribed 90 days later, compared with earlier waves. | The outcome that justifies the effort. Do not withhold follow-up from detractors to create a control group. |
| Promoter actions | Reviews and referrals completed after the promoter email. | Shows whether the ask is landing. Never offer an incentive in exchange for a positive review. |
How to run it in Questera
Bring the score into your data
Send each response from your survey tool into your data stack as an event or user attribute. Questera's agents work on your existing data sources, including Segment, Mixpanel and Amplitude.
Split the audience with Sega
Sega builds segments from user attributes and behavior and updates them as new data arrives. Create the three score-group segments plus the 'surveyed, no response' segment for the reminder; a new response moves a user into the right group automatically.
Send the follow-ups with Elma
Elma creates the email campaigns and adds or removes users as they enter each segment. Because it reads each user's product usage, it can add a relevant detail to the passive and promoter emails, such as the feature they use most.
Ask in-app instead with Omnia
For users who rarely read email, Omnia can run the survey invitation and follow-ups as a journey across email and in-app, adding and removing users based on their real-time responses.
Watch the trend with GIA
Ask GIA for NPS and response rate by wave, plan and tenure, and for detractor retention at 90 days, and keep the result as a dashboard.
A failure worth checking
The failure that does the most damage is a detractor follow-up that arrives as an automated marketing email. A customer who just scored you a 2 and then receives a cheerful newsletter-style message concludes that nobody read the answer. Send detractor replies from a real person's address, in plain text, and check that the same person is assigned the internal task.
Common questions
How often should I send an NPS survey?
Often enough to see a trend, rarely enough not to annoy customers. One approach is to survey each customer no more than once or twice a year and spread the sends across the year so you get a steady stream of responses.
Should the NPS survey be sent by email or in-app?
Either. Email reaches customers who have stopped logging in, which you need for an honest score; in-app reaches active users at a natural moment. Many teams use both with the same audience rule and a shared 'surveyed recently' exclusion.
What should I say to a detractor?
Thank them, acknowledge the specific complaint if they left one, and ask for a conversation. Don't argue, don't offer a discount in the first message, and don't ask them to change their score.
Can I ask promoters for reviews?
Yes, as long as you ask for an honest review and do not offer anything in return for a positive one. Some review sites restrict incentivised or selectively requested reviews, so check the site's own rules before you send.
What does closing the loop mean?
Telling people what you did with their feedback. It is the step most often skipped, and it is the reason the next survey gets answered. Only send it once something has actually changed.
Is NPS the right metric for my product?
It is one signal of sentiment, not a measure of revenue or retention. Pair it with retention by score group so you can see whether detractors actually leave more often in your own data.
Basis and scope
This is a starting template with placeholder copy, not a measured benchmark or a customer case study. Prepared with AI assistance. Adapt the copy to your product and audience, and validate timing and audience rules against your own data and test environment before sending.
