Imagine you could predict your organization's growth trajectory by asking just one straightforward question.
You actually can!
“How likely is it that you would recommend _______ to a friend or colleague?”
It’s a simple question, but it carries incredible weight.
You’ve likely heard of the Net Promoter Score (NPS), as it’s the most well-known metric for customer experience and loyalty. Whether the subject is a favorite local restaurant, an online store, or a long-term business partner, this single question cuts through marketing noise to measure the one fundamental factor that actually drives growth: trust.
How exactly does this single question translate into actionable data?
When responses are collected and analyzed as a whole, they form the Net Promoter Score (NPS). In a world where 83% of people trust recommendations from friends and family more than any advertisement, the NPS isn't just a number — it’s a pulse check on trust and loyalty.
The scoring system categorizes respondents into three distinct groups:
The final NPS is calculated by subtracting the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters. The result offers a clear, quantifiable look at a company’s overall customer sentiment.
In the world of NPS, a "good" grade looks a bit different than it did in school.
The scale runs from -100 to +100. Any score above 0 means a company has more Promoters than Detractors, which is generally considered good. Hitting +50 is excellent. Anything +70 or above earns recognition as world-class.
However, context is everything. An NPS only tells the full story when compared to industry averages. As of 2026, general consumer-facing and financial sectors show the following results:
CustomerGauge: Insurance NPS Benchmarks (25 Scores + Industry Guide)
While general benchmarks provide a baseline, specialized B2B service providers operate in a separate environment. In professional partnerships, a "9" or "10" is often more difficult to earn because business clients set a rigorous standard for a top rating.
Why? Well, for one thing, their own reputations are on the line when they choose a partner.
Interestingly, when those high standards are met, the resulting customer loyalty often runs deeper and remains more stable.
As of 2026, the B2B Insurance category averages +46 — surpassing the overall insurance sector average of +35.
Retently: What is a Good Net Promoter Score? (2025 NPS Benchmark)
State National first introduced the NPS question in our Annual Survey of Service Quality back in 2017. We started strong with an initial score of +68 — and since then, we’ve consistently outperformed industry benchmarks year after year.
While the average for B2B insurance currently sits at +46, State National’s latest results remain in the +80s. We first reached this milestone in 2020 and have maintained it every single year since.
We highly value this metric because it confirms we are delivering on the high service levels we promise. But we don’t treat it as a finish line. Rather, we use these insights as a baseline for constant evolution, ensuring we never stop improving our solutions to exceed the expectations of our clients and their borrowers.
State National conducts the Survey of Service Quality every year to evaluate our performance from our partners' perspective. While NPS is one key metric we track, the survey goes beyond a single number providing direct, specific feedback on service, communication, technology, and program support that helps guide our priorities.
These survey results provide a roadmap for continuous improvement, offering opportunities to innovate, remove obstacles, and enhance efficiencies in the insurance tracking and portfolio protection process. This commitment to continuous improvement is backed by our ongoing technology investments, which we identify and design specifically to improve the experience and results of every partner.
"We don't just track insurance and protect portfolios; we build lasting partnerships. Our client and borrower surveys are a primary way we decide where to go next. When our partners tell us what they need, we listen, we invest, and we evolve. That's how we stay at a world-class level and maintain our leadership in the industry.”
— Jeremy Clark, VP of Client Engagement, State National
The next time you see that "likelihood to recommend" question from a business, remember that your feedback is a powerful tool for their growth. The data they receive is used to make significant business decisions, ensuring that service providers continue to evolve alongside the specific needs of their clients.
While we're proud of our NPS results, we know that a score is only as good as the action it triggers. NPS data is the roadmap, but execution is the destination. For over 50 years, and through nearly a decade of NPS measurement, our focus has remained the same: using partner feedback to build better results.
Trust drives growth: The Net Promoter Score simplifies complex customer sentiment into a single, powerful metric that measures trust and loyalty.
Categories matter: Understanding the difference between Promoters, Passives, and Detractors helps a company identify exactly where to focus improvement efforts.
Context is crucial: Always evaluate a score against specific industry NPS benchmarks, especially in the demanding B2B sector.
Data demands action: A high score is excellent, but using the feedback to refine operations and enhance portfolio protection is where the true value lies.
Partnerships require evolution: Continuous listening leads to smarter technology investments and stronger, more resilient business relationships.
The real value of our Annual Survey of Service Quality, including the NPS, lies in the honest feedback our partners provide. It gives us the "why" behind the score.
Maintaining a score in the +80s isn't simply about hitting a numerical target. It proves that we have built a culture where the client's voice is the loudest one in the room. We hear you, and we are building the future of our service around exactly what you need to succeed.