«Return to Blog List When a “Dated” Case Study is OK
Rarely do I include dates in a customer story. Numbers such as dates or specific product release versions can make a story look outdated more quickly.
However, if you want to show longevity or durability, go ahead and include dates. In that case, the older the date, the better.
I just included an install date of 2004 in a success story on a green technology product. The fact that the system still runs, with very minimal maintenance, demonstrates its longevity and ease for the customer – one of the messages the vendor wants to convey.
Everyone is turning to green technology for the future of their industries. It would not be a bad thing that we adapt it as soon as possible. Thanks for the nice reminder.
To elaborate on this post…
The downside of including dates in a customer success story:
A date in a story indicates to readers when the customer chose or brought in the product or service. If it was a long time ago, then the story is seen as outdated and not as relevant. People want fresh, recent information.
Think about any customer feedback you look at when you’re buying. If you read comments on Amazon.com or eBay, you want to read the freshest comments to know that the seller has recently delivered successfully – not 5 years ago.
Or, imagine you’re hiring someone. You want to talk to references that recently worked with that person. The information is much more valuable if it’s recent.
But, if your goal is to show that a product still works after a long time, then a date or timeframe (5 years) is important.