Making the Case for Customer Success Studies

Charlie Schachter, principal, Scribe Communications (http://scribeco.com)

After nearly 15 years of writing stories about successful customers, I am more convinced than ever that case studies are one of the strongest forms of collateral for influencing technology purchasers.

Real-world customer evidence works because customers have more credibility than vendors. Prospects who view vendor claims with skepticism will more readily trust a customer who makes the same assertions.

Moreover, prospects can relate to customers because they are often trying to solve the same business or technical problems. They can easily imagine themselves in the customer’s shoes, making the same decisions and gaining similar benefits.

Writing case studies yields a valuable added bonus – customer intelligence. The process of interviewing the customer provides a perfect opportunity to learn what they really think about your company and its products/services. You can discover what issues they have with your company and what they really value about your offerings.

Some of my clients make the critical mistake of not listening to their customers during the case study process. These companies typically have a narrow messaging framework; if the customer’s answers don’t match preconceived expectations, the vendor tries to shoe-horn the customer into its marketing agenda.

Instead, I recommend that clients open their ears and minds and use what customers say to shape marketing messages.

Ninety-nine percent of case studies follow the structure of problem/solution/benefits. I rarely deviate from this approach since readers are most familiar with it. Case studies can be short, say, 500 to 1000 words. Or they can be more lengthy and in-depth, if perhaps your customer is an OEM, a partner was involved, and you also want to include end users.

Let’s say your company develops retail sales software applications, your customer sells a point-of-sale (POS) device, and the end user is a major retail chain. With a 1500 to 2000-word case study, you have more room to explain the business model and quote everyone.

Most case studies also have a quick at-a-glance sidebar with a summary of the problem/solution/benefits, customer profile, list of products and/or services used, and other pertinent information.

Here’s a brief rundown on the basic steps required to get a case study written:

1. Find leads. This is one of the hardest parts of the process. Salespeople are a common source for leads, but tradeshows, conferences, user groups, and PR agencies can all yield interesting customer stories.
2. Secure permission. Someone in your organization needs to secure written legal permission from the customer company to participate in the case study. Get a signature from the highest level person possible to avoid problems later.
3. Research and interview. Create a detailed questionnaire of all the questions you plan to ask and send it to the customer in advance so there are no surprises during the interview and they have time to think about what they will say. Make sure the interview questions to follow the structure of your case study. This best practice will make it easier to write afterwards.
4. Write the case study, or engage an experienced freelance writer with domain expertise. One advantage of using an outside writer is that customers may speak their minds more freely. Getting the case study written quickly is another major benefit of hiring a writer.
5. Review internally and then send to the customer for comments and approval. Always give them a deadline of five to ten business days to respond.
6. Don’t forget to send a final document back to your customer with a note of thanks.

Use customer case studies on your website, as printed collateral, and as fodder for public relations campaigns. Editors and reporters want to talk to end users and customers, not vendors.  Case studies are a great way to put your best customers in front of them.

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Charlie Schachter (http://scribeco.com) is a freelance writer with nearly 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He has successfully written more than 100 customer case studies, and has been the lead customer evidence writer for Microsoft Windows Embedded since 2005. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 973-539-2204.