Free CES Calculator
Calculate your Customer Effort Score and understand how easy your customer experience is.
Your CES Score
Average Score
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Low Effort %
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Total Responses
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High Effort
What is CES?
Customer Effort Score (CES) measures how easy it is for customers to interact with your company. It's based on the principle that customers are more loyal to companies that are easier to do business with.
The typical CES question is: "To what extent do you agree: [Company] made it easy for me to handle my issue."
Research shows that reducing customer effort is more effective at building loyalty than delighting customers with exceptional service.
CES vs CSAT vs NPS
| Metric | Measures | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| CES | Ease of experience | Support, onboarding, self-service |
| CSAT | Satisfaction with interaction | Post-purchase, post-support |
| NPS | Overall loyalty | Relationship health, brand perception |
When to Use CES
- After customer support interactions
- After completing onboarding
- After using self-service tools
- After making a purchase
- After updating account information
- After resolving a billing issue
Start measuring customer effort
Create simple CES surveys that help you identify and reduce friction points. Try it yourself 👇
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good CES score?
On a 7-point scale, an average CES of 5 or higher is good. 6+ is excellent. Below 4 indicates significant friction. For the percentage metric, aim for 70%+ of responses being "low effort."
Why is reducing effort better than delighting customers?
Research by CEB (now Gartner) found that reducing effort has 4x more impact on customer loyalty than exceeding expectations. Customers remember frustration more than delight.
Should I use CES or CSAT?
Use CES when you want to improve processes and reduce friction. Use CSAT when you want to measure satisfaction with a specific interaction. Many companies use both for different touchpoints.
How do I improve my CES score?
Focus on removing obstacles: simplify processes, reduce steps, improve self-service options, train support staff on first-contact resolution, and eliminate policies that create unnecessary friction.
How often should I measure CES?
Trigger CES surveys immediately after key interactions (support tickets, purchases, etc.). Avoid surveying the same customer too frequently — once per interaction type is usually sufficient.
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