CES Benchmarks 2026
What Is a Good Customer Effort Score?
CES is measured on a 1–7 scale - higher means less effort. B2B SaaS benchmarks typically sit between 5.2–5.8. Here is how to know if yours is on track.
How CES Is Calculated
CES is calculated from one statement: “The company made it easy for me to handle my issue” rated 1–7 (Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree).
Unlike CSAT - which counts only top-box responses - CES is a true average of all ratings. Every response contributes to the score. A single very low rating pulls it down noticeably.
Formula
CES = Sum of all ratings ÷ Total responses
Scale: 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 7 (Strongly Agree)
Example: 10 responses
7 - Strongly Agree
6 - Agree
5 - Somewhat Agree
4 - Neutral
1–3 - Disagree
Sum = 57 ÷ 10 responses = CES 5.7 (Good)
CES Score Ranges
Virtually no friction. Strong retention signal - customers find you easy to work with.
Low effort. Above industry average for most sectors. Maintain and protect this.
Industry average for B2B SaaS. Specific friction points exist - identify which interactions are pulling the score down.
Below-average for SaaS. Customers are noticing friction. Prioritize the interactions with the lowest individual scores.
Significant friction. Strong churn risk - customers at this level are likely already looking for alternatives.
CES Benchmarks by Industry 2026
CES scores vary significantly by industry and interaction type. B2B SaaS support CES typically sits between 5.2–5.8. Use your industry range - not an overall average - as your baseline.
Industry
Typical range
Strong score
B2B SaaS
5.2–5.8
6.0+
Consumer SaaS
5.5–6.0
6.2+
eCommerce
5.3–5.9
6.0+
Financial Services
4.9–5.5
5.7+
Healthcare
5.0–5.6
5.9+
Telecom
4.6–5.2
5.5+
Retail
5.2–5.7
5.9+
Insurance
4.8–5.3
5.6+
Benchmarks reflect aggregated industry data. Your actual target should account for your product category, support channel mix, and customer segment.
CES vs CSAT: When to Use Each
CES and CSAT are both transactional - but they measure different things. Use both, for different purposes.
CES — Effort
“The company made it easy to handle my issue”
- ✓Best predictor of churn at the interaction level
- ✓Use after support, onboarding, and self-service tasks
- ✓Score is an average of all 1–7 ratings
- ✓High effort = high churn risk, even if satisfied
- ✓Identifies friction that CSAT masks
CSAT — Satisfaction
“How satisfied were you with this experience?”
- ✓Best for measuring overall experience quality
- ✓Use after support, purchase, feature releases, onboarding
- ✓Score is % of respondents who rated 4 or 5 out of 5
- ✓High satisfaction does not guarantee low churn
- ✓Broader emotional signal than effort alone