---
Title: "What Is Customer Effort Score (CES)? Formula"
Url: "https://computer.io/glossary/customer-effort-score"
Topic: "Metrics"
Description: "Customer effort score (CES) measures how easy it was for a customer to get help. The CES question, formula, an example and why low effort matters."
---

# What is customer effort score (CES)?

Customer effort score (CES) measures how easy it was for a customer to get an issue resolved or complete a task, usually by asking them to rate a statement like "The company made it easy to handle my issue" on a 1–7 scale. Lower effort is strongly linked to loyalty.

## Formula

CES = sum of scores ÷ number of responses (average), or % of customers who agree (5–7).

Example: 120 of 150 respondents choose 5–7 → 80% low-effort.

## What causes high effort

| Cause | Fix |
| --- | --- |
| Repeating information | Shared context across channels |
| Transfers | Better routing |
| Long waits | Self-service and AI |
| Multiple contacts | First-contact resolution |

## When to use CES

Right after support interactions, onboarding steps or self-service attempts.

## FAQ

### What is a good customer effort score?

On a 1–7 scale, averages above 5 are generally good.

### Why does customer effort matter?

Customers who find it hard to get help are more likely to churn.

### How is CES different from CSAT?

CES measures ease; CSAT measures satisfaction.

## Related terms

- [CSAT (customer satisfaction score)](https://computer.io/glossary/csat)
- [Customer experience (CX)](https://computer.io/glossary/customer-experience)

## How Computer helps

- [Customer agent](https://devrev.ai/solutions/customer-agent)

## Further reading

- [Customer satisfaction score](https://devrev.ai/blog/customer-satisfaction-score)