Introduction

Challenges might feel refreshing under certain circumstances. However, most people prefer everything to run as smoothly as possible when it comes to customer service or dealing with businesses. 

The customer effort score will reflect how easy it is for customers to engage with your brand, and it's your responsibility to monitor this metric closely. Keep scrolling to learn more about how it works! 

An Overview Of Customer Effort Score

This survey gauges how easily a customer can engage with your brand (Image source: SEObility). 

Definition

A Customer Effort Score (CES) is a survey that gauges how easy and effortless it is for a customer to engage with your brand. The question might involve regular tasks like subscribing, purchasing products, or resolving issues with the customer support team.

In most cases, customers will be asked to either disagree or agree with a claim, rate their effort level, or answer a specific question about their overall experience. There are several ways to measure CES, each with its respective method of scoring:

• Likert scale involves a scale ranging from "Strongly Disagree" (numbered as 1) to "Strongly Agree" (7). Feel free to colour-code the options to make them more visually appealing.
• With a 1-10 scale, your respondents will provide their rating on a 1-to-10 scale. Scores between 7 and 10 are considered positive, except for direct questions related to effort levels; in that case, scores between 1 and 3 are ideal since they indicate low effort.
• For a 1-5 scale, options range from "Very Difficult" (numbered as 1) to "Very Easy" (5). Reverse the order if that's what you prefer!
• Another method is "Emotion Faces," which uses images of Unhappy, Neutral, and Happy Faces as responses. This intuitive survey is easier to understand and answer than most other options, especially for minor features of your service, product, or website.

How To Measure

Method 1.

One simple way to calculate CES is by averaging the scores on the 1-to-10 CES scale. 

For instance, let's say you receive responses from 100 people on your CES question, and the sum of these scores is 800. In that case, your CES result will be 8 out of 10.

Method 2. 

How about other metrics like the Agree-to-Disagree or Happy-to-Unhappy scale? No worries; you can still figure it out. Just subtract the negative responses (%) from the positive responses (%) and leave neutral ones out of the picture. 

Here's an example: 200 people responded to your survey; 125 were positive answers, and 75 were negative. Your CES result would be:

(125/200 x 100) - (75/200 x 100) = 25%.

Method 3.

When using a 1-7 Disagree-to-Agree range, you should calculate the proportion of respondents who answered with 5 to 7 and multiply it by 100 or 10, depending on your preferred scale. 

Similarly, with a 1-to-5 range (where 4-5 are positive responses), divide the positive responses by the respondents and multiply by 100 or 10.

Suppose 80 out of 100 respondents give positive feedback; your CES score would be either 8 out of 10 (80/100 x 10) or 80 out of 100 (or 80 (80/100 x 100).

Score Interpretation

Defining a "good" CES result isn't straightforward, partly due to the lack of an industry-wide comparison standard. Plus, the criteria also hinge on the specific CES metrics and questions and metrics you employ!

• Suppose your CES survey uses a Disagree-to-Agree (1 to 7) scale and asks respondents to rate how easy it was to solve a problem. Then, it would be best to aim for a high overall score — ideally over 5 out of 7.
• On the contrary, if your survey uses a scale from 1 (or Happy Face) to 10 (or Unhappy Face) to directly assess the effort level required for a particular task, a low CES score is preferable.

Like other customer satisfaction metrics, you must compare your scores over a clear timeframe to understand where your business stands. An increase clearly hints at progress; otherwise, a consistent decline calls for further look into customer reviews to identify areas for improvement.

How To Build a Customer Effort Score Survey

Define your goals to use appropriate questions in the survey (Image source: Pxhere). 

1. Define Your Goals

Ask yourself what specific touchpoints you want to measure (e.g., using a product feature, contacting support, website navigation) and whether you want a general CES or a more targeted score.

2. Craft the Core CES Question

Remember to use clear, concise questions. Here's a simple yet effective template that gets to the point: "On a scale of very easy to very difficult, how easy was it to [action you want to measure]?"

Choose any scale you like, though we suggest the 1-to-5 Likert scale as your starting place ("Very Easy," "Easy," "Neutral," "Difficult," and "Very Difficult.")

3. Include a Follow-up Question (Optional)

To gain qualitative insights behind the score, consider adding an open-ended question: "Why did you give that rating?" or "What could we have done to make this experience easier?"

4. Survey Distribution

Settle the most suitable channel based on your goals from Step 1 (e.g., email after a support interaction or pop-up after using a feature). Keep the survey short and sweet so your customers will feel more encouraged to get to the end of it. 

>>>> Read more: Top 8 Trends Of Customer Experience In Banking In 2024

How To Improve Customer Effort Score

You must take action based on the scores and feedback (Image source: Easy-Peasy.AI). 

1. Actively Identify Where The Effort Is

CES surveys are valuable, but they only provide a general picture. Your brand must go beyond a single question to actively identify customer effort! Here's where an omnichannel interface like StringeeX proves practical, as you can: 

• Analyse customer calls, emails, and social media interactions (all using the same interface) to identify recurring pain points and areas of difficulty.
• Look for keywords and phrases that indicate frustration or wasted effort.
• Look through chat logs and call recordings to pinpoint where customers get stuck or take too long to complete tasks (or, worse, abandon the process altogether). 

StringeeX addresses all your issues (Image source: StringeeX). 

Of course, you should also combine CES scores with data from other sources, such as time spent on support calls, number of website clicks to complete a task, or customer churn rates for specific touchpoints. Don't forget to look for correlations between high-effort areas and negative customer outcomes.

2. Review The Score Regularly

Regular reviews are crucial if you want to keep your finger on the pulse of customer experience and take action to improve it where applicable. 

So, before launching a product or service, decide on a regular frequency for this review; it could be weekly, monthly, quarterly, or based on any specific campaign timeline.

Our extra tips:

• Don't just look at the overall number. You must dig deeper to understand the factors influencing the score!
• Look for changes in positive versus negative responses over time.
• Consider segmenting the data by customer type, product/service area, or support channel to identify better where the dips in score come from. 

3. Reduce Agent Effort

When your agents have access to efficient workflows and clear knowledge bases, they can resolve customer issues much faster and with fewer handoffs! 

This translates to a smoother, hassle-free experience for the customer since they don't have to repeat information or wait for hours on end.

To empower your agents:

• Develop a comprehensive knowledge base with clear search functionality and up-to-date information. If needed, don't hesitate to include visuals like screenshots or short videos, especially if it's a complex topic.
• Invest in ongoing training programs that cover all product knowledge and problem-solving techniques. Make sure everyone in the team can handle a wide range of inquiries and find solutions independently.
• Given the rise of AI, we see no reason not to automate repetitive tasks (like password resets, appointment scheduling, or basic troubleshooting guides), freeing up agent time for more complicated issues.

4. Optimise Mobility

Nowadays, many customer interactions happen on mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. Thus, unfriendly websites or self-service options result in customers struggling to complete tasks and, eventually, a higher CES score. 

• Ensure your responsive website adapts to different screen sizes.
• Menus and buttons should be large enough for easy tapping on a mobile screen, and the overall navigation must be intuitive so users can quickly find what they need. 
• Always remember that mobile users are very impatient, and slow loading times can significantly increase their effort! So, optimise images/code and caching mechanisms to guarantee your mobile interfaces always load quickly.

>>>> Read more: Top 10 Net Promoter Score Question Templates

5. Close The Loop

Responding to feedback showcases how you value customer input and are willing to improve their experience. Your company can also gather additional context from customers and understand the root causes of their effort-related frustrations, leading to more targeted future improvements. 

Some loop-closing practices:

• Thank customers for their feedback (both positive and negative, and especially the negative!). Even criticism is an opportunity to improve.
• Explain how you will use the feedback to take action and how long that will be. Never make promises you can't keep.
• If feasible, inform the customer of the actions taken in response to their input. These exchanges further personalise the experience and confirm that their voice was heard.

Conclusion

There are several ways to calculate the customer effort score. Keep in mind that a low score is considered ideal for some methods, while for others, it's the opposite. So be sure to double-check the formula! Feel free to contact us if you need more assistance!