A case study is a great way to delve deeper into the details of how customers use your product or service, and the value they receive. It can be used to understand customer experiences and preferences, highlight customer successes, and showcase your team's hard work. But what should you include in a case study?
To make sure you get effective and compelling data, here are five main reasons why you create a case study and 22 example questions you can ask. The goal with today’s blog will be to help you craft a strong case study so that you can effectively use it in your sales and marketing communications.
What is a Case Study?
A case study is an in-depth look at how your product or service was used by one specific customer or group of customers over an extended period of time. They are typically written from the perspective of the customer, with an emphasis on their experience with your product(s) and/or services.
The goal of doing a case study is to better understand how customers interact with your business, so that you can improve it for them (and potential future customers). Additionally, it’s to highlight why customers use your product, and the value of ROI they are receiving from your company. This can be leveraged to build sales materials to show prospects that your products or services stack up to how you sell them.
When we think about why case studies are a must for your business, here are 5 reasons that come to mind:
- To highlight customer success - Showcasing successful use cases from existing customers provides social proof for potential new customers who may be considering using your product(s) and/or services.
- To identify areas of improvement - By asking questions about what wasn’t working as well as they had hoped or expected, you can identify areas where improvements can be made in order to better meet customer needs.
- To gain insight into customer preferences - Asking questions about what they liked or disliked will help you better understand their preferences when it comes to using your products or services, which will allow you to tailor them even further in the future.
- To showcase hard work - When done right, case studies provide examples of how much effort has gone into creating a successful product or service that meets the needs of its users (your customers).
- To tell stories - Customers love stories, so why not use this opportunity to tell yours? Use the answers from the interviewee as part of a story-telling narrative that captures their experience with your company’s product(s) and/or services in an engaging way!
So, do we have you convinced to jump into building your next case study? Let’s help you get a head start, and share our ideas for case study questions you should ask your customers
22 Example Questions for Your Case Study
- How did you first hear about our company?
- What challenges were you looking to solve when considering our product/service?
- How long have you been using our product/service?
- What do you like best about our products/services?
- What do you find most challenging when using our products/services?
- Was there anything unexpected when using our products/services?
- How has using our products/services helped change things for the better within your organization?
- Do any other departments within your organization also use our products/services?
- What would be one feature or improvement that would make our products/services even more useful for you?
- Could you share some examples of how our products/services have enabled success within your organization?
- In what ways have our products/services saved time and money for your organization?
- Have other organizations expressed interest in trying out your products/services after seeing you succeed with using our product or service?
- Do you feel like there have been any changes since becoming one of our customers (positive or negative)?
- Is there anything else we could do to make sure that we consistently deliver value through all interactions with us (e-mails, phone calls etc.)?
- Are there any features within the product that stand out as being particularly helpful or convenient during usage?
- Has there been any particular moment where something clicked while using one of our products or services?
- Is there anything else we should know about when it comes to understanding how people use our product(s)/service(s)?
- Has working with us changed anything about how other companies view your work or organization?
- Do any other companies offer similar solutions as us? If yes, why did ours win out?
- Can anyone else benefit from hearing what you've learned from working together?
- How does being one of our customers make life easier on a day-to-day basis compared to before?
- Are there any advantages that weren’t immediately apparent at first but became noticeable after working with us?
Need further inspiration or support getting started with your next case study?
Here are three articles we’d recommend:
