Businesses are losing billions due to dissatisfied customers, but what exactly causes dissatisfaction? According to Gartner, the amount of effort a customer has to put in when interacting with a brand has a direct impact on their loyalty levels. In fact, around 96% of customers who reported difficulties in solving a problem were found to be more disloyal.

Now the question arises: how do you determine the ease of interaction between your customers and your business? This is where Customer Effort Score comes into the picture.

Understanding Customer Effort Score

Customer Effort Score (CES) is a customer satisfaction metric that measures the ease of customer experience when interacting with a brand. It is based on the concept that the more effort customers have to put into getting their issues resolved, the more dissatisfied they will be with the brand, and the less likely they will be to remain loyal customers.

CES is typically measured through a survey question that asks customers to rate the level of effort required to solve a problem or complete a transaction, using a scale ranging from “very easy” to “very difficult”. The responses are then compiled and analyzed to calculate the overall CES score.

A high CES score indicates that customers find it easy to interact with the brand, while a low score suggests that there are areas for improvement in the customer experience. By reducing customer effort, businesses can increase customer satisfaction, loyalty, and ultimately, revenue.

CES is an important metric for businesses to track because it provides insights into the customer experience, and highlights areas where improvements can be made. Understanding and measuring CES can help businesses improve customer satisfaction, increase customer retention, and drive growth.

Measuring Customer Effort Score provides businesses with a number of benefits that can help to improve the customer experience and drive business growth. Here are some key benefits of measuring CES:

  • Identifying areas for improvement. By measuring CES, businesses can identify the specific pain points in the customer experience that are causing customers to put in more effort than they would like. This information can be used to make targeted improvements to the customer journey, which can lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty.
  • Improving customer satisfaction. A high CES score indicates that customers find it easy to interact with a brand, which in turn leads to higher levels of customer satisfaction. By reducing customer effort, businesses can improve the overall customer experience and create more satisfied customers.
  • Increasing customer retention. Customers who find it easy to interact with a brand are more likely to return in the future and become loyal customers. By measuring CES and making improvements to the customer experience, businesses can increase customer retention and reduce customer churn.
  • Driving revenue growth. Satisfied customers are more likely to make repeat purchases and recommend the brand to others. By improving the customer experience and increasing customer satisfaction, businesses can drive revenue growth.
  • Benchmarking against competitors. CES can be used to benchmark a business's customer experience against that of its competitors. By tracking CES over time and comparing it to industry benchmarks, businesses can gain insights into their performance and identify areas where they need to improve to stay competitive.

Measuring CES provides businesses with a range of benefits that can help improve customer experience and drive business growth. By identifying areas for improvement, improving customer satisfaction, increasing customer retention, driving revenue growth, and benchmarking against competitors, businesses can use CES to gain a competitive edge and build a loyal customer base.

Measuring Customer Effort Score

Customer effort refers to the level of effort that customers have to put into interacting with a business's services, such as customer support or technical departments. Measuring the Customer Effort Score typically involves the following steps:

  • Determine the survey question. The CES survey question typically asks customers to rate the level of effort required to solve a problem or complete a transaction. The question can be customized to fit the specific needs of the business, but should be designed to measure the ease of the customer experience.
Customer effort survey example.
  • Calculate the average score. Once the survey responses are collected, calculate the average score by adding up all the scores and dividing by the number of responses. The scores typically range from 1 to 5, with 1 being very difficult and 5 being very easy.
  • Analyze the results. Analyze the results to identify trends and areas for improvement. Look for patterns in the scores and identify the specific parts of the customer journey that are causing the most effort for customers.
  • Take action. Use the insights from the CES measurement to take action and make improvements to the customer experience. This could involve streamlining processes, improving communication, providing better training to employees, or making changes to products or services.
  • Repeat the process. CES measurement should be an ongoing process to track progress and identify new areas for improvement. Regularly measuring CES can help businesses to stay on top of customer needs and ensure that they are continuously improving the customer experience.

Customer Effort Score Calculation

To calculate your Customer Effort Score, add up all the individual customer effort scores and divide the sum by the total number of survey responses. This will give you the average amount of effort your customers put in when interacting with your business, as shown in the image below.

Customer Effort Score Calculation

Although there is no definitive industry standard for Customer Effort Scores, the organization of your survey scales can provide insights into where your business falls in terms of user experience. Generally, average effort scores that skew more towards one end of the scale than the other can indicate the level of ease or difficulty that customers experience when interacting with your business.

The Role of HelpCenter App in Improving Customer Effort Score

If you're looking for a simple yet powerful tool to enhance your Customer Effort Score, a HelpCenter app can be a crucial asset. Here are a few ways that a HelpCenter app can be beneficial:

  • Self-service. The HelpCenter app can provide customers with easy access to information, troubleshooting guides, and frequently asked questions (FAQs). By offering a self-service option, customers can quickly find answers to their questions without having to contact customer support, reducing the effort required to resolve their issues.
  • Personalization. The HelpCenter app can also offer personalized support to customers based on their past interactions and preferences. This can help customers feel valued and understood, leading to increased loyalty and a higher CES.
  • Multichannel support. The HelpCenter app can provide support across multiple channels, including email, live chat, and social media. This can make it easier for customers to reach out to your business through their preferred channel, reducing the effort required to get in touch with customer support.
  • Feedback collection. The HelpCenter app can also be used to collect feedback from customers about their experience. This can help identify areas for improvement and provide insights into customer needs and expectations.

Overall, the HelpCenter app can improve the customer experience by reducing the effort required to resolve issues and providing personalized support across multiple channels. This, in turn, can lead to higher Customer Effort Scores and increased customer loyalty.

Conclusion

Customer Effort Score is a valuable tool in identifying weaknesses across service interactions and product usability. As customer experience expectations continue to evolve, monitoring effort scores, overall satisfaction, and data trends is becoming increasingly important. However, it's essential to remember that more data doesn't always lead to better data. The metrics are only valuable when the feedback is converted into actionable follow-up actions and product improvements. By utilizing CES and translating feedback into improvements, businesses can improve the customer experience and increase loyalty.