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Customer Reference Programmes - success breeds success!

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Customer Reference Programmes - success breeds success!

Everyone loves to hear about success stories. Your potential customers are no different. In fact, if they are considering using your products or services they are highly likely to request examples of your previous experience. So customer case studies are an essential element in the business development process. It is really good business practice to be proactive and provide potential customers with relevant case studies, where they can read about successful projects your business delivered. Furthermore customer success stories are highly motivational for your internal staff and business development teams.

The problem for many businesses is that it can be very time consuming to commit internal resources to the development of case studies. In many cases, the sales or delivery teams involved in the project are too busy, or do not consider case studies as a priority for them. So inevitably the business misses out on valuable opportunities to document and promote their most recent successes.

At Shaping Business, we can:

Produce a one-off case study for a marketing campaign or a monthly series of case studies based on your completed projects

Develop the optimum style and tone for your business with the most appropriate case study structure and format to suit your market

Rewrite existing case studies to create a more compelling proposition and to fit into a consistent format

Review your completed projects to identify the case studies which represent the greatest potential to secure more new business

Liaise with internal staff and customers to produce an engaging case study

Coordinate with your internal marketing team and/or external PR Agency

Produce customer references in the format of your choice - text, pdf file, A4 glossy flyer, web pages or powerpoint presentations

Distribute case studies to staff, prospects, existing customers, partners and the trade press, if required.

Whether it is a one-off case study or a full series of case studies we will devise a programme to suit your needs. Throughout the process we ensure your customers feel like valued business partners. We have developed a well-proven process to ensure the Customer Reference Programme delivers the maximum benefit to your business.

Initial Assessment:

Potential case studies are assessed against a specific set of criteria that will help determine their suitability. Factors considered can include business strategy, market sensitivity, customer market sector, customer size, customer brand strength, size of addressable market for product/service, stage in lifecycle of product/service, etc. This approach ensures a focus on the best case-study material to fit the Customer Reference Programme budget you have available.

Filtering:

Some of your customers may have policies that preclude them from providing customer references. It is essential to determine your customers’ policy and record this internally to avoid repeated requests. There may also be some valid reasons why a particular case study cannot be pursued due to ongoing support issues or political sensitivities. Another consideration is the time-frame since the project was completed. In some businesses it may be necessary for a solution to have been deployed for a significant length of time before valuable statistics can be gathered on performance improvements. The optimum time for gathering reference material will depend on how quickly customers can experience the benefits of your solution.

Internal Coordination:

The filtered list of potential case studies will be communicated to the relevant internal teams (marketing, sales, delivery etc) to enable any potential issues to be flagged before approaching customers.

Data Gathering:

Product and service information will be reviewed to provide background information for the case study. Short interviews will be held with the relevant sales and delivery resources to develop an understanding of the project and the customer.

Customer Interviews:

An appointment will be made with the customer to discuss their experience and identify the benefits realised.

Case Study Development:

Based on the material collated a draft case study is developed in the format of your choice. The actual length of the case study varies from business to business, but it is typically 1000 words.

Case Study Review:

The draft case study is reviewed by the relevant internal resources/project sponsor and any requested amendments incorporated.

Client Approval:

The draft case study is sent to the client for review and approval. Any requested amendments are discussed and incorporated.

Case Study Release:

The final approved case study is formatted, printed and distributed as required to staff, customers, potential customers and trade media.

The average turn around time for an approved case study is two weeks (excluding client approval).

At Shaping Business we have extensive experience of working with businesses and their clients to develop engaging case studies to support your business development activities and marketing campaigns. To create a Customer Reference Programme which increases your business revenues, please email results@shapingbusiness.com or contact our office.