Skip to main content

CES

Measure customer effort with CES in Zonka Feedback to track ease of interactions and reduce friction in customer journeys.

Abhishek avatar
Written by Abhishek
Updated this week

The CES (Customer Effort Score) question type helps you measure how easy or difficult it was for customers to complete an action with your business. It’s a powerful CX metric to evaluate effortlessness of service, support, or processes and is a strong predictor of customer loyalty.

Use CES when:

  • You want to measure ease of customer interactions

  • You’re tracking support or service efficiency

  • You want to identify friction points in customer journeys

📌 CES is available on all Zonka Feedback plans.


In this article

  • What is CES?

  • How CES is calculated

  • Where to use CES

  • How to add a CES question

  • Customization options

  • Things to keep in mind


What is CES?

  • CES asks customers to rate effort, e.g.:
    “How easy was it to resolve your issue today?”

  • Typically measured on a 1–7 scale where:

    • 1 = Very Difficult

    • 7 = Very Easy

  • Lower effort scores indicate customer struggle and risk of churn.


How CES is calculated

CES = Average of all customer effort scores

  • A higher CES indicates customers find interactions easy.

  • A lower CES highlights areas needing improvement.


Where to use CES

  • Post-support surveys (calls, chats, tickets)

  • After purchase or delivery to assess transaction ease

  • During onboarding or training to measure usability

  • In-product surveys for digital experience feedback


How to Add a CES Question

To add a CES question to your survey:

  • Open the Survey Hub and choose the survey you want to edit.

  • Go to the Build section.

  • From the Question Types Panel, select CES under the CX Metrics category.

  • Drag and drop the CES question into your survey canvas.

  • Click on the question to customize the label, for example: “How easy was it to complete your transaction?”


Customization options

  • Question Label: Personalize the wording to match the touchpoint

  • Scale Style: Choose numbers, emojis, or sliders

  • Labels: Add descriptive text for low and high ends of the scale

  • Make it Required: Ensure completion before submission

  • Apply Logic: Trigger follow-ups if respondents give low effort scores


Things to keep in mind

  • CES is best for service interactions and processes

  • Works well alongside CSAT and NPS for a complete CX view

  • High CES scores usually correlate with loyalty and repeat usage


Frequently Asked Questions

What’s a good CES score?
The higher the better — typically, a CES of 5+ (out of 7) is considered good.

Can I change the scale from 1–7?
Yes, Zonka Feedback allows customization of the scale type.

Does CES apply across industries?
Yes, CES is effective in support, SaaS, retail, healthcare, and more.

Did this answer your question?