Measure how easy it is for customers to get things done
A CES survey (Customer Effort Score) helps you understand how much effort customers need to complete a task — from onboarding to resolving support issues.
- Identify friction in onboarding and support journeys.
- Reduce churn by removing unnecessary effort.
- Track ease-of-use trends over time.
Customer Effort Score explained
CES measures how easy or difficult it was for a customer to complete a specific task. Lower effort strongly correlates with higher retention and loyalty.
A typical CES question looks like:
“How easy was it to resolve your issue today?”
Customers respond on a scale (for example from “Very difficult” to “Very easy”).
CES is especially useful when customers are actively trying to get something done. Even small sources of friction can have an outsized impact on satisfaction and churn.
Why effort matters
Customers don’t necessarily expect delight — but they do expect things to be easy. Removing friction often delivers bigger gains than adding features.
The best moments to run a CES survey
Onboarding flows
Identify where new users get stuck and which steps cause unnecessary confusion or delay.
Support interactions
Measure how easy it was for customers to resolve an issue — not just whether they’re satisfied.
Process changes
Validate whether changes to workflows, pricing or policies reduce or increase effort.
CES survey questions answered
What does CES measure?
CES measures how easy or difficult it was for a customer to complete a specific task or interaction.
What is a good CES score?
Lower effort is better. Benchmarks vary by scale, but trends over time are usually more important than absolute numbers.
Should CES replace NPS or CSAT?
No. CES complements NPS and CSAT by focusing on effort rather than loyalty or satisfaction.
Compare CES with other survey types
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