Meet Liam, Your Go-To Customer Effort Score Guru

Imagine you just launched a new tenant portal for maintenance requests in an apartment complex. You expect tenants to love it, but support tickets spike. They say the system is hard to use. You need to figure out if the problem is the portal itself, the communication, or something else.

That’s where Customer Effort Score (CES) measurement comes in. Liam, a product lead with three years in residential real estate tech, walks us through practical steps entry-level PMs should take to measure CES effectively — especially when troubleshooting user pain points.

What Exactly Is Customer Effort Score, Liam? Why Should a PM Care?

Picture this: a tenant tries to book a repair appointment online. If it takes a minute, great. If it takes 15 minutes and multiple calls, they’re frustrated. CES measures how much effort users expend to complete a task.

Liam: “CES boils down to one simple question: How much effort did you personally have to put forth to handle your request? It’s that straightforward, which makes it powerful for spotting friction.”

For property management, CES helps track tenant experience in areas like rent payments, maintenance requests, or lease renewals. If effort is high, tenants might churn or complain.

Step 1: Identify High-Effort Touchpoints in Your Tenant Journey

Imagine mapping every interaction a tenant has, from initial viewing to lease signing, then ongoing services. Where do tenants struggle?

Liam: “Start by listing critical tenant tasks: paying rent, reporting repairs, renewing leases. Use existing data — like call center logs or support tickets — to spot where tenants complain or abandon processes.”

One residential PM found that maintenance request submissions took tenants an average of 7 minutes, but successful completions only happened 40% of the time. That flagged a friction point worth measuring CES on.

Step 2: Choose the Right Moment to Ask the CES Question

Timing is everything. Ask tenants about effort right after they complete a task.

Liam: “Send a CES survey immediately after a repair request closes or a rent payment clears. That keeps feedback fresh and relevant.”

You can embed surveys in emails, apps, or portals. For example, Zigpoll integrates easily with tenant portals, allowing quick pop-ups asking: “How much effort did it take to submit your maintenance request?”

Step 3: Keep CES Surveys Ultra-Simple and Specific

Liam stresses: “CES is not about long questionnaires. One or two questions is enough. Use a 5- or 7-point scale from ‘Very Low Effort’ to ‘Very High Effort’. Don’t mix it with satisfaction questions — focus purely on effort.”

Example CES question for a lease renewal:

“On a scale of 1 to 5, how much effort did you have to put forth to complete your lease renewal?”

Avoid confusing questions like “How satisfied are you?” or “Would you recommend us?” Those measure different things.

Step 4: Pick Tools That Fit Your Workflow and Budget

You don’t need expensive software for CES. Liam recommends:

Liam: “For entry-level PMs, Zigpoll hits the sweet spot — straightforward, real-time, cost-effective.”

Step 5: Analyze CES Scores to Pinpoint Trouble Spots

Imagine you get a CES average of 4.2 (on a 5-point scale) for online rent payments. That means tenants find it quite effortful.

Liam: “Segment your CES data by tenant type, device used, or time of day. Maybe older tenants report higher effort. Or mobile users struggle more. These insights guide targeted fixes.”

A 2024 PropTech Insights study found that residential firms who segmented CES by property type and tenant demographic reduced effort by 15% in under six months.

Step 6: Dig Deeper with Follow-Up Questions or Interviews

CES scores alone don’t tell you why effort is high. Liam advises adding a single follow-up:

“What made this process difficult for you?”

Or conducting a short phone interview with tenants who gave high effort scores.

One property management company discovered that unclear instructions on the portal caused confusion — something they couldn’t see just from scores.

Step 7: Prioritize Fixes Based on Impact and Feasibility

Picture a list: long wait times, confusing UI, poor mobile support. You can’t do everything at once.

Liam suggests ranking issues by how much tenant effort they add and how easy they are to fix.

“One PM team cut average maintenance request time from 7 to 3 minutes by simplifying form fields — a quick win. Bigger UI redesigns came later.”

Step 8: Test Your Fixes and Measure CES Again

After improvements, send out CES surveys again for the same tasks.

Liam: “If your CES drops from 4.2 to 2.8, that’s solid proof your fix worked. If not, you might need to dig deeper or try different solutions.”

One residential PM saw CES drop by 35% after adding step-by-step guides to the tenant portal, boosting positive feedback.

Step 9: Watch for CES Trends Over Time, Not Just Snapshots

Effort can fluctuate with seasonality or new features. Keep monitoring CES regularly.

Liam: “Track CES monthly or quarterly. A sudden increase might signal a new bug or confusing update.”

For example, a sudden rise in CES after a portal update alerted a team to a hidden error message on mobile devices.

Step 10: Combine CES with Other Metrics Judiciously

CES isn’t magic. Liam warns: “Use CES alongside NPS (Net Promoter Score) or CSAT (Customer Satisfaction) to get the full picture.”

CES shows effort, NPS shows loyalty, CSAT shows satisfaction. If CES is low but NPS is dropping, other issues might be at play.

Step 11: Prepare for Limitations of CES

CES works best for clear, task-based interactions. Liam cautions:

“Complex or emotional experiences—like negotiating a lease—may not fit CES well. Tenants might rate effort low but still feel unhappy for other reasons.”

Also, response bias can skew CES if only highly satisfied or frustrated tenants reply.

Step 12: Share CES Findings Clearly Across Teams

Imagine telling maintenance, leasing, and IT teams what you learned.

Liam: “Use visuals—charts, heatmaps—and keep explanations focused on tenant stories, not just numbers. That motivates teams to act.”

He recommends weekly stand-ups covering top CES findings and quick wins.

Quick Recap from Liam’s Desk

• Map tenant journeys to find friction points
• Ask CES right after task completion, with a simple question
• Use tools like Zigpoll for easy surveys
• Break down data by tenant types and devices
• Follow up to understand why effort is high
• Prioritize fixes and test improvements with repeat CES
• Monitor CES regularly, and combine with other metrics
• Know when CES isn’t the right tool
• Share findings visually to align teams

When you treat CES as a diagnostic tool, it transforms from just a score to a story — one that tells you exactly where your tenants are stuck and how to clear their path. That’s how entry-level PMs can troubleshoot with confidence.

Ready to get your tenant portal’s CES under control? Start small, measure often, and let tenant voices lead your fixes.