Free tool
CES calculator
Choose your scale, then enter how many people gave each score or paste the raw scores. The average, the share of easy and difficult answers and the margin of error update as you type.
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- No sign-up
- Runs in your browser
Your CES score
average out of 7, from 100 answers.
- 7
- 23%
- 6
- 30%
- 5
- 22%
- 4
- 10%
- 3
- 8%
- 2
- 4%
- 1
- 3%
- 75% found it easy (5 to 7), ±8.5 points.
- 15% found it difficult (1 to 3).
- The average could be ±0.31 either way, at 95% confidence.
Ask the effort question where the task ends
Asklet can ask a 1 to 7 effort question on the screen or page where a task ends, and shows the average and how the answers spread for each page. Answers are anonymous, with no cookies or sign-in.
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How to use the CES calculator
- 01
Pick your scale
Most CES surveys use 1 to 7, where 7 means very easy. Choose 1 to 5 if that is what your survey asked.
- 02
Enter your answers
Use totals per score if your survey tool already counts them, or paste the raw scores from a spreadsheet column or export.
- 03
Read your score
You get the average effort score, the share of answers at the easy end of the scale, the share at the difficult end and how far the score could move at 95% confidence.
How CES is calculated
People answer a question such as "How easy was it to set up your account?" on a scale from 1 (very difficult) to 7 (very easy). There are two common ways to report it:
- Average CES = sum of all scores ÷ number of answers
- Share who found it easy = (answers of 5, 6 or 7) ÷ (all answers) × 100
With 100 answers that add up to 540, the average CES is 5.4 out of 7. If 68 of those answers are 5 or higher, 68% found it easy. On a 1-5 scale, the easy end is 4 and 5. The calculator shows both figures, plus the share at the difficult end, because that is where the problems are.
What is a good CES score?
There is no single benchmark: scores depend on the task you ask about, the scale and the wording of the question. Compare a task with itself over time, asked the same way at the same moment, such as before and after you simplify a form.
Read the low scores first. Follow the rating with an optional "What made it difficult?" and the comments usually name the step.
When to use CES instead of CSAT or NPS
CES asks about one task: setting up an account, checking out, finding an answer, cancelling. Ask it on the screen where that task ends. CSAT asks how satisfied someone is with an interaction, and NPS asks how likely they are to recommend you overall.
Use CES when you want to know where customers struggle. A task that feels hard is a reason to call support or give up, even if the customer likes the product.
Common questions
How do you calculate CES?
Add up all the scores and divide by the number of answers to get the average, such as 5.4 out of 7. Many teams also report the share of answers at the easy end of the scale: 5 to 7 on a 1-7 scale, or 4 and 5 on a 1-5 scale.
What is the customer effort score question?
A common version is "How easy was it to [do the task]?" answered from 1 (very difficult) to 7 (very easy). Another asks how much people agree with "The company made it easy for me to handle my issue." Use one wording and keep it, so your scores stay comparable.
What is a good CES score?
It depends on the task, the scale and the wording. Compare a task with its own earlier scores, asked the same way at the same moment. A rising average and a shrinking difficult share tell you more than an outside benchmark.
Should I use a 1-7 or a 1-5 scale?
Either works. 1 to 7 is the most common for CES and separates "fairly easy" from "very easy" a little better. Keep the same scale over time, because scores on different scales cannot be compared.
How many answers do I need for a reliable CES?
It depends on how precise you need the score to be. The calculator shows the margin of error for your answers, and the sample size calculator helps you plan ahead.
Is my data stored?
No. The calculator runs in your browser. Nothing you type or paste is sent to us or saved.