Benchmarking
Comparing your customer feedback metrics against industry standards or competitors.
Category
Analytics & Insights
Full Definition
Benchmarking is the practice of comparing your customer experience metrics against industry standards, competitors, or your own historical performance. It provides context for understanding whether your scores are truly good or need improvement.
Types of Benchmarking: - Internal: Compare across locations, teams, or time periods - Competitive: Compare against specific competitors - Industry: Compare against industry averages - Best-in-class: Compare against top performers (any industry)
NPS Benchmarks by Industry (typical ranges): - Technology/Software: 30-50 - Financial Services: 20-40 - Healthcare: 30-50 - Retail: 20-40 - Hospitality: 40-60 - Airlines: -10 to 20
Common Use Cases
Real-World Examples
Scenario
A hotel has NPS of 45 and celebrates. Then they benchmark against competitors: Marriott averages 52, Hilton averages 48.
Outcome
Celebrations turn to action. They analyze what competitors do differently and implement improvements. NPS reaches 55 within 18 months.
Scenario
A regional bank has CSAT of 78%. They benchmark internally: Branch A: 92%, Branch B: 68%, Branch C: 74%.
Outcome
Instead of company-wide initiatives, they study Branch A's practices and roll them out to other locations. Company-wide CSAT reaches 85%.
Scenario
A SaaS startup has NPS of 35. Industry benchmark says average is 32 for their category, but top performers are at 55+.
Outcome
They set a goal to reach "top performer" status, not just "above average." Different benchmark, different ambition.