Free Customer Success Tool - Customer Success Metric Metric: Customer Effort Score (CES)

Formula for Customer Effort Score (CES)

CES is typically derived from a survey where customers rate their experience on a scale (e.g., 1–5 or 1–7), with lower scores indicating less effort required.

Average CES Formula

CES = Sum of All Customer Ratings ÷ Number of Responses

What CES Includes

Effort in Interactions

• How easy it was for customers to resolve a support issue or get help.

Onboarding Simplicity

• The ease of completing onboarding tasks or achieving Time to First Value (TTFV).

Feature Usage

• How intuitive and user-friendly the product’s features are.

Process Complexity

• Evaluates the difficulty of processes like renewals, upgrades, or billing.

Why CES Matters

Predicts Customer Loyalty

• Customers who perceive interactions as effortless are more likely to remain loyal.

Identifies Friction Points

• Pinpoints areas where processes or systems may frustrate customers.

Improves Customer Satisfaction

• Reducing effort leads to better overall experiences and stronger relationships.

Enhances Operational Efficiency

• Helps streamline workflows to reduce unnecessary complexity for customers.

Key Drivers of CES

Clear Communication

• Ensuring instructions and interactions are straightforward and understandable.

Proactive Support

• Anticipating customer needs and providing solutions before issues escalate.

Intuitive Product Design

• Simplifying navigation and workflows to minimize user confusion.

Fast Issue Resolution

• Resolving problems quickly to avoid repeat contact or additional effort.

Seamless Onboarding

• Providing step-by-step guidance to make starting with the product simple and stress-free.

How to Improve CES

Streamline Processes

• Simplify workflows and remove unnecessary steps in customer interactions.

Automate Where Possible

• Use automation to reduce manual effort, such as self-service tools for common issues.

Enhance Support Resources

• Provide comprehensive FAQs, knowledge bases, and video tutorials.

Solicit Feedback

• Regularly ask customers about their experience and act on areas requiring improvement.

Train Teams for Empathy and Clarity

• Equip support and success teams to communicate effectively and resolve issues promptly.

Tools to Track and Improve CES

Customer Feedback Platforms

• Delighted, SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics for collecting CES survey responses.

Customer Success Platforms

• Gainsight, Totango, ChurnZero to integrate CES data into customer health metrics.

Support Platforms

• Zendesk, Freshdesk, Intercom for tracking support interactions and effort levels.

Analytics Platforms

• Tableau, Looker to analyze CES trends and identify friction points.

Conclusion

Customer Effort Score (CES) is a vital metric for understanding and improving the ease of customer interactions. By reducing effort across touchpoints—whether in onboarding, support, or day-to-day use—CSMs can enhance satisfaction, foster loyalty, and reduce churn. Tracking CES regularly and addressing areas of high effort ensures a smoother and more enjoyable customer experience.