Customer Effort Score (CES)

How easy it is for customers to get what they need. A better predictor of churn than CSAT.

CES = Average score on "How easy was it to [complete task]?" (1-7 scale)

What it measures

The effort customers expend to accomplish a goal: getting support, completing a purchase, or using a feature. Measured via survey after specific interactions. Research shows CES predicts repurchase and loyalty better than satisfaction scores.

What to watch

Low effort (6-7): Customers find interactions easy. High-effort experiences drive 96% of disloyal customers, while low-effort experiences build loyalty.
High effort (1-4): Friction is driving customers away. Identify the specific touchpoints causing friction: complex forms, slow support, confusing navigation, or too many steps.

In practice

A SaaS company tracked CSAT at 85% but saw unexpected churn. When they added CES surveys after support tickets, they discovered resolution required an average of 2.3 contacts per issue. Customers were satisfied with agent interactions but exhausted by the process. They implemented first-contact resolution targets, and CES rose from 4.2 to 6.1 while churn dropped 18%.