• What were the business challenges or opportunities you were facing? Here’s where you find out why the customer started looking for help. Were they trying to solve a problem—such as process inefficiencies or high costs? Or were they looking to add a new product or service, or perhaps enhance an existing product or service? 

• Why did you react to the challenge/opportunity at that particular time? The timing of when the customer moved forward in finding a solution will often reveal additional business drivers. It could be company growth, a merger, or some other factor that was the last straw to break the camel’s back. 

• How did you hear about us (your company) as a possible answer to your challenge? The answer to this question might not work its way into the case study, but it will give your marketing team good intelligence on how well their campaigns are working or if you are getting referrals from other customers. 

• What alternatives did you consider? Ideally, you hope your customer gives you the names of the other firms they considered so you have intelligence on your competition. They may do so but request that you not mention the competitor’s name in the case study. If they do give permission, you may or may not want to mention the competitor’s name in the story. But if you do, just state the facts without any negative commentary. 

• Why did you choose us (your company) over your other alternatives? As a follow-up to the previous question, as you write about this answer, focus on why they chose you, not the reasons why they did not choose their alternative. 

• How did the deployment go? This will uncover if there were there any significant interruptions to the customer’s business and if your staff was able to use the new solution easily. This also tells you how easy it is for customers to implement and adopt your solution—a key factor that prospects may be concerned with.

• Did we (your company) overcome any unusual roadblocks—technologically or logistically? This answer can bring out anything you did that wowed the customer and allows you to show off your skills. 

• What benefits have you received—technologically and for the business? Ultimately, this answer provides the most valuable content of your case study. If possible, ask the customer to describe the benefits in measurable results or percentage estimates of revenue generation, cost savings, or performance improvement. In other words, how are things better now than they were before? 

• How does this solution benefit your customers? These benefits are just as valuable as the direct benefits to your customer. If your solution makes things easier or saves on costs, your customer might also be able to leverage the case study for their audience. 

• How does working with us (your company) compare to other technology partners you have worked with? This can provide testimonial content you can use as a pull quote and/or serve as a good way to close out your case study. It can also distinguish what you do well compared to other solution providers in your industry.

As you take your customers through these questions, their answers will often lead to other questions you will want to ask. If they are delving deeply into a pain point or benefit, it’s worth following them on that tangent to dig for additional details. Pain points and benefits are what your prospects share most with your customers.

If you have any questions about how to conduct customer case study interviews, feel free to reach out to me at jeffpike@bwservices.net.

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