10 key factors impacting customer effort score and how to fix them

Delivering an effortless customer experience is crucial. Customers expect fast, efficient, and seamless interactions with brands, and any friction can drive them away.

Customer effort score (CES) is a key metric that helps businesses gauge how easy or difficult it is for customers to get what they need.

The lower the effort required, the more likely customers are to stay loyal and recommend your business.

In this article, we’ll explore the top ten factors that impact CES and provide actionable solutions to help you provide better customer experiences.

What is customer effort score?

Customer effort score (CES) is a key customer experience metric that measures how easy or difficult it is for customers to interact with your business.

Unlike other metrics like net promoter score (NPS) and customer satisfaction (CSAT), CES focuses on the level of effort a customer must exert to complete an action—whether it’s resolving an issue, making a purchase, or getting support.

Businesses looking to optimize their CES often explore ways to simplify processes, such as streamlining interactions for customers who want to buy leads quickly and efficiently.

A low-effort experience leads to higher customer retention, increased loyalty, and more positive responses. Conversely, a high-effort experience can drive customers away, making CES a crucial metric for customer support teams and business leaders.

Why customer effort score matters

Reducing customer effort is directly linked to improved business performance. Optimizing CES can result in:

• Improved customer satisfaction: A seamless, low-effort experience keeps customers happy.
• Higher customer retention: When interactions are easy, customers stick around.
• Better word-of-mouth referrals: A frictionless experience encourages customers to recommend your brand.
• More efficient customer support teams: Reducing effort helps agents resolve issues faster, improving productivity.

By prioritizing CES as a key metric, businesses can foster long-term relationships, reduce churn, and create a customer-centric approach that ultimately leads to sustainable growth.

10 key factors that impact customer effort score (and how to fix them)

Creating a seamless and low-effort experience is essential for keeping customers engaged and satisfied. Every interaction—whether it’s navigating a website, seeking support, or completing a purchase—should be as frictionless as possible.

When customers face unnecessary obstacles, frustration increases, leading to churn and negative brand perception. Below, we explore the top factors that impact customer effort score (CES) and practical strategies to address them.

1. Complex navigation and clunky user experience

A poorly designed website or mobile app can frustrate users and lead to abandoned transactions. If customers struggle to find what they need or encounter cumbersome processes, they’re more likely to seek alternatives.

How to fix it:

• Simplify website and app navigation with intuitive layouts and logical structures.
• Use clear menus, well-defined categories, and search functionality to make information easily accessible.
• Optimize the mobile experience by ensuring responsive design, fast load times, and touch-friendly interfaces.
• Conduct usability testing to identify pain points and continuously refine the user journey.

2. Slow response time

Customers expect quick resolutions. Delayed responses from customer support teams create frustration, forcing customers to put in extra effort to get help.

Long wait times—whether on calls, live chats, or email—add to customer frustration and increase the likelihood of dissatisfaction.

If customers feel ignored or undervalued, they may abandon the interaction altogether.

How to fix it:

• Implement AI chatbots to provide immediate assistance for common queries, reducing the need for human intervention in simple cases.
• Offer self-service options, such as an extensive FAQ section or knowledge base, allowing customers to find answers quickly.
• Optimize staffing levels to reduce wait times and improve response efficiency, ensuring enough agents are available during peak hours.
• Use automated ticketing systems to prioritize urgent issues and route them to the right team members promptly.
• Monitor response times through analytics, and set key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure and improve efficiency.

3. Lack of omnichannel support

Customers want seamless interactions across different communication channels. If they have to repeat themselves every time they switch channels, it increases effort and dissatisfaction.

How to fix it:

• Use an omnichannel contact center to integrate support channels into a single system and provide a unified experience.
• Use CRM tools to maintain customer history and ensure agents have full context.
• Offer smooth transitions between live chat, phone, and email support without losing information.

4. Complicated issue resolution processes

Long, drawn-out resolution processes force customers to expend extra time and energy, lowering satisfaction and increasing churn risk.

How to fix it:

• Empower support agents with decision-making authority to resolve issues quickly.
• Streamline internal workflows to remove unnecessary steps in the resolution process.
• Implement proactive support strategies to identify and resolve issues before customers escalate them.

5. Poorly designed self-service options

Self-service should make customers’ lives easier, not harder. If FAQ pages, chatbots, or help centers are unclear or hard to navigate, customers will have to work harder to find solutions.

How to fix it:

• Ensure help center articles are written in plain language and updated regularly.
• Use AI-driven search to suggest relevant solutions based on user queries.
• Provide multiple formats for self-service content, such as video tutorials, step-by-step guides, and infographics.

6. Ineffective communication

Ambiguous instructions, technical jargon, or a lack of clear guidance can make it difficult for customers to complete their desired actions.

How to fix it:

• Use simple, straightforward language in all customer-facing content.
• Personalize messages to make them more relevant to individual customer needs.
• Provide clear, step-by-step instructions in FAQs, product manuals, and support responses.

7. Inconsistent customer service quality

Customers expect consistent, high-quality support regardless of which agent they interact with. Variability in service levels can frustrate customers and reduce trust in your brand, and poor customer service can lead to your customers purchasing from your competitors instead.

How to fix it:

• Standardize training programs to ensure all agents follow best practices.
• Use quality assurance tools to monitor and assess customer interactions.
• Gather customer feedback regularly to identify areas for service improvement.

8. Repetitive verification and authentication steps

Having to verify identity multiple times in a single session can be frustrating, especially if the process is cumbersome or unclear.

How to fix it:

• Implement secure but seamless authentication methods like biometric verification or Single Sign-On (SSO).
• Reduce redundant security steps while maintaining compliance with industry standards.
• Store authentication data securely to allow for easier verification of future interactions.

9. Hidden fees and unexpected costs

Unexpected charges at checkout or during service usage can leave customers feeling deceived and dissatisfied.

How to fix it:

• Clearly communicate pricing structures upfront, including any additional fees.
• Provide a transparent breakdown of costs before the customer commits to a purchase.
• Offer flexible payment options and cost estimations to prevent last-minute surprises.

10. Lack of personalization

A one-size-fits-all approach can make interactions feel impersonal and irrelevant, increasing customer frustration.

How to fix it:

• Leverage customer data to tailor interactions and recommendations based on past behavior.
• Implement AI-driven personalization to deliver relevant product suggestions and support responses.
• Offer proactive engagement by anticipating customer needs before they have to ask.

How to continuously improve customer effort score

Improving CES is not a one-time fix—it requires ongoing measurement and refinement. Businesses that consistently monitor and optimize CES will see sustained improvements in customer experience and brand loyalty.

Here are a few key steps:

• Measure and analyze CES regularly to identify trends and improvement areas.
• Collect real-time feedback using a customer feedback survey to pinpoint specific pain points.
• Train teams on delivering low-effort experiences across all customer touchpoints.
• Leverage automation to streamline workflows and reduce friction in the customer journey.

Final thoughts

Reducing customer effort isn’t just about improving a metric—it’s about creating an effortless experience that drives customer satisfaction, retention, and loyalty.

By addressing the ten key factors we’ve discussed, you can optimize your customer journey, empower your customer support teams, and build a frictionless, high-value experience that ultimately boosts revenue and strengthens brand loyalty.

As businesses continue to compete on customer experience, CES remains a crucial differentiator.

Companies that prioritize low-effort interactions will stand out, retain more customers, and foster lasting brand advocacy. Investing in continuous CES improvements ensures your business remains agile, responsive, and customer-focused in an evolving marketplace.

FAQs

How is customer effort score measured?

CES is typically measured using post-interaction surveys, asking customers to rate how easy or difficult their experience was on a scale.

What is a good customer effort score?

A lower CES (indicating less effort required) is ideal. Industry benchmarks vary, but consistently improving CES over time is the key goal.

How does CES compare to NPS and CSAT?

• CES measures the effort needed to complete an interaction.
• NPS measures customer loyalty and likelihood to recommend.
• CSAT measures overall satisfaction with a product or service.

Can improving CES help sales teams?

Yes, a lower CES can lead to higher customer loyalty and repeat purchases. It can even reduce the cost of buying leads by increasing organic referrals.

Updated Jun 25, 2025