Twenty customers complete a CES survey after contacting support. The survey uses a 5-point labelled scale, where 5 is "Extremely easy" and 1 is "Not at all easy." Sixteen customers select either "Extremely easy" or "Very easy." CES = 16 / 20 × 100 = 80%. That result means 80% of respondents found the interaction easy, which is a strong score on this scale.
Customer Effort Score (CES)
Last updated: Aug 25, 2026
What is Customer Effort Score?
Customer Effort Score (CES) is a measure of how easy or difficult it is for customers to interact with your company, whether that means making a purchase, accessing a free trial, resolving a problem, navigating your website, or getting something done in your product. CES is measured by surveying customers after a specific interaction and asking them to rate how easy or difficult it was to accomplish their goal. High-effort interactions, ones that make customers repeat information, deal with multiple people or screens, or search through irrelevant content, are the primary driver of disloyalty.
Customer Effort Score Formula
ƒ Count of responses in the top 2 positive categories / Count of valid responses × 100
How to calculate Customer Effort Score
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What is a good Customer Effort Score benchmark?
CES scores vary depending on the survey scale and question wording used. On a labelled 5-point scale, where 5 is "Extremely easy," a score in the top two categories ("Extremely easy" or "Very easy") is considered a good result. Gartner research indicates that a low-effort experience keeps disloyalty at 9%, while a high-effort experience drives disloyalty to 96%. Benchmarks are only meaningful when the scale and methodology match; do not compare scores across different survey formats.
How to visualize Customer Effort Score?
You can use a line chart to see how your Customer Effort Score changes over time. You can also use this chart to identify and address any declines in trend.
Customer Effort Score visualization example
Customer Effort Score
Line Chart
Here's an example of how to visualize your Customer Effort Score data in a line chart over time.
Customer Effort Score
Chart
Measuring Customer Effort ScoreMore about Customer Effort Score
Why CES matters for customer loyalty
Effort is a stronger predictor of customer loyalty than satisfaction or delight. When customers encounter a problem and need to resolve it, they are four times more likely to become disloyal from the outset. The real risk is not just losing that customer; it is gaining one who speaks negatively about your brand.
Gartner research shows that a low-effort experience keeps disloyalty at 9%, while a high-effort experience drives disloyalty to 96%. That gap is why reducing friction is one of the highest-leverage moves a customer success team can make.
A secondary benefit: lower customer effort typically reduces your cost to serve. When customers can resolve issues quickly and independently, support volume drops.
How to run a CES survey
Present a statement, not a question, paired with a 5-point Likert scale. A well-structured prompt looks like this:
"Based on your most recent experience with [Company], please indicate how easy it was to accomplish your goal."
Response options on the scale:
Extremely easy
Very easy
Somewhat easy
Not very easy
Not at all easy
Decline to answer
Trigger the survey immediately after the interaction, while the experience is fresh. Keep the survey short, optimize for mobile, and always include a follow-up open-text question so you can act on specific feedback, not just the score.
CES vs. other customer metrics
CES is one of three widely used customer experience metrics. Each measures something different.
| Metric | What it measures | Best used after |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Effort Score (CES) | Ease of a specific interaction | A support ticket, purchase, or onboarding step |
| Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) | Satisfaction with a specific interaction | Any transactional touchpoint |
| Net Promoter Score (NPS) | Overall loyalty and likelihood to recommend | Periodic relationship check-ins |
According to Gartner research, CES is 40% more accurate than CSAT at predicting customer loyalty. That makes it the stronger choice when your goal is to identify and reduce friction in specific interactions.
Common pitfalls and limitations
CES is powerful for diagnosing friction points, but it has real limits.
It reflects a single interaction, not the full relationship. A customer who had one difficult experience may score low even if their overall relationship with your company is healthy. Avoid drawing conclusions about account health from a single CES data point.
Segmentation is harder than with other metrics. Because CES is tied to specific interactions, comparing scores across customer segments or product lines requires careful tagging at the survey level.
Scale inconsistency distorts comparisons. Some companies use a 5-point scale; others use 7-point or numeric scales. Benchmarks are only meaningful when the scale matches. Do not compare your CES against industry figures unless the methodology aligns.
Survey timing affects accuracy. A survey sent hours or days after an interaction captures a faded memory, not the actual experience. Trigger surveys as close to the interaction as possible.
Customer Effort Score Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good Customer Effort Score?
On a labelled 5-point scale, a good CES is one where the majority of respondents select "Extremely easy" or "Very easy." An 80% or higher rate in those top two categories is generally considered strong, though benchmarks vary by industry and survey methodology.
When should you use CES instead of CSAT or NPS?
Use CES immediately after a specific interaction, such as a support ticket, purchase, or onboarding step, when your goal is to measure friction. Use CSAT for general transactional satisfaction and NPS for periodic relationship-level loyalty checks.
How often should you survey customers for CES?
CES surveys should be triggered automatically after each qualifying interaction, not on a fixed schedule. Surveying immediately after the interaction captures the most accurate feedback.
Recommended resources related to Customer Effort Score
Check out this Harvard Business Review article revealing research findings from the Corporate Executive Board (CEB), now part of Gartner.Contributor
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