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.