2.1 Customer experience

Our customer value key performance indicators (KPIs) are the net promoter score (NPS) and delivery quality of Parcels and Mail in the Netherlands. These KPIs, including trends and explanations, are covered fully in the business report.

Net promoter score

In 2023, we switched to using net promoter score (NPS) to measure customer experience. We adopted the competitive net promoter score (cNPS) as our primary customer loyalty metric to align with our goal of delivering distinctive experiences. Regularly tracking NPS allows us to focus on enhancing customer experience, leading to actionable insights and improvements in services. Examples include innovating parcel returns, further development of our PostNL app for customers and introducing digital tracing for letterbox packages. We measured customer experience by cNPS twice in 2023, resulting in an average number one position. Our ambition is to maintain the average number one position in relevant markets.

The rise of omnichannel communication means that today’s customers interact with us through multiple channels and often switch between channels to track our services during the customer journey. For example, when receiving a parcel it is not uncommon for customers to use a combination of our website, the PostNL app, and our retail locations to interact with us or track their delivery.

This is why we are focusing on creating a unique and personalised customer experience that provides them with a uniform and consistent experience, no matter how, where or when they interact with us. More information on customer experience developments in 2023 can be found in the 'Customer value' chapter and 'Enhance customer interaction' section.

In the comparative analysis with our primary competitors, PostNL's performance is assessed twice per year across key segments, namely E-commerce , Letters Domestic, and Letters Cross-Border. To gauge customer experience, we calculate the cNPS twice a year, segmented by target audience and provider. The yearly score is determined by aggregating the NPS scores from the two assessments across predefined relevant markets and dividing by two.

PostNL's position relative to the primary competitor is established through annual rankings in each target audience. The cumulative rankings for the relevant markets are then averaged to determine an overall standing. This comprehensive evaluation provides valuable insights into PostNL's competitive positioning across diverse market segments.

Until 2022, we used customer satisfaction as a metric for the performance of customer experience. As we implemented the NPS metric from 2022, results of our prior method are not comparable with the results of the NPS score.