Net Promoter Score (NPS) for Veterinary Practices: How Likely Are Your Clients to Refer You?

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “How are we really doing in the eyes of our clients?” you’re not alone. Most veterinary practice owners I talk to know when business is steady and when reviews are positive, but they’re not always sure how to quantify client loyalty. They might rely on intuition, or they assume that if complaints are low and the phones are ringing, things must be fine.

But here’s the thing: satisfied clients aren’t necessarily loyal clients. They might be content, but they’re not going out of their way to tell others about your practice. That’s where Net Promoter Score, or NPS, comes in. It’s one simple question that opens a clear window into client sentiment: “On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our practice to a friend or colleague?”

It’s deceptively simple, but the insight it provides can be a game changer. When a client gives you a 9 or 10, they’re considered a promoter — someone who’s not only happy with your services but actively enthusiastic about sharing your name. A 7 or 8 is a passive — satisfied, but not necessarily loyal. A 6 or below? That’s a detractor. Maybe they didn’t have a terrible experience, but something was off enough that they wouldn’t put their name behind a recommendation.

When you start measuring NPS consistently, you start to see trends that no other client satisfaction method quite captures. It’s not about whether someone got what they came in for. It’s about whether they trust you enough to put their own reputation on the line. That’s a much higher bar. And when someone answers that question with hesitation or scores you low, that’s an opportunity — not for blame or shame, but for clarity. It tells you something was missing, and now you get to find out what.

I’ve worked with practices that used NPS as the foundation for real, meaningful culture change. Not because they were failing, but because they wanted to understand the “why” behind their client retention. Why some clients raved, and others quietly disappeared. When you take that NPS feedback and dig just a little deeper. A quick follow-up that says, “We’d love to know more about your experience” — you open the door to honest conversations. And those conversations lead to better systems, stronger teams, and more consistent client satisfaction. I have seen where some clients know your prices are higher than average but really appreciate the value of care, however, the demographics of those they would have the opportunity to refer do not have the disposable means.

I’m not saying every veterinary practice needs to turn into a data lab. But a quarterly or even semi-annual NPS survey? That’s a small lift with a big payoff. It gives your team a clear benchmark. It helps you spot what’s working and where things are slipping. And best of all, when you start to see those scores tick upward, it confirms what you hoped was true: that your clients trust you enough to recommend you, and that your efforts to create a compassionate, professional, client-centered practice are paying off.

This survey could be scheduled to arrive 6 months from their annual well/ vaccine visit or quarterly/annually for everyone.  It also plants the seed that you would like them to refer business to you even though you are asking for feedback for practice improvement.  Additionally, if the reason the above client doesn’t refer your practice due to price it is a form of feedback as to whether you need to adjust your pricing or target a different demographic with your marketing.

At the end of the day, growth isn’t just about Google ads and wellness plan promotions. It’s about clients who believe in you so much that they tell someone else, “You should take your pet there or call this equine/large animal vet – they show up and take great care of my animal.” That kind of trust can’t be bought — it has to be earned. And NPS is one of the simplest, most honest ways to find out if you’ve earned it. Plus there is an upside marketing benefit as well as keeping your practice name in your client’s mind knowing that you care about them.