«Return to Blog List Dare to Give a Case Study Customer a Deadline?
What’s the biggest unknown in any case study or success story project?
The customer’s review and approval time.
As we’ve said, customers can turn a story around in a day or take months.
You have to find a middle ground of being persistent but stopping short of pesky.
Some people simply need specific targets. Or, to put it more bluntly, a deadline.
Typically, I don’t give customers a deadline right out of the gate, when they first receive the story for review. I tell them that I’ll check back with them later in the week or early next week – usually giving them 3-4 days.
The only exception to this is when there’s a specific need driving a very fast turnaround – such as a PR opportunity or event. In that case, it’s best to communicate about the tight approval cycle before the project even begins, and get the customer’s commitment that the dates are doable.
But for typical projects, I reserve deadlines for those that are lingering a little.
A recent project reminded me that some people really respond best (and only?) to deadlines. When the project lingered, we let the customer know that the company needed the case study for some specific upcoming opportunities.
In turn, the customer responded with edits and moved the story to the next step.
It doesn’t always work so well, but for certain types of people, it’s the right motivator.
Of course, whatever deadline policies you adopt in regards to customer approval, always be flexible and aware of what’s going on with the customer. Are they traveling, out sick, stressed with other work?
Adjust and work with the customer as needed – keep their experience as pleasant as you can.
Maybe offer to work directly with the customer’s legal or PR team for final approval so your contact doesn’t have to project manage.
So what’s your deadline protocol when it comes to customer approvals, and what works best?
We’ve struggled with this same question. In the end, it really depends on the client contact you have.