What is customer effort score (CES) and how to measure it?

“Your call is important to us. Please stay on the line while we transfer you to the next available agent.”

“Please hold while I transfer you to someone who can help.”

“Can you please restate your issue?”

These phrases are familiar to most people who have contacted customer support. For customers, these interactions can feel like jumping through hoops—waiting on hold, repeating the same details, and speaking to multiple agents to resolve a single issue. Each added step piles on more effort and, with it, more frustration. In today’s competitive landscape, frustrated customers move on to brands that make their lives easier.

That’s why top-performing companies track metrics like customer effort score (CES). In addition to measuring customer satisfaction, CES measures how easy or difficult it is for them to solve their problems. 

In this article, we’ll answer the common question, “What is  customer effort score?” We’ll also explain why it’s a crucial metric and how it can serve as a North Star for organizations committed to creating frictionless experiences.

What is customer effort score?

Customer effort score is a key performance indicator (KPI) that measures the level of effort customers must exert to resolve a problem, request information, or complete a transaction with a company. 

This single metric can have a ripple effect across company operations and success. A high customer effort score indicates that customers find it easy to interact with the brand, which often translates to greater loyalty, better retention rates, and a stronger reputation. On the other hand, a low customer effort score can expose pain points that might be pushing customers away.

Customers may experience unnecessary friction due to factors such as: 

• Complex or poorly designed self-service options. Inaccessible FAQs or confusing online resources can leave customers frustrated.

• Long wait times. Extended holds, whether on the phone or chat, make interactions feel cumbersome.

• Repetition of information. Having to explain an issue multiple times to different agents or across different channels.

• Inefficient problem resolution. Being transferred between departments without a clear path to resolution.

• Unintuitive digital experiences. Difficult navigation on websites, mobile apps, or online portals.

• Lack of proactive communication. Missing updates or unclear next steps that force customers to follow up repeatedly.

Unlike KPIs such as average handle time (AHT) or average wait time, customer effort score is entirely in the hands of the customer. It measures their perception of ease, not the company’s operational benchmarks. That’s why CES is so valuable. Even if a brand believes it has created a seamless customer experience, CES reveals how well that effort aligns with customer interactions. It’s the ultimate reality check and an indispensable tool for improving customer experience.

How to measure customer effort score.

Before organizations can improve customer effort, they need to understand it, and that starts with collecting the right data. Measuring customer effort score typically involves surveying customers about their experience. Using a customer feedback solution can streamline this process, allowing companies to gather, organize, and analyze insights that drive operational improvements.

To help collect actionable data, follow these customer survey best practices:

• Ask only what’s necessary. Keep surveys concise. Focus solely on questions that directly relate to customer effort and avoid adding extras that might confuse or fatigue respondents. For instance, instead of asking about unrelated product features, concentrate on a specific interaction or touchpoint. 

• Phrase questions effectively.  Use straightforward, specific language that leaves no room for ambiguity. For example, a question like, “How easy was it to resolve your issue today?” is clear and to the point, whereas “What are your thoughts on today’s interaction?” might lead to vague or irrelevant answers.

• Time it right. Send surveys immediately after a customer completes a key interaction, such as resolving a support issue, making a purchase, or completing a product setup. These moments are when the experience is freshest in their minds, leading to more detailed and honest responses.

• Limit survey frequency. Avoid overwhelming customers with too many surveys. Aim for periodic surveys, such as quarterly or yearly, and prioritize moments when feedback is most valuable.

• Leverage the right scale. A simple, intuitive response scale makes it easier for customers to provide input. Use scales like 1 to 5 or 1 to 7, with clear labels such as “very difficult” and “very easy.” Avoid overly complex scales that might confuse respondents or make them second-guess their choices

• Optimize for mobile. With over half of all online interactions now happening on mobile devices, people are more likely to answer surveys on their phones or tablets. Streamline surveys by removing extra elements like logos, unrelated text, and external links. Arrange the response options so that positive choices are listed first and negative ones appear at the bottom.

Once collected, customer effort score (CES) data can be analyzed to identify friction points and opportunities, enabling data-driven changes that enhance interactions, reduce churn, and build long-term loyalty.

Calculating customer effort score.

Measuring customer effort depends on how the data is collected and the specific questions asked in surveys. The two most popular formulas used to calculate customer effort score are as follows:

1. Open-ended CES survey formula.

The sum of CES ratings ÷ Number of survey responses = CES

This formula is used with survey responses that don’t include a numbered response (e.g. rating customer satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 10).

Examples of open-ended customer effort score survey questions:

• Which product features have had the greatest ROI for your business?

• What’s one thing you would change about your experience with our company and why?

• What additional support would have helped you resolve your issue more efficiently?

• What specific challenges did you face while resolving your issue with us?

• What part of the process felt the most time-consuming or frustrating, and why?

• What stood out to you as particularly smooth or effortless during this interaction?

2. Scaled CES survey formula.

Percentage of positive responses – Percentage of negative responses = CES

This formula is used with survey responses that include a numbered response, or any responses on a scale (e.g. customers who rate customer effort on a scale from 1 to 10 or customers who rate customer effort on an emoji scale).

Examples of scaled customer effort score survey questions:

• On a scale from 1 to 10, how easy was it to resolve your issue today?

• How much effort was required to connect with the right agent? (1 = very low effort, 5 = very high effort)

• Rate the ease of using our self-service tools to resolve your issue. (1 = very difficult, 5 = very easy)

• On a scale of 1 to 10, how easy was it to reach the support team using your preferred channel?

• How did your recent customer support experience make you feel? Choose one: 🙁 , 😕 , 😐 , 🙂 , 😀.

What is a good customer effort score?

There isn’t a standard benchmark for good customer effort score, as different companies use different scales. Some measure on a 1-5 or 1-7 scale, while others use simple indicators like happy and sad faces, eliminating the need for numbers. A high score indicates a smooth and easy experience for customers. On the other hand, a low score suggests customers find that processes and support are challenging—areas that need attention to avoid customer frustration and potential churn. In general, aiming for the top 20% of a chosen scale is preferred. For instance, on a scale of 1-7, a good CES translates to 5.6 or above.

Improving CES is about acting on what customers are saying. Regularly review customer effort score data to spot common issues like long wait times or confusing processes, and take steps to fix them. 

How to improve customer effort score.

When customers put in less effort to solve their problems, they’re more likely to view the brand positively, remain loyal, and recommend the company to others. Let’s break down seven helpful ways agents can improve their customer effort score:

1. Analyze the entire customer experience without bias.

Organizations need to take an unbiased look at the entire customer journey to improve customer effort score and address high-friction points, like long wait times, repeated handoffs, or confusing digital interfaces. Customer experience analytics tools allow companies to evaluate every channel, from SMS to voice calls, and understand how customers interact with their brand. This data-driven approach reveals inefficiencies and opportunities to streamline processes.

2. Automate, automate, automate.

Automation is integral to reducing customer effort. Self-service chatbot solutions enable customers to quickly resolve simple issues on their own. 24/7 availability ensures customers aren’t left waiting when contact centers are closed. Automation also alleviates pressure on human agents by reducing queue times and freeing them to focus on more complex, high-value tasks leading to faster resolutions and improved customer satisfaction.

3. Make every agent the best agent.

Great training is the first step to turning agents into productivity powerhouses. When agents are confident in their skills, know their way around the products, and understand how to handle tricky situations with empathy they can tackle customer issues quickly. 

However, training can only go so far. To truly make every agent shine, they need the right tools to back them up. AI-powered assistants offer real-time guidance, suggest answers and all the information agents need to solve problems on the spot. This helps improve first contact resolution (FCR)—a key metric that shows how often issues get resolved in one instance. With AI-powered assistants, agents can skip the hold music, avoid unnecessary transfers, and make life easier for customers.

4. Add channels to reduce average wait times.

Long hold times can turn the most patient customers into frustrated ones. When customers spend extended periods waiting on the phone—sometimes for hours—they’re already in a bad mood before even speaking to an agent. This frustration often spills over into their perception of the entire interaction, negatively impacting customer effort scores. 

One way to tackle this issue is by offering a wide range of outreach channels. An omnichannel engagement solution allows customers to choose their preferred way to connect with a brand. An omnichannel strategy also creates a faster, seamless experience by transferring context and knowledge across channels. For instance, if a customer starts a conversation on live chat and later calls for further assistance, the agent already has the necessary background information. As a result, customers don’t have to repeat themselves and agents can solve issues without delay.

5. Personalize the customer experience.

Personalization is key to reducing effort and creating a more seamless customer journey. Tailoring interactions based on a customer’s history, preferences, and past interactions can eliminate repetitive questions and make the process feel smoother. For example, implementing CRM systems that provide agents with complete customer profiles enables faster, more accurate solutions.

Imagine a customer reaches out to schedule a service appointment for a recently purchased product. With a CRM, the agent can see the purchase details, warranty coverage, and any previous inquiries. Using this information, the agent can suggest available time slots, confirm warranty eligibility, and address potential issues the customer may not have mentioned yet. 

6. Proactively address customer needs.

Anticipating customer issues before they arise is another effective way to reduce effort. Proactive measures, such as sending reminders, offering troubleshooting tips, or alerting customers to potential delays can prevent issues from escalating. For instance, notifying a customer about a potential delivery delay and providing alternative solutions ahead of time minimizes the need for them to reach out for support. Proactive communication fosters trust, reduces friction, and makes sure customers feel supported.

7. Act on customer feedback.

Regularly collecting and acting on customer feedback is essential for improving customer effort score. Insights from surveys, support interactions, and social media can reveal common pain points, such as unclear processes or gaps in support resources. For instance, if feedback highlights confusion around a product’s setup process, creating step-by-step video guides or improving instructions can make a big difference. Showing customers that their feedback leads to real improvements reinforces their loyalty to the brand.

Why customer effort score matters across industries.

Customer effort score isn’t just a one-size-fits-all metric but a versatile tool that helps businesses across industries identify and reduce friction in interactions. While the concept remains consistent, its application varies based on the unique challenges and needs of each industry.

Retail and ecommerce.

In retail and ecommerce, customers expect quick and seamless transactions, whether they’re shopping in-store or online. Long checkout times, unclear return policies, or difficulties navigating ecommerce websites can lead to high customer effort and lost sales. By tracking customer effort scores, retailers can pinpoint bottlenecks, such as confusing site navigation or lengthy customer support wait times, and implement solutions like automated chatbots or streamlined return processes to reduce effort and boost satisfaction.

Healthcare.

Patients often face complex systems for booking appointments, accessing test results, or resolving billing issues in the healthcare industry. High-effort interactions in this sector can lead to stress and dissatisfaction, especially when dealing with sensitive health matters. Customer effort score helps healthcare providers identify pain points—like lengthy hold times or confusing patient portals—and prioritize improvements that make accessing care easier, such as intuitive online scheduling systems or automated reminders.

Hospitality and travel.

In hospitality and travel, seamless customer experiences are essential, as customers often juggle tight schedules, special requests, or unexpected disruptions. High-effort interactions—such as struggling to change a reservation, unclear cancellation policies, or long waits for customer service—can damage a brand’s reputation. By measuring customer effort score, hospitality and travel companies can identify these friction points and address them with solutions like self-service options, user-friendly booking platforms, and AI-powered assistants that provide real-time updates on travel plans.

Finance.

For financial businesses, customers often face challenges like navigating complex loan applications, understanding investment options, or resolving disputes with billing or account errors. Measuring customer effort score allows financial institutions to identify and address these pain points, such as improving clarity in application processes, offering AI-powered chatbots for quick account assistance, or enabling seamless cross-channel communication for issue resolution.

Government and education.

In government and education, making interactions simple and accessible is essential for building trust and ensuring people get the help they need. Whether it’s a citizen trying to navigate a website to apply for a permit or a student figuring out financial aid, these processes can often feel confusing and time-consuming. By using customer effort scores, organizations can pinpoint where things go wrong—like unclear instructions or long wait times—and fix them with better self-service tools, clearer communication, and faster responses.

What other KPIs can companies measure for customer satisfaction?

While customer effort score provides valuable insights into how easy it is for customers to interact with a brand, it’s just one piece of the puzzle. To gain a more holistic understanding of customer satisfaction, organizations should measure customer effort scores alongside other KPIs that capture different aspects of the customer experience. 

Consider these other important KPIs:

• Customer satisfaction (CSAT). Measures customers’ overall satisfaction with a specific interaction, product, or service, typically through post-interaction surveys.

• Net Promoter Score (NPS). Gauges customer loyalty by asking how likely customers are to recommend a brand to others. NPS is a powerful metric for assessing long-term satisfaction and contact center efficiency.

• Customer lifetime value (CLV). Indicates the total revenue a company can expect from a single customer over their relationship with the brand, highlighting the financial impact of customer satisfaction.

• First contact resolution (FCR). Tracks how often customer issues are resolved in a single interaction, a key indicator of agent effectiveness and ease of service.

• Average handle time (AHT). Measures the average time it takes to resolve a customer query, balancing speed and quality to optimize the customer experience.

• Average wait time. Refers to the time customers spend waiting to connect with a support agent, highlighting areas to improve response efficiency.

• Average abandonment rate. Tracks the percentage of customers who disconnect or abandon their interaction before resolution.

Explore tools to improve customer effort scores and empower your agents.

For leading organizations, reducing customer effort score often comes down to adopting the right technology to deliver a smarter customer experience. AI-powered solutions are at the heart of this transformation. These tools enable customers to troubleshoot issues on their own, provide real-time support to agents during interactions, and intelligently route customers to the appropriate agent or self-service option based on their specific needs.

A single contact center solution that integrates all these AI capabilities offers unparalleled value. Beyond AI, the right platform also connects seamlessly with other tools an organization already uses. 

Ready to make customer interactions effortless? Explore how an all-in-one AI contact center solution can transform customer experience, reduce customer effort score, and strengthen brand loyalty.