Customer Effort Score – what is it and how do you measure it?

People don’t like to get tired, and when they become a customer, the reluctance to make an effort decreases. For this reason, the Customer Effort Score has been developed – a customer effort index that can help improve your business.

From this article you will learn:

• What is the Customer Effort Score?
• In which situations is customer effort measured?
• How do you calculate the Customer Effort Score?
• What should CES questions contain and when should you ask them?
• What can be gained from measuring customer effort?

Customer Effort Score – definition

Customer Effort Score (CES) is a measure used to assess how much effort a customer had to put in to achieve their goals when interacting with a brand. This can include buying a product, using customer service, solving a problem, etc. CES is used to understand how easy it is for customers to perform the desired action.

CES is often measured by simple surveys where customers are asked to rate their experience on a scale. For example, they might be asked, “How easy was it to solve your problem with us?” and asked to respond on a scale from 1 (very difficult) to 7 (very easy).

There is a lot of research suggesting that reducing customer effort can lead to greater customer loyalty and satisfaction, so many companies are focusing on optimising this metric. However, like any measure, CES should be used and interpreted in the context of other metrics, such as Net Promoter Score (NPS) or Customer Satisfaction (CSAT).

The Customer Effort Score (CES) is a method of measuring the amount of effort a customer has to put into interacting with a company to achieve their goals. It is a tool used to assess how easy it is for a customer to complete a task, such as buying a product, using a service or solving a problem.

Definition of Customer Effort Score

Application of Customer Effort Score

The Customer Effort Score (CES) is often used in various aspects of customer interaction, particularly in areas directly related to the customer’s brand experience. It is used in both B2C (Business-to-Consumer) and B2B (Business-to-Business) across all industries, from retail to financial services and technology. The most common applications are:

• Customer service – after a customer service interaction, such as a phone call or email, companies often send out CES surveys to find out how much effort customers have put into solving problems.
• Products/services – here companies may use CES to understand how easy their products or services are to use. For example, after purchasing a product or using a service, they can ask customers to complete a CES survey.
• Websites/apps – in this situation, CES can be used to assess how easy it is for users to use websites or apps. This could include assessing different activities, such as making a purchase, finding information or understanding instructions.
• Processes – CES can be used to assess different business processes, such as orders, returns or registrations.

Calculating Customer Effort Score

The Customer Effort Score (CES) is calculated based on customers’ responses to a specific question (or questions) about the effort they had to put into a particular interaction with a company. A typical question could be: “How much effort did it take for you to solve your problem with us?” or “How easy was it to use our services/products?”.

Customers are then asked to rate their experience on a specific scale. This can vary, but is often a scale from 1 to 7, where 1 means ‘very much effort’ and 7 means ‘very little effort’.

Once the responses have been collected, the CES is calculated by averaging the scores. For example, if a company received responses from 100 customers and the total score was 500, the CES is 500 / 100 = 5.

A higher CES score indicates less effort put in by the customer. However, such a scale can be confusing for some, so some companies choose to reverse the rating scale so that a higher score indicates more effort. The most important thing, however, is to apply the chosen method consistently and clearly communicate to customers how to interpret the scale.

Designing questions for the Customer Effort Score

When designing questions for the Customer Effort Score, it is worth paying attention to several factors:

• Understandable symbolism – if you want a more emotional or subjective feel for the customer, you can use symbols instead of a traditional numerical scale. Instead of asking for a rating from 1 to 7, you can ask the customer to select a symbol representing the level of effort, such as a smiley face (ease) or a sad face (difficulty).
• Simplifying questions – using symbols can be useful, especially if you want to simplify the customer’s response process. Symbols can be easier to understand and select, especially for customers who may have difficulty judging on a numerical scale.
• Fit with context and industry – in some industries and contexts, symbols may be more appealing to customers. For example, in the fashion industry, symbols that reflect customer satisfaction may be more intuitive and influence greater respondent engagement.
• Clarity and comprehensibility – ensure that the question is clear and understandable to respondents. Whether you choose a numerical scale or symbols, make sure the question is simple to interpret.
• Consistency with previous measurements – if you have previously used a numerical scale in customer surveys, it is worth using the same format so that results can be compared over time. Consistency of measurement will allow you to analyse trends and changes over time.

It is important to choose a measurement method that best fits your business, industry and research objectives. Conducting tests before implementing CES surveys can identify the method that is most effective for your target audience.

In addition to just defining the Customer Effort Score question, it is also worth considering the timing of the question. It can be asked at different stages of the customer path, depending on the purpose of the survey and the specifics of the interaction. Here are some possible variations:

• After a customer service interaction, you could ask the customer to rate the effort it took to solve their problem or get help from the team.
• After a purchase transaction, you could ask the customer about the ease of completing the transaction, from product selection to the payment process.
• After the website/app visit, which is particularly relevant for online businesses. The CES question can be asked after the customer has used the service, found the information needed or performed a specific action.
• At the end of the return/complaint process, it is useful to ask about the effort the customer had to put into the return process or problem resolution.
• At the end of the telephone or chat interaction, you can ask the customer to rate how easy it was to use this form of support.

It is worth noting that CES can be used as part of a longer survey exploring different aspects of the customer experience. The choice of a particular moment depends on the purpose of the measurement, the resources available, the customer interaction and the company’s expectations for analysing the results.

Benefits of using Customer Effort Score

The Customer Effort Score gives companies an insight into the customer experience when interacting with a company, allowing it to improve its performance in areas that cause difficulties or discourage customers. It is also a valuable tool in reducing churn rates. As high levels of effort often drive customers to move on to competitors, identifying and eliminating the points where customers have the most problems can lead to increased customer retention.

Measuring customer effort is also strongly linked to their loyalty to your brand. The less effort they put in, the more likely they are to return, make additional purchases and recommend the company to others. This can also contribute to overall satisfaction levels. Customers who achieve their goals effortlessly tend to be more satisfied with their brand experience.

CES is also useful for process optimisation. Based on information about customer effort, areas for improvement can be identified, which in turn leads to higher efficiency. CES can also be used to create a competitive advantage. By focusing on minimising customer effort, you can uncover areas where your company can excel, which increases the chances of market success.

However, it is worth remembering that, like any metric in customer service, CES should be used in conjunction with other metrics such as Net Promoter Score (NPS) or Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) to give a more complete picture of the customer experience.