TivloYou probably have a sense of which clients are happy and which ones are not.
The facilities manager at the school who messages you to say thanks after every deep clean - she's happy. The operations director at the office park who only contacts you when something's wrong - probably less so.
But relying on gut feel doesn't scale. When you're managing 20 contracts and 15 operatives, you can't be close enough to all of them to catch the quiet dissatisfaction before it turns into a cancellation notice.
That's where Net Promoter Score comes in.
What NPS Actually Is
Net Promoter Score is one question: "How likely are you to recommend us to a colleague or business contact? Score from 0 to 10."
Respondents are grouped into three categories:
- •Promoters (9-10): Loyal clients who would recommend you actively.
- •Passives (7-8): Satisfied but not enthusiastic. Vulnerable to switching.
- •Detractors (0-6): Unhappy clients who are at risk of leaving and, if they talk about it, could damage your reputation.
Your NPS is calculated as: percentage of Promoters minus percentage of Detractors. It ranges from -100 to +100. Anything above 0 is better than average. Anything above 50 is very good.
For a cleaning company, NPS is a practical early-warning system.
Why It Works for Cleaning Businesses
NPS is used mainly by tech companies and large consumer brands. That doesn't mean it only works there.
For a cleaning company, it solves a specific problem: clients rarely complain formally until they're ready to leave. The NPS survey creates a moment where they're invited to tell you how they really feel - in a way that's low effort for them and easy for you to act on.
A client who gives you a 6 and writes "the operatives are fine but we never hear from anyone" is handing you a clear action. Call them. Set up a quarterly review. That client can become a Promoter within three months.
A client who gives you a 9 and says "always reliable, great communication" is telling you what to protect and what to replicate.
How to Run an NPS Survey
Keep it simple. One question. One optional follow-up: "What's the main reason for your score?"
The optional follow-up is where the real value lives. The number tells you where they are. The comment tells you why.
When to send it:
- •After the first 90 days of a new contract (early signal)
- •Every six months for ongoing contracts
- •After a significant issue or complaint has been resolved (did they feel it was handled well?)
How to send it:
Email works fine for small volumes. You don't need specialist software to start. A short email with a link to a single-question Google Form is enough to get going.
For businesses with 30+ clients, a tool like Typeform or a purpose-built NPS platform makes follow-up tracking easier.
Response rates:
Most B2B NPS surveys see 20-40% response rates. If yours is lower, personalise the email. "Hi Sarah, we're three months into the contract at Birchwood House and I'd love your honest feedback" will outperform a generic survey link every time.
What to Do With the Results
The score itself is less important than the follow-up.
For every Detractor (0-6): Respond personally within 48 hours. Don't be defensive. Acknowledge what they said and ask if you can arrange a call. Most detractors have a specific problem - missed services, communication issues, a particular operative who isn't working out. If it's fixable, fix it and follow up.
For every Passive (7-8): These clients are satisfied but not loyal. They'll switch if a competitor quotes them and your price is noticeably higher. A personal call to understand what would move them from a 7 to a 9 is often all it takes. Typically it's something small - more visible reporting, a quarterly review, a named contact they can always reach.
For every Promoter (9-10): Thank them. Ask if they'd be willing to provide a reference or a short testimonial (with anonymisation if they'd prefer). Promoters are your best source of referrals - but only if you ask.
The Benchmark to Work Towards
Industry benchmarks for commercial cleaning are not widely published, but the broader FM and facilities services sector averages around NPS 30-45 for well-run operators.
If you're starting with no baseline, aim for a positive score first. Track it every six months. If it goes up, what changed? If it goes down, what didn't?
The number is a tool, not the goal. The goal is clients who stay and recommend you.
Making It Part of Your Process
NPS only works if it runs regularly and consistently. A one-off survey in January doesn't tell you much. A survey sent to every client at 90 days and every six months thereafter builds a picture you can actually use.
That picture - across all your contracts, over time - becomes one of the most valuable things in your business when you're looking to grow, win new clients, or retain the ones you have.
Tivlo includes client communication tools so your inspection reports, updates, and check-ins are visible to both sides - giving you the paper trail that turns satisfied clients into confident ones.
Find out how your retention processes compare with our free Cleaning Business Scorecard.