CES Calculator
Measure how easy it is for customers to interact with your company. Enter your survey responses to calculate your Customer Effort Score instantly.
Your CES Score
65.0%
Needs Improvement
Total
100
Agree %
65.0%
Disagree %
35.0%
What is Customer Effort Score (CES)?
Customer Effort Score is a service metric that measures how much effort a customer has to put in to get an issue resolved, a request fulfilled, or a product used. The concept was introduced by the Corporate Executive Board (now part of Gartner) in a landmark Harvard Business Review study that found reducing customer effort is a stronger driver of loyalty than exceeding expectations.
CES surveys typically ask customers to rate the statement "The company made it easy for me to handle my issue" on a 1-7 Likert scale. Responses of 5, 6, and 7 are counted as "Agree," meaning the customer found the experience low-effort. The percentage of Agree responses out of total responses becomes your CES score.
How CES is Calculated
The CES formula is straightforward. After collecting survey responses on a 7-point scale, count all responses that scored 5, 6, or 7 (the "Agree" group). Then divide by total responses and multiply by 100.
CES = (Agree Responses / Total Responses) x 100
For example, if you survey 200 customers and 140 rate 5, 6, or 7, your CES is (140 / 200) x 100 = 70%. That means 70% of customers found their experience easy, which is an excellent score.
CES Score Benchmarks
Understanding where your score falls helps you prioritize improvements. Here are the general benchmarks for Customer Effort Score:
| CES Range | Rating | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| 70% + | Excellent | Most customers find interactions effortless |
| 50% - 70% | Needs Improvement | A notable share of customers struggle with your processes |
| Below 50% | Poor | Majority of customers face high effort, risking churn |
CES vs CSAT vs NPS
CES, CSAT, and NPS each measure a different dimension of the customer experience. Using them together gives you a complete picture of customer health.
- CES (Customer Effort Score): Measures ease of a specific interaction. Best used after support tickets, onboarding, or checkout flows. Predicts loyalty through friction reduction.
- CSAT (Customer Satisfaction): Measures satisfaction with a product, service, or interaction. Best used after purchases or feature launches. Captures how happy customers feel right now.
- NPS (Net Promoter Score): Measures willingness to recommend your product. Best used quarterly or annually. Captures overall brand sentiment and growth potential.
Research suggests CES is the strongest predictor of repurchase behavior. Customers who have low-effort experiences are 94% more likely to repurchase, while high-effort experiences drive 81% of customers to speak negatively about the company.
When to Use CES
CES works best when measured immediately after a specific customer interaction. The most common trigger points include:
- After support interactions: Did the customer resolve their issue easily? Send the survey right after the ticket is closed.
- Post-onboarding: Was the setup process straightforward? Measure effort within the first week of sign-up.
- After a purchase or checkout: Did the buying process have unnecessary steps? Survey right after order confirmation.
- Following self-service actions: Could the customer find answers in your help center without contacting support?
- After product updates: Did a new feature or redesign make things easier or harder for users?
Avoid sending CES surveys for general sentiment. That is what NPS is for. CES is most valuable when tied to a specific, recent experience.
How to Reduce Customer Effort
A low CES score is a clear signal that your processes are creating friction. Here are proven strategies to bring it up:
- Simplify your processes: Audit every customer-facing workflow. Remove unnecessary steps, reduce form fields, and eliminate redundant confirmations.
- Invest in self-service: Build a comprehensive knowledge base and FAQ section. Most customers prefer solving issues on their own if the resources are available.
- Reduce channel switching: If a customer starts in chat, resolve it in chat. Forcing them to call or email separately is one of the biggest effort drivers.
- Collect feedback at every touchpoint: Use tools like feeqd to gather real-time feedback and identify exactly where friction occurs.
- Act on low scores immediately: Set up alerts for low CES responses. Follow up within 24 hours to understand what went wrong and resolve the issue.
- Train your team on first-contact resolution: Every escalation or callback adds effort. Empower frontline teams to resolve issues on the first interaction.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you calculate customer effort score?
Ask customers to rate the statement "The company made it easy for me to handle my issue" on a 1-7 scale. Count responses that scored 5, 6, or 7 as "Agree." Then divide the number of Agree responses by total responses and multiply by 100. For example, 65 Agree out of 100 total gives a CES of 65%.
What is a good customer effort score?
A CES of 70% or higher is considered excellent and indicates that most customers find it easy to interact with your company. Scores between 50% and 70% suggest room for improvement. Below 50% signals serious friction in your customer experience that needs immediate attention.
What is the difference between CES and CSAT?
CES measures how easy it was for a customer to complete a specific task or resolve an issue. CSAT measures overall satisfaction with a product or interaction. CES is typically more predictive of future loyalty because reducing effort has a stronger impact on retention than increasing delight.
What is the CES scoring system?
The standard CES uses a 7-point Likert scale from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 7 (Strongly Agree). Responses of 5-7 count as "Agree" (low effort). Responses of 1-3 count as "Disagree" (high effort). The score of 4 is neutral. The final CES percentage is calculated from the Agree group.
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