Customer effort score asks how easy it was to get something done: buy, return an item, get help. Customers who find it hard are more likely to leave, even when they're otherwise satisfied. Ask the core question right after the interaction, then one follow-up to find where the effort came from.
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The CES question
Where the effort was
The outcome
Looking ahead
4 questions selected
Tips for a better CES survey
Ask right after the task, about that task. CES is about one interaction, not the whole relationship.
Score it as the share of “easy” and “very easy” answers, and track it per channel.
The open question matters most: one repeated cause of effort is worth fixing first.