You know about CSAT and NPS, but have you ever measured the effort your customers have to make to interact with you?
The CES (Customer Effort Score) is perhaps the most underrated indicator of customer satisfaction. However, studies show that it is the best predictor of customer loyalty.
In this guide, learn everything about CES: its definition, how to calculate it, interpret it, and, above all, how to reduce customer effort.
The CES (Customer Effort Score) is an indicator that measures the level of effort a customer must exert to accomplish an action with your company: resolve a problem, obtain a response, make a purchase, etc.
The idea is simple: the less effort the customer has to make, the more likely they are to remain loyal.
CES was popularized in 2010 by the Harvard Business Review in the article "Stop Trying to Delight Your Customers." The conclusion? It's not by "blowing away" your customers that you build loyalty, but by simplifying their lives.
The standard CES question is:
To what extent do you agree with the following statement: [The company] made it easier for me to resolve my issue.
Responses are generally on a scale of 1 to 7:
Caution: depending on the wording, the interpretation of the score is reversed! Make sure you remain consistent.
The calculation of the CES is simple:
CES = Sum of scores / Number of respondents
You get an average between 1 and 7.
You send out a CES questionnaire after 100 support interactions. Here are the results:
CES = (10×1 + 5×2 + 10×3 + 15×4 + 20×5 + 25×6 + 15×7) / 100
CES = (10 + 10 + 30 + 60 + 100 + 150 + 105) / 100 = 4.65 / 7
Your CES is 4.65 out of 7.
The interpretation depends on your scale and wording:
The interpretation is reversed: a low score is positive.
These three metrics measure different things and are complementary:
Our recommendation: use CES after each support interaction, CSAT for various touchpoints, and NPS quarterly for the overall health of the relationship.
The CES is particularly relevant for support teams because:
According to the HBR study, 96% of customers who have had a high-effort experience become disloyal, compared to only 9% for a low-effort experience.
A customer who has struggled to resolve their issue will talk about it. A lot. And not in a good way.
Every friction is a potential reason to leave for a competitor.
Simplifying your processes is often less expensive than creating "wow" experiences.
Before reducing the effort, identify where it is located:
Resolve on first contact = minimal effort. Aim for a first contact resolution rate of over 70%.
Every minute of waiting increases the perceived effort. Intelligent automation helps enormously here.
A comprehensive and well-organized knowledge base enables customers to resolve simple issues on their own.
Customers should never have to repeat their history when switching channels. An omnichannel approach is essential.
Anticipating the following questions avoids back-and-forth communication.
Chatbots and AI can handle simple requests instantly, reducing the effort to zero for these cases.
That's exactly what AI-powered customer service automation delivers: instant, accurate responses that eliminate customer effort.
Timing is crucial for obtaining reliable data:
A CES of 4/7 means nothing to you if you don't know what type of interaction was evaluated. Segment your results!
"Ease" and "Effort" are reversed. Be consistent in your wording and interpretation.
The score is not enough. Ask "Why?" to understand the sources of effort.
A low CES without corrective action is a waste of time. Identify friction points and eliminate them.
CES alone does not provide a complete picture. Combine it with CSAT and NPS.
There are several solutions available for collecting and analyzing your NPS:
An e-commerce company measures a CES of 3.2/7 on its support interactions. After analyzing the verbatim comments, the following problems were identified:
Actions implemented:
Result after 3 months: CES increased to 5.8/7 (+81%).
On a scale of 1-7 (7 = easy), aim for at least 5. Above 6 is excellent.
No, they are complementary. CES measures effort, CSAT measures emotional satisfaction.
Minimum of 30 responses per segment you wish to analyze.
Yes! A customer may be satisfied with the end result but have found the process painful.
Absolutely. The effort is just as important (if not more so) in B2B relationships.
The CES (Customer Effort Score) reminds you of a simple truth: your customers don't want to be "blown away," they want it to be easy.
The keys to a successful CES:
Ready to reduce your customers' effort? Discover how Klark can help you.
