Glossary · CES
What is CES (Customer Effort Score)?
CES (Customer Effort Score) is a customer experience metric that measures how much effort a customer has to expend to resolve an issue, complete a purchase, or get a request handled. It is collected with a single survey question right after an interaction, and a lower effort score signals a smoother experience. Introduced in 2010 by the Corporate Executive Board (CEB) in a Harvard Business Review study, CES is widely used in support and contact center operations because low effort predicts customer loyalty more reliably than high satisfaction alone.
How CES works
CES is transactional: it is triggered immediately after a single touchpoint — a closed support ticket, a call, a checkout, or a self-service session — while the experience is fresh. The customer answers one question rating how easy that interaction was.
The most common modern phrasing is an agree/disagree statement such as: “The company made it easy for me to handle my issue.” Customers respond on a rating scale, and the team aggregates responses into a single score they can track over time and segment by channel, agent, or issue type.
How CES is calculated
CES uses one of two common rating scales, and the score is the simple average of all responses:
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Survey question | ”How easy was it to resolve your issue?” (or agree/disagree variant) |
| Scale (5-point) | 1 = Very easy → 5 = Very difficult |
| Scale (7-point) | 1 = Very easy → 7 = Very difficult |
| Formula | Sum of all responses ÷ number of respondents |
| Interpretation | Lower score = less effort = better experience |
Example: if 500 customers respond on a 1–5 scale and the responses total 2,500, the CES is 2,500 ÷ 500 = 5.0. On these “effort” scales a lower average is the goal — a typical good CES sits below 3 on either the 1–5 or 1–7 scale.
Note that some teams invert the scale so higher equals easier; always confirm scale direction before comparing scores across tools.
CES vs. CSAT vs. NPS
CES is one of three core CX metrics, and they answer different questions. Using them together gives a fuller picture than any one alone.
| Metric | Question it answers | Type | Scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| CES | How easy was it to get this done? | Transactional | 1–5 or 1–7 (effort) |
| CSAT | How satisfied are you with this interaction? | Transactional | usually 1–5 |
| NPS | How likely are you to recommend us? | Relational | 0–10 |
CSAT and CES are tied to a single touchpoint; NPS measures the overall relationship. CEB’s research found that reducing customer effort is more predictive of behavioral loyalty than driving high satisfaction, which is why support teams lean on CES alongside operational metrics like first contact resolution and AHT.
Where CES fits in a business phone and contact center
In a voice and contact center context, CES is most useful as a post-interaction pulse on the call and self-service experience. High-effort signals — repeat calls, transfers, long hold times, failed IVR self-service — drive CES the wrong way, so it pairs naturally with operational metrics:
- Pair with FCR: a resolved-on-first-contact call usually scores low effort; repeat contacts spike effort.
- Pair with AHT and transfers: each transfer or callback adds friction the customer feels.
- Channel-level CES: compare effort across phone, chat, SMS, and self-service to find the highest-friction channel.
- Trigger CES after ticket close: send the one-question survey by SMS or email the moment an interaction ends, while recall is accurate.
Because CES isolates effort rather than general happiness, it points operations teams to the specific journey steps worth fixing — routing, IVR design, knowledge gaps, and staffing — rather than vague satisfaction trends.
CES (Customer Effort Score) frequently asked questions
What is a Customer Effort Score (CES)?
CES is a customer experience metric that measures how much effort a customer had to put in to resolve an issue, complete a purchase, or get a request handled.
It is captured with a single post-interaction survey question, and a lower effort score indicates a smoother, easier experience that tends to drive loyalty.
How is Customer Effort Score calculated?
CES is the simple average of all survey responses: add up every response and divide by the number of respondents.
For example, 500 responses on a 1–5 scale totalling 2,500 give a CES of 5.0. On standard effort scales a lower average is better, and a good CES generally sits below 3 on a 1–5 or 1–7 scale.
What is the difference between CES, CSAT, and NPS?
CES measures how easy an interaction was, CSAT measures satisfaction with a specific interaction, and NPS measures the likelihood a customer recommends you overall.
CES and CSAT are transactional, tied to one touchpoint, while NPS is relational, tied to the whole relationship. Many teams track all three together for a complete view.
When was the Customer Effort Score introduced?
CES was introduced in 2010 by the Corporate Executive Board (CEB) in a Harvard Business Review study. The research argued that reducing customer effort is a stronger predictor of behavioral loyalty than maximizing customer satisfaction.
Why does CES matter for contact centers?
In a contact center, high effort shows up as repeat calls, transfers, long holds, and failed self-service — all of which erode loyalty.
Tracking CES alongside operational metrics like first contact resolution and average handle time pinpoints exactly which journey steps create friction, so teams can fix routing, IVR design, and knowledge gaps.
See how DialPhone fits
DialPhone’s contact center ties effort-reducing capabilities — skill-based routing, AI self-service, and first-contact resolution tooling — to the metrics that move CES, so teams can lower customer effort at the source rather than only measuring it after the fact.