A Guide to Case Study Interviews

Customer testimonials occupy an important place in every company’s sales and marketing toolbox. Whether in the form of print or online collateral, videos, or podcasts, a good client case study can help prospects see how they can be successful using your products and services, helping you get one step closer to a sale.

Most testimonials and case studies follow a background-challenge-solution-results structure. It’s a classic storytelling device and it works. You can also use a question & answer format to present the case study more like an interview. Either one can work.

To help you gather all the source material you need to develop a compelling customer case study, follow this interview guide:

1. What is the company background?

• Company—location, revenue, number of employees.
• Products/services offered.
• Customers/target markets.
• Your department/title/responsibilities/role in the purchase decision.

2. What is the business challenge/need?

• Tell us about the business problem that you were trying to solve or the business need you were trying to address.
• What impact did this problem have on your business?
• How have you addressed this issue in the past?

3. What solution did you choose?

• How did you hear about COMPANY NAME?
• How did you decide to use COMPANY NAME for your solution?
• Did you consider alternatives?
• Briefly describe the solution.
• Comment on the people you worked with at COMPANY NAME.

4. What results did you achieve?

• Tell us how the solution helped solve your problem/address your need.
• Tell us about your experiences with the new solution.
• What benefits did you derive from the solution?
• What has been the measurable impact of deploying this solution on your business (i.e. incremental revenues, savings/productivity gains, return on investment)?

5. Future

• What are your plans to use additional products/solutions from COMPANY NAME?