In a discussion last week with a growing software company, the issue of timing case studies came up. The company’s featured customers sometimes find it tough to quantify and detail the ways the software has made a difference.
It’s not because the software hasn’t been beneficial. In fact, it significantly streamlines a number of processes for customers.
Rather, the issue is likely timing. Many of the customers the company approaches to feature have been customers for years—so long that they can’t clearly remember what life was like before the software. The positive new benefits have just become a way of life.
Get the best emotion and most interesting detail by timing your customer case studies fairly early in the relationship.
Determine how long it normally takes for customers to begin seeing a benefit with your products or services. Maybe it’s immediately, or perhaps the best information comes out in three to six months.
In doing so, you get customers while they still remember interesting aspects such as previous pains/challenges, why they chose your solution, and the before-and-after metrics that provide critical validation.
Gathering stories early also helps minimize the chance that your key contacts and decision-makers will leave before you capture the story!
