What is the standard Customer Effort Score question?

The modern CES question asks the customer to rate agreement with a statement like '[Company] made it easy for me to handle my issue' on a scale. On Surveys.expert it runs 1–7 from Very difficult to Very easy, so a higher score means less effort.

What scale should a CES question use?

A 1–7 agreement scale from Very difficult to Very easy is a common, clear choice and the one we use. What matters most is picking one direction and keeping it consistent, so you can compare touchpoints and track a trend.

Should a higher CES score mean more or less effort?

It depends on the scale wording. On our 'easy' agreement scale, higher means easier (less effort). The older 'how much effort' phrasing runs the other way. Always confirm the direction before comparing scores or benchmarks.

What is the best CES follow-up question?

An open-ended 'What made this easy or difficult for you?' placed right after the rating. It turns the number into specific friction points you can fix. Keep it optional so it does not reduce completion.

When should I ask the CES question?

Immediately after the interaction you want to measure — a resolved support ticket, a completed checkout, a delivery or a return — while the effort is still fresh in the customer's memory.

Can I use CES questions for different touchpoints?

Yes. Scope the same effort question to each moment — support, checkout, delivery, returns, self-service — keeping the scale and direction identical so you can compare which touchpoints feel hardest.

How do I turn CES answers into a score?

Average all the numeric answers to get your Customer Effort Score. The free CES calculator does this for you, and AI can theme the open-text comments so you know which frictions to fix first.

Question Banks

Customer Effort Score Questions: Wording and 20+ Examples

Q: How many questions should a CES survey have?

Two is the classic minimum: the effort rating and an open 'why'. If you add more, cap it at three or four and use logic so a high-effort score triggers a targeted follow-up.

A Customer Effort Score (CES) survey lives or dies on the wording of one question. Ask it well and you learn exactly how hard your customers had to work to get what they needed; ask it badly and you either bias the answer or measure satisfaction by accident.

This guide covers the one standard CES question, how to phrase it correctly, the scale we recommend, and a categorized bank of 20+ ready-to-use effort questions for support, checkout, delivery, returns and self-service. For the full method — formula, benchmarks and analysis — start with the complete Customer Effort Score guide.

The standard CES question

Customer Effort Score is built on one question asked right after an interaction. It measures ease, not happiness: how much work the customer had to put in to reach their goal. The modern wording frames a statement and asks the respondent how much they agree.

[Company] made it easy for me to handle my issue. (1 = Strongly disagree, 7 = Strongly agree)

On Surveys.expert the CES question uses a 1–7 scale that runs from Very difficult to Very easy, so a higher number always means less effort. Your score is the average of all the answers. Compute it from your responses with the free CES calculator.

How to word the CES question correctly

Ask about ease, not satisfaction — 'made it easy' measures effort, while 'how satisfied were you' measures a different thing entirely.
Scope it to one interaction — 'handle your issue', 'complete your purchase', 'return your item' — so the answer points at a specific touchpoint you can fix.
Label the endpoints clearly. On our 1–7 scale, 1 = Very difficult and 7 = Very easy, so a high score means low effort.
Keep the scale direction consistent across every CES survey you run, or you cannot compare touchpoints or track a trend.
Ask it immediately after the interaction, while the effort is fresh — a day later and the memory of friction fades.
Stay neutral. Do not prime the answer with 'we hope that was simple' before the scale.

Effort scales point in opposite directions

Two common CES formats exist: the 'easy' agreement scale (higher = easier, which we use) and the older 'how much effort' scale (higher = more effort). They read in opposite directions, so always confirm which one a benchmark used before comparing. Pick one direction and keep it.

The essential follow-up question

The score tells you how much effort customers felt; the follow-up tells you where that effort came from. A single open-text 'why' placed right after the rating is the highest-value question in the survey.

What made this easy or difficult for you?

Keep it open text and optional so it does not depress completion. This is where the specific friction points live — the extra steps, the repeated information, the channel switches. Read every answer, or let AI theme them for you.

CES questions for support interactions

Support is the classic CES use case — the metric was created to predict loyalty from how easy issue resolution felt. Send these right after a ticket is resolved or a chat ends.

[Company] made it easy for me to resolve my issue. (1–7, Very difficult → Very easy)
How easy was it to get the help you needed today?
How much effort did you have to put in to get your problem solved?
Were you able to resolve your issue in a single contact?
What made getting help easy or difficult for you? (open text)

Create your survey with AI

Describe what you want to learn and get a ready-to-edit survey in seconds — free to start.

CES questions for checkout and purchase

Friction at checkout costs sales directly. Ask right after the order confirmation, before the customer leaves the flow.

Completing your purchase was easy. (1–7, Very difficult → Very easy)
How easy was it to find what you were looking for?
How easy was the checkout process from cart to confirmation?
Did anything make the purchase harder than it needed to be? (open text)
How easy was it to pay using your preferred method?

CES questions for delivery and returns

Fulfilment is where a smooth purchase can still turn into a high-effort experience. Ask after delivery, and again after any return is completed.

Receiving your order was easy and hassle-free. (1–7, Very difficult → Very easy)
How easy was it to track your order?
Returning your item was easy. (1–7, Very difficult → Very easy)
How easy was it to start your return?
What would have made the delivery or return easier? (open text)

CES questions for self-service and onboarding

Self-service and setup are effort-heavy moments where small frictions compound. Ask after a help-center visit or once a new user completes setup.

It was easy to find the answer I needed on my own. (1–7, Very difficult → Very easy)
How easy was it to get set up and started?
How much effort did it take to complete this task without contacting support?
Was the information you needed easy to understand?
What made this harder than you expected? (open text)

How many questions should a CES survey have?

Keep it short. The classic CES survey is two questions: the effort rating and the open-ended 'why'. That combination gives you the score plus the reasons behind it, which is enough for most touchpoints — and short surveys sent in the moment get far higher response rates.

If you add more, cap it at three or four and use logic so a low (high-effort) score can trigger a 'what went wrong?' follow-up. Every extra question lowers completion. Build a branching version in seconds by describing your goal in AI Studio, or start from the ready-made CES survey template.

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

Customer Effort Score (CES): The Complete Guide

Everything about Customer Effort Score: what it is, how to measure and calculate it, benchmarks, the best questions, a full survey example, common mistakes and AI-powered effort analysis.

Customer Effort Score Calculation: Formula and Examples

How to calculate CES step by step: the average-score formula, worked examples on 1–5 and 1–7 scales, top-2-box alternatives and how to report the result.

CES Benchmarks: What Is a Good Customer Effort Score?

How to interpret your Customer Effort Score: what counts as good on common scales, why benchmarks vary by touchpoint and industry, and why your trend matters most.

Customer Effort Score Examples: Surveys for Every Touchpoint

Real CES survey examples for support, checkout, delivery, returns, onboarding and mobile apps — with the exact questions and when to send each one.

CES calculator

Calculate your Customer Effort Score from your responses.

CES survey template

Start from a ready-made CES survey and edit anything.

Create your survey with AI

Describe your goal and generate a branching CES survey.