CES: Customer Effort Score

What is CES

CES (Customer Effort Score) is a metric that measures customer effort. It is used in customer relationship management to evaluate how easy it is for customers to interact with a company when making purchases, receiving services, or requesting support. CES surveys ask customers how easy or difficult it was to complete a task or resolve an issue with the company.

A CES survey typically asks a question like: "Based on your most recent experience, how easy was it to resolve your issue or complete your task?" with response options on a scale (e.g., from "very easy" to "very difficult"). The goal is to identify areas where the company can improve processes or interfaces to make customer interactions more efficient and less time-consuming.

What CES is Used For

The CES metric is used for various purposes, the main ones including:

1. Improving the user experience. CES helps companies understand how easy or difficult it is for customers to achieve their goals, such as making a purchase, using a service, or getting support. This insight allows companies to enhance the user experience by reducing the effort required from the customer.
2. Increasing customer loyalty. Research shows that customers who find it easy to interact with a company are more likely to remain loyal. Reducing customer effort can decrease churn and increase repeat purchases and positive feedback.
3. Identifying problem areas. CES can highlight specific aspects of products, services, or processes that are causing difficulties for customers, allowing for targeted improvements.
4. Optimizing customer interactions. Based on CES data, companies can optimize their service processes, user interfaces, and policies to make interactions more efficient and enjoyable.
5. Data-driven decision-making. CES provides quantitative data that supports informed decision-making regarding product, service, and user experience improvements.
6. Reducing customer churn. Understanding and reducing the effort customers need to exert can help prevent churn, as frustrated customers may look for alternatives.
7. Benchmarking. CES can be used to compare customer effort levels across departments or with competitors, helping set service standards and aim for leadership in customer experience.

How CES is Calculated

The CES metric is calculated based on the ratings customers give in response to how easy or difficult it was to interact with the company or resolve their issue. Responses are typically collected using a numerical scale, such as from 1 to 7, where 1 means "very difficult" and 7 means "very easy." The CES formula looks like this:

CES = Sum of all customer ratings / Number of customer responses

Example:

Suppose you conduct a CES survey among customers after they use your support service. Five customers participate and give the following ratings on a scale of 1 to 7:

• Customer 1: rating 5
• Customer 2: rating 6
• Customer 3: rating 7
• Customer 4: rating 4
• Customer 5: rating 5

To calculate CES, first sum all the ratings:

Sum of ratings = 5 + 6 + 7 + 4 + 5 = 27

Then divide the sum by the number of respondents:

Number of responses = 5

CES = 27 / 5 = 5.4

So, the average Customer Effort Score (CES) is 5.4. This means that, on average, customers found it fairly easy to interact with your support service, although there is room for improvement since the maximum score is 7.

General CES Survey Methodology

The general CES survey methodology includes several key steps that help organizations measure and understand how easy it is for customers to interact with their products, services, or support teams. Here are the main steps:

1. Before launching the survey, clearly define what you want to measure with CES. This could be the overall user experience, support interaction, ease of product use, or the purchase process.
2. Formulate a question or questions that directly relate to the effort customers must exert. A typical question might be: "Based on your most recent experience, how easy was it to resolve your issue or complete your task?"
3. Decide on the response scale. This could be numeric (e.g., from 1 to 7, where 1 is "very difficult" and 7 is "very easy") or even a descriptive text scale.
4. Determine your target audience for the survey (all customers, only new ones, those who contacted support, etc.) and how you’ll distribute the survey (email, in-app, SMS, etc.).
5. Distribute the survey to the selected audience and begin collecting responses. Ensure the survey is easily accessible and requires minimal effort to complete.
6. After collecting data, analyze the results by calculating the average CES and examining the distribution of responses. Pay attention to outliers and comments for deeper insights.
7. Use the data to identify areas needing improvement. Develop and implement actions to reduce customer effort, enhance the user experience, and boost overall customer satisfaction.
8. CES should not be a one-time survey; it should be repeated regularly or after significant product or process changes to track customer effort levels and the impact of improvements.
9. Share the results and action plans with stakeholders within the organization to ensure transparency and promote ongoing improvement.

What is a Good CES Score?

A “normal” or good CES score can vary significantly depending on the industry, product or service type, and the context of customer interaction. Generally, a high CES indicates that it was easy for customers to interact with the company, which is a positive outcome.

On a scale of 1 to 7, where 1 means "very difficult" and 7 means "very easy," higher values (e.g., 5 and above) are usually considered good. Scores of 6 or higher are often seen as a sign that customers are exerting minimal effort.

CES should be interpreted in the context of your specific business goals rather than as an absolute value. The focus should be on improving CES over time and striving to make customer interactions as effortless as possible.

How to Improve the CES Metric

Improving the CES metric primarily involves minimizing the effort customers need to exert when interacting with your product, service, or company overall. Here are some strategies to improve CES:

1. Simplify the processes related to your product or service. This might include streamlining the purchase process, improving site or app navigation, automating routine tasks, etc.
2. Ensure that everything a customer might need is easily accessible. This could mean creating a more informative knowledge base, FAQs, tutorial videos, and detailed product usage guides.
3. Enhance the quality and accessibility of your customer support. Implement multichannel support (phone, email, chat, social media), use chatbots for instant responses, and train your team to provide efficient and empathetic support.
4. Collect customer feedback regularly and respond to it quickly. Analyze feedback to identify and address specific issues that increase customer effort.
5. Be transparent in your communications with customers, especially regarding pricing, policies, and processes. Clearly inform customers of what’s expected at each stage of interaction.
6. Optimize the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) of your products and services. Make sure your website, app, or physical product is intuitive and easy to use.
7. Invest in employee training and development to ensure your staff have the necessary skills and knowledge to serve customers effectively and reduce their effort.
8. Use technology to automate repetitive tasks and processes, thereby reducing the time and effort customers need to achieve their goals.
9. Personalize customer interactions based on their past behavior, preferences, and purchase history to make their experience more relevant and reduce the effort needed to find information or products.
10. Treat CES improvement as an ongoing process, not a one-time task. Regularly review the metrics, gather feedback, and adjust your strategies accordingly.

By focusing on these areas, companies can significantly improve their CES, leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.