How to Calculate Customer Effort Score (CES)

Customer Effort Score (CES) measures how much effort customers must expend to accomplish a goal when interacting with your company - whether resolving an issue, completing a purchase, or getting a question answered. It is calculated by asking customers to rate the ease of their experience on a numeric scale, typically 1-5 or 1-7, then averaging the responses. CES is a powerful predictor of customer loyalty because research shows that reducing customer effort increases repurchase rates and reduces churn more effectively than exceeding expectations.

CES Formula

The standard CES calculation:

CES = Sum of all response scores / Number of responses

The survey question typically follows this format:

"[Company] made it easy for me to [handle my issue / complete my purchase / find what I needed]."

Response scale: 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 7 (Strongly Agree)

Step-by-Step Calculation

Step 1: Choose Your Scale

Common CES scales:

Scale Type	Range	Interpretation
7-point Likert	1-7	1 = High effort, 7 = Low effort
5-point Likert	1-5	1 = Very difficult, 5 = Very easy
1-10 scale	1-10	1 = Very difficult, 10 = Very easy

The 7-point scale is most common and provides good granularity.

Step 2: Design the Survey Question

Frame the question around ease of experience:

• "[Company] made it easy to resolve my issue." (Support)
• "It was easy to complete my purchase." (E-commerce)
• "Finding the information I needed was easy." (Self-service)

Step 3: Collect Responses

Survey customers immediately after interactions:

• Post-support ticket resolution
• Post-purchase confirmation
• Post-onboarding completion

Step 4: Calculate the Average

CES = (Sum of all scores) / (Number of responses)

Step 5: Segment and Analyze

Calculate CES by interaction type, channel, product, and customer segment to identify where effort is highest.

Example Calculation

CES survey after support interactions (7-point scale):

Score	Responses
7 (Strongly Agree)	85
6	120
5	95
4 (Neutral)	45
3	30
2	15
1 (Strongly Disagree)	10
Total	400

Total Score = (7x85) + (6x120) + (5x95) + (4x45) + (3x30) + (2x15) + (1x10)
Total Score = 595 + 720 + 475 + 180 + 90 + 30 + 10 = 2,100
CES = 2,100 / 400 = 5.25

A CES of 5.25 on a 7-point scale indicates moderately low effort - customers generally found it easy, but there's room for improvement.

Interpreting CES Scores

For a 7-point scale:

CES Range	Interpretation
6.0 - 7.0	Excellent - very low effort experience
5.0 - 5.9	Good - relatively easy interactions
4.0 - 4.9	Neutral - neither easy nor difficult
3.0 - 3.9	Concerning - customers experiencing friction
1.0 - 2.9	Critical - high effort, loyalty at risk

CES vs. Other Customer Metrics

Metric	Measures	Best Used For
CES	Ease of interaction	Transactional touchpoints, service interactions
NPS	Loyalty/recommendation likelihood	Overall relationship, brand advocacy
CSAT	Satisfaction with experience	General satisfaction, product feedback

These metrics complement each other:

• CES identifies friction in specific interactions
• CSAT measures satisfaction with those interactions
• NPS captures overall relationship strength

Common CES Mistakes

Mistake 1: Generic Question Framing

Asking "How easy was your experience?" is too vague. Specify exactly what interaction you're measuring - support resolution, purchase completion, information finding.

Mistake 2: Delayed Surveys

Sending CES surveys days after an interaction produces inaccurate responses. Customers forget effort details quickly. Survey immediately or within hours.

Mistake 3: Ignoring Low-Response Segments

If certain customer segments or channels have low survey response rates, CES may not reflect their true experience. Monitor response rates by segment.

Mistake 4: Scale Confusion

Mixing scales (some surveys 1-5, others 1-7) makes aggregation impossible. Standardize on one scale organization-wide.

Mistake 5: Missing the "Why"

CES numbers alone don't explain friction sources. Always include a follow-up question asking customers to explain their rating.

CES Survey Best Practices

Timing

Send immediately after interaction completion:

• Support tickets: When marked resolved
• Purchases: On order confirmation page or email
• Onboarding: After key milestone completion

Channel Matching

Survey through the same channel as the interaction:

• Chat support: In-chat survey
• Email support: Email survey
• Phone support: SMS or email within minutes

Keep It Short

CES surveys should be brief:

1. CES rating question
2. Open-ended follow-up (optional but valuable)
3. One additional segmentation question if needed

Long surveys reduce response rates and data quality.

CES in Context-Aware Analytics

metric:
  name: Customer Effort Score
  description: Average ease rating for customer interactions
  calculation: |
    AVG(effort_score) WHERE survey_type = 'CES'
  scale: 1-7 (7 = lowest effort)
  survey_question: "[Company] made it easy to [accomplish goal]"
  dimensions: [interaction_type, channel, product, customer_segment]
  timing: Post-interaction, within 24 hours
  owner: customer_experience_team
  refresh: daily

With governed CES definitions, you ensure consistent measurement across touchpoints and valid trend analysis over time.

Reducing Customer Effort

Self-Service Optimization

Most customers prefer self-service when it works. Invest in:

• Searchable knowledge bases
• Intuitive FAQs
• Clear product documentation

First-Contact Resolution

Customers forced to contact support multiple times experience high effort. Track and optimize first-contact resolution rate.

Channel Continuity

Don't make customers repeat information when switching channels. Unified customer context reduces effort.

Proactive Communication

Anticipate customer needs before they become problems. Proactive updates reduce inbound support volume and effort.

Process Simplification

Audit customer journeys for unnecessary steps. Every form field, click, or waiting period adds effort.

CES is a powerful metric because it focuses on what customers actually experience rather than abstract satisfaction or loyalty concepts. By measuring and reducing effort at key touchpoints, organizations create experiences that retain customers and build long-term loyalty.