Sample size & confidence: when to trust a hive's score
Updated Aug 2026 · 5 min read
Three responses from a 300-seat account is an anecdote, not a score. BeeNPS computes, per hive, the minimum responses needed for a reliable read (roughly a ±10-point margin on the NPS scale, since NPS is a difference of proportions) at your chosen confidence level — and labels anything below it Low signal instead of pretending.
The table, live
People in hive
95% needs
98% needs
99% needs
10
10
10
10
25
24
24
25
50
45
46
47
100
80
85
88
250
152
172
182
500
218
261
286
Small hives need almost everyone — in a 10-person hive, one voice carries real weight. Big hives saturate fast: 500 seats need barely more than 200. The math is a finite-population-corrected sample size; 95% is the research standard.
Choosing a level
95% for everyday tracking. 98% when scores drive real decisions. 99% when a number ends up in a board deck. You pick once during onboarding and can raise it later.
The coverage column on your hives board shows exactly how many more responses each hive needs — and Send can target just those bees.