Customer Effort Score (CES) Calculator

How it is calculated

The tool takes the mean of the survey answers: CES = total score ÷ number of responses. Total score is the sum of every individual rating, for example all the 1-to-5 answers added together, and the number of responses is how many people answered. Both must be whole numbers, because ratings and respondents are counted in units; a fractional total or response count gives no result, and neither does zero responses or a negative total. The result is shown to two decimals on the same scale you used in the survey, so a 1 to 7 survey gives a number between 1 and 7. The tool has no field for the scale, so it cannot tell you if your total is too large for the scale. It gives only the average, not the spread or the share of easy answers. Always compare scores gathered on the same scale and wording.

Common mistakes

• Entering the average as the total score. The first field needs the sum of all ratings, and it must be a whole number: typing 4.5 with 300 responses gives no result, and typing 4 would give a meaningless 0.01.
• Entering the number of surveys sent instead of the number answered. Only people who responded count.
• Mixing 1-to-5 and 1-to-7 surveys in one total. The average is only meaningful if everyone answered on the same scale.
• Forgetting that scales can run the opposite way. If 1 means very easy, a lower score is better, so read the result against your own scale direction.
• Comparing your CES with a score from a different question. Wording such as "how easy" and "how much effort" can produce opposite scales and different averages.