CES
Definition
The Customer Effort Score (CES) is a key performance indicator used to gauge the ease with which customers can interact with a company’s services or products. It is typically measured through customer surveys that ask respondents to rate their experiences on a scale, often from 'very easy' to 'very difficult'. By focusing on customer effort, businesses can identify and address friction points that may hinder customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Understanding CES is critical in UX as it provides actionable insights into the user journey. High customer effort can signal potential issues in the design, functionality, or overall user experience of a product or service. This score can serve as a valuable metric for UX designers, product managers, and customer service teams aiming to enhance user satisfaction.
CES is often used in conjunction with other metrics such as Net Promoter Score (NPS) and Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) to provide a holistic view of customer experience. This multifaceted approach allows organizations to pinpoint specific areas for improvement, ensuring that they are not only meeting but exceeding customer expectations.
Expanded Definition
The concept of Customer Effort Score emerged from the recognition that reducing customer effort is a significant driver of customer loyalty. Research has shown that customers are less likely to remain loyal to a brand when they encounter high levels of effort during their interactions. As such, organizations have begun to prioritize CES as a critical metric in their customer experience strategies.
Historically, CES was introduced as a part of the 'effortless experience' paradigm, which posits that minimizing customer effort leads to higher satisfaction and retention rates. This shift in focus from delighting customers to making interactions as easy as possible represents a significant evolution in customer experience management.
Key Activities
Conducting CES surveys after customer interactions.
Analyzing CES data to identify pain points.
Implementing changes based on CES feedback.
Integrating CES metrics with other customer experience metrics.
Training staff on reducing customer effort in service delivery.
Benefits
Helps identify areas of friction in the customer journey.
Enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Provides actionable insights for UX improvements.
Facilitates better resource allocation for service enhancements.
Supports a customer-centric culture within the organization.
Example
A software company may use CES surveys after customer support calls to assess how easy customers found it to resolve their issues. If many customers rate their experience as 'difficult', this feedback can lead to redesigning the support process, improving documentation, or providing additional training to support staff.
Use Cases
Measuring customer interactions after service calls.
Evaluating the ease of navigating a website or app.
Assessing customer onboarding processes for new software.
Analyzing feedback after product purchases or returns.
Gathering insights post-interaction with customer service chatbots.
Challenges & Limitations
Survey fatigue among customers can lead to low response rates.
CES alone may not provide a complete picture of customer satisfaction.
Interpreting CES data without context can lead to misguided decisions.
Variability in customer perceptions can skew results.
Tools & Methods
Survey tools like SurveyMonkey or Typeform for collecting CES data.
Analytics platforms like Google Analytics to correlate CES with user behavior.
Customer relationship management (CRM) systems for tracking interactions.
UX testing tools to observe user interactions in real-time.
Data visualization tools to present CES findings effectively.
How to Cite "CES" - APA, MLA, and Chicago Citation Formats
UX Glossary. (2025, February 11, 2026). CES. UX Glossary. https://www.uxglossary.com/glossary/ces
Note: Access date is automatically set to today. Update if needed when using the citation.