customer case study interview questions

100 Best Case Study Questions for Your Next Customer Spotlight

Published: November 29, 2022

Case studies and testimonials are helpful to have in your arsenal. But to build an effective library, you need to ask the right case study questions. You also need to know how to write a case study .

Case studies are customers' stories that your sales team can use to share relevant content with prospects . Not only that, but case studies help you earn a prospect's trust, show them what life would be like as your customer, and validate that your product or service works for your clients.

Before you start building your library of case studies, check out our list of 100 case study questions to ask your clients. With this helpful guide, you'll have the know-how to build your narrative using the " Problem-Agitate-Solve " Method.

What makes a good case study questionnaire?

The ultimate list of case study questions, how to ask your customer for a case study, creating an effective case study.

Certain key elements make up a good case study questionnaire.

A questionnaire should never feel like an interrogation. Instead, aim to structure your case study questions like a conversation. Some of the essential things that your questionnaire should cover include:

• The problem faced by the client before choosing your organization.
• Why they chose your company.
• How your product solved the problem clients faced.
• The measurable results of the service provided.
• Data and metrics that prove the success of your service or product, if possible.

You can adapt these considerations based on how your customers use your product and the specific answers or quotes that you want to receive.

What makes a good case study question?

A good case study question delivers a powerful message to leads in the decision stage of your prospective buyer's journey.

Since your client has agreed to participate in a case study, they're likely enthusiastic about the service you provide. Thus, a good case study question hands the reins over to the client and opens a conversation.

Try asking open-ended questions to encourage your client to talk about the excellent service or product you provide.

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Categories for the Best Case Study Questions

• Case study questions about the customer's business
• Case study questions about the environment before the purchase
• Case study questions about the decision process
• Case study questions about the customer's business case
• Case study questions about the buying team and internal advocates
• Case study questions about customer success
• Case study questions about product feedback
• Case study questions about willingness to make referrals
• Case study question to prompt quote-worthy feedback
• Case study questions about the customers' future goals

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Case Study Interview Questions About the Customer's Business

Knowing the customer's business is an excellent way of setting the tone for a case study.

Use these questions to get some background information about the company and its business goals. This information can be used to introduce the business at the beginning of the case study — plus, future prospects might resonate with their stories and become leads for you.

• Would you give me a quick overview of [company]? This is an opportunity for the client to describe their business in their own words. You'll get useful background information and it's an easy prompt to get the client talking.
• Can you describe your role? This will give you a better idea of the responsibilities they are subject to.
• How do your role and team fit into the company and its goals? Knowing how the team functions to achieve company goals will help you formulate how your solution involves all stakeholders.
• How long has your company been in business? Getting this information will help the reader gauge if pain points are specific to a startup or new company vs. a veteran company.
• How many employees do you have? Another great descriptor for readers to have. They can compare the featured company size with their own.
• Is your company revenue available? If so, what is it? This will give your readers background information on the featured company's gross sales.
• Who is your target customer? Knowing who the target audience is will help you provide a better overview of their market for your case study readers.
• How does our product help your team or company achieve its objectives? This is one of the most important questions because it is the basis of the case study. Get specifics on how your product provided a solution for your client. You want to be able to say "X company implemented our solution and achieved Y. "
• How are our companies aligned (mission, strategy, culture, etc.)? If any attributes of your company's mission or culture appealed to the client, call it out.

How many people are on your team? What are their roles? This will help describe key players within the organization and their impact on the implementation of your solution.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Environment Before the Purchase

A good case study is designed to build trust. Ask clients to describe the tools and processes they used before your product or service. These kinds of case study questions will highlight the business' need they had to fulfill and appeal to future clients.

• What was your team's process prior to using our product? This will give the reader a baseline to compare the results for your company's product.
• Were there any costs associated with the process prior to using our product? Was it more expensive? Was it worth the cost? How did the product affect the client's bottom line? This will be a useful metric to disclose if your company saved the client money or was more cost-efficient.
• What were the major pain points of your process prior to using our product? Describe these obstacles in detail. You want the reader to get as much information on the problem as possible as it sets up the reasoning for why your company's solution was implemented.
• Did our product replace a similar tool or is this the first time your team is using a product like this? Were they using a similar product? If so, having this information may give readers a reason to choose your brand over the competition.
• What other challenges were you and your team experiencing prior to using our product? The more details you can give readers regarding the client's struggles, the better. You want to paint a full picture of the challenges the client faced and how your company resolved them.
• Were there any concerns about how your customers would be impacted by using our product? Getting answers to this question will illustrate to readers the client's concerns about switching to your service. Your readers may have similar concerns and reading how your client worked through this process will be helpful.
• Why didn't you buy our product or a similar product earlier? Have the client describe any hesitations they had using your product. Their concerns may be relatable to potential leads.
• Were there any "dealbreakers" involved in your decision to become a customer? Describing how your company was able to provide a solution that worked within those parameters demonstrates how accommodating your brand is and how you put the customer first. It's also great to illustrate any unique challenges the client had. This better explains their situation to the reader.
• Did you have to make any changes you weren't anticipating once you became a customer? Readers of your case study can learn how switching to your product came with some unexpected changes (good or bad) and how they navigated them. If you helped your client with troubleshooting, ask them to explain that here.

How has your perception of the product changed since you've become a customer? Get the interviewee to describe how your product changed how they do business. This includes how your product accomplished what they previously thought was impossible.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Decision Process

Readers of the case study will be interested in which factors influenced the decision-making process for the client. If they can relate to that process, there's a bigger chance they'll buy your product.

The answers to these questions will help potential customers through their decision-making process.

• How did you hear about our product? If the client chose to work with you based on a recommendation or another positive case study, include that. It will demonstrate that you are a trusted brand with an established reputation for delivering results.
• How long had you been looking for a solution to this problem? This will add to the reader's understanding of how these particular challenges impacted the company before choosing your product.
• Were you comparing alternative solutions? Which ones? This will demonstrate to readers that the client explored other options before choosing your company.
• Would you describe a few of the reasons you decided to buy our product? Ask the interviewee to describe why they chose your product over the competition and any benefits your company offered that made you stand out.
• What were the criteria you used when deciding to buy our product? This will give readers more background insight into the factors that impacted their decision-making process.
• Were there any high-level initiatives or goals that prompted the decision to buy? For example, was this decision motivated by a company-wide vision? Prompt your clients to discuss what lead to the decision to work with you and how you're the obvious choice.
• What was the buying process like? Did you notice anything exceptional or any points of friction? This is an opportunity for the client to comment on how seamless and easy you make the buying process. Get them to describe what went well from start to finish.
• How would you have changed the buying process, if at all? This is an opportunity for you to fine-tune your process to accommodate future buyers.
• Who on your team was involved in the buying process? This will give readers more background on the key players involved from executives to project managers. With this information, readers can see who they may potentially need to involve in the decision-making process on their teams.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Customer's Business Case

Your case study questions should ask about your product or solution's impact on the customer's employees, teams, metrics, and goals. These questions allow the client to praise the value of your service and tell others exactly what benefits they derived from it.

When readers review your product or service's impact on the client, it enforces the belief that the case study is credible.

• How long have you been using our product? This will help readers gauge how long it took to see results and your overall satisfaction with the product or service.
• How many different people at your company use our product? This will help readers gauge how they can adapt the product to their teams if similar in size.
• Are there multiple departments or teams using our product? This will demonstrate how great of an impact your product has made across departments.
• How do you and your team currently use the product? What types of goals or tasks are you using the product to accomplish? Get specifics on how the product actively helps the client achieve their goals.
• If other teams or departments are using our product, do you know how they're using it? With this information, leads can picture how they can use your product across their teams and how it may improve their workflow and metrics.
• What was the most obvious advantage you felt our product offered during the sales process? The interviewee should explain the benefits they've gained from using your product or service. This is important for convincing other leads you are better than the competition.
• Were there any other advantages you discovered after using the product more regularly? Your interviewee may have experienced some additional benefits from using your product. Have them describe in detail what these advantages are and how they've helped the company improve.
• Are there any metrics or KPIs you track with our product? What are they? The more numbers and data the client can provide, the better.
• Were you tracking any metrics prior to using our product? What were they? This will allow readers to get a clear, before-and-after comparison of using your product.
• How has our product impacted your core metrics? This is an opportunity for your clients to drive home how your product assisted them in hitting their metrics and goals.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Buying Team and Internal Advocates

See if there are any individuals at the customer's company who are advocates for your product.

• Are there any additional team members you consider to be advocates for our product? For example, does anyone stick out as a "power user" or product expert on your team? You may want to interview and include these power users in your case study as well. Consider asking them for tips on using your service or product.
• Is there anyone else on your team you think we should talk to? Again, the more people can share their experience using your product, the better.
• Are there any team members who you think might not be the biggest fans of our product or who might need more training? Providing extra support to those struggling with your product may improve their user experience and turn into an opportunity to not only learn about their obstacles but turn them into a product fan
• Would you share some details about how your team implemented our product? Get as much information as possible about the rollout. Hopefully, they'll gush about how seamless the process was.
• Who from your company was involved in implementing our product? This will give readers more insight into who needs to be involved for a successful rollout of their own.
• Were there any internal risks or additional costs involved with implementing our product? If so, how did you address them? This will give insight into the client's process and rollout and this case study question will likely provide tips on what potential leads should be on the lookout for.
• Is there a training process in place for your team's use of our product? If so, what does it look like? If your company provided support and training to the client, have them describe that experience.
• About how long does it take a new team member to get up to speed with our product? This will help leads determine how much time it will take to onboard an employee to your using your product. If a new user can quickly get started seamlessly, it bodes well for you.
• What was your main concern about rolling this product out to your company? Describing their challenges in detail will provide readers with useful insight.

Case Study Interview Questions About Customer Success

Has the customer found success with your product? Ask these questions to learn more.

• By using our product can you measure any reduced costs? If it has, you'll want to emphasize those savings in your case study.
• By using our product can you measure any improvements in productivity or time savings? Any metrics or specific stories your interviewee can provide will help demonstrate the value of your product.
• By using our product can you measure any increases in revenue or growth? Again, say it with numbers and data whenever possible.
• Are you likely to recommend our product to a friend or colleague? Recommendations from existing customers are some of the best marketing you can get.
• How has our product impacted your success? Your team's success? Getting the interviewee to describe how your product played an integral role in solving their challenges will show leads that they can also have success using your product.
• In the beginning, you had XYZ concerns; how do you feel about them now? Let them explain how working with your company eliminated those concerns.
• I noticed your team is currently doing XYZ with our product. Tell me more about how that helps your business. Illustrate to your readers how current customers are using your product to solve additional challenges. It will convey how versatile your product is.
• Have you thought about using our product for a new use case with your team or at your company? The more examples of use cases the client can provide, the better.
• How do you measure the value our product provides? Have the interviewee illustrate what metrics they use to gauge the product's success and how. Data is helpful, but you should go beyond the numbers. Maybe your product improved company morale and how teams work together.

Case Study Interview Questions About Product Feedback

Ask the customer if they'd recommend your product to others. A strong recommendation will help potential clients be more open to purchasing your product.

• How do other companies in this industry solve the problems you had before you purchased our product? This will give you insight into how other companies may be functioning without your product and how you can assist them.
• Have you ever talked about our product to any of your clients or peers? What did you say? This can provide you with more leads and a chance to get a referral.
• Why would you recommend our product to a friend or client? Be sure they pinpoint which features they would highlight in a recommendation.
• Can you think of any use cases your customers might have for our product? Similar industries may have similar issues that need solutions. Your interviewee may be able to provide a use case you haven't come up with.
• What is your advice for other teams or companies who are tackling problems similar to those you had before you purchased our product? This is another opportunity for your client to talk up your product or service.
• Do you know someone in X industry who has similar problems to the ones you had prior to using our product? The client can make an introduction so you can interview them about their experience as well.
• I noticed you work with Company Y. Do you know if they are having any pain points with these processes? This will help you learn how your product has impacted your client's customers and gain insight into what can be improved.
• Does your company participate in any partner or referral programs? Having a strong referral program will help you increase leads and improve customer retention.
• Can I send you a referral kit as a thank-you for making a referral and give you the tools to refer someone to us? This is a great strategy to request a referral while rewarding your existing customers.
• Are you interested in working with us to produce additional marketing content? The more opportunities you can showcase happy customers, the better.

Case Study Interview Questions About Willingness to Make Referrals

• How likely are you to recommend our product to a friend or client? Ideally, they would definitely refer your product to someone they know.
• Can you think of any use cases your customers might have for our product? Again, your interviewee is a great source for more leads. Similar industries may have similar issues that need solutions. They may be able to provide a use case you haven't come up with.
• I noticed you work with Company Y; do you know if they are having any pain points with these processes? This will help you learn how your product has impacted your client's customers and gain insight into what can be improved.

Case Study Interview Questions to Prompt Quote-Worthy Feedback

Enhance your case study with quotable soundbites from the customer. By asking these questions, prospects have more insight into other clients and their success with your product — which helps build trust.

• How would you describe your process in one sentence prior to using our product? Ideally, this sentence would quickly and descriptively sum up the most prominent pain point or challenge with the previous process.
• What is your advice to others who might be considering our product? Readers can learn from your customer's experience.
• What would your team's workflow or process be like without our product? This will drive home the value your product provides and how essential it is to their business.
• Do you think the investment in our product was worthwhile? Why? Have your customer make the case for the value you provide.
• What would you say if we told you our product would soon be unavailable? What would this mean to you? Again, this illustrates how integral your product is to their business.
• How would you describe our product if you were explaining it to a friend? Your customers can often distill the value of your product to their friends better than you can.
• What do you love about your job? Your company? This gives the reader more background on your customer and their industry.
• What was the worst part of your process before you started using our product? Ideally, they'd reiterate how your product helped solve this challenge.
• What do you love about our product? Another great way to get the customer's opinion about what makes your product worth it.
• Why do you do business with us? Hopefully, your interviewee will share how wonderful your business relationship is.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Customers' Future Goals

Ask the customer about their goals, challenges, and plans for the future. This will provide insight into how a business can grow with your product.

• What are the biggest challenges on the horizon for your industry? Chances are potential leads within the same industry will have similar challenges.
• What are your goals for the next three months? Knowing their short-term goals will enable your company to get some quick wins for the client.
• How would you like to use our product to meet those challenges and goals? This will help potential leads understand that your product can help their business as they scale and grow.
• Is there anything we can do to help you and your team meet your goals? If you haven't covered it already, this will allow your interviewee to express how you can better assist them.
• Do you think you will buy more, less, or about the same amount of our product next year? This can help you gauge how your product is used and why.
• What are the growth plans for your company this year? Your team? This will help you gain insight into how your product can help them achieve future goals.
• How can we help you meet your long-term goals? Getting specifics on the needs of your clients will help you create a unique solution designed for their needs.
• What is the long-term impact of using our product? Get their feedback on how your product has created a lasting impact.
• Are there any initiatives that you personally would like to achieve that our product or team can help with? Again, you want to continue to provide products that help your customers excel.
• What will you need from us in the future? This will help you anticipate the customer's business needs.
• Is there anything we can do to improve our product or process for working together in the future? The more feedback you can get about what is and isn't working, the better.

Before you can start putting together your case study, you need to ask your customer's permission.

If you have a customer who's seen success with your product, reach out to them. Use this template to get started:

Thank you & quick request

Hi [customer name],

Thanks again for your business — working with you to [solve X, launch Y, take advantage of Z opportunity] has been extremely rewarding, and I'm looking forward to more collaboration in the future.

[Name of your company] is building a library of case studies to include on our site. We're looking for successful companies using [product] to solve interesting challenges, and your team immediately came to mind. Are you open to [customer company name] being featured?

It should be a lightweight process — [I, a product marketer] will ask you roughly [10, 15, 20] questions via email or phone about your experience and results. This case study will include a blurb about your company and a link to your homepage (which hopefully will make your SEO team happy!)

In any case, thank you again for the chance to work with you, and I hope you have a great week.

[Your name]

If one of your customers has recently passed along some praise (to you, their account manager, your boss; on an online forum; to another potential customer; etc.), then send them a version of this email:

Hey [customer name],

Thanks for the great feedback — I'm really glad to hear [product] is working well for you and that [customer company name] is getting the results you're looking for.

My team is actually in the process of building out our library of case studies, and I'd love to include your story. Happy to provide more details if you're potentially interested.

Either way, thank you again, and I look forward to getting more updates on your progress.

You can also find potential case study customers by usage or product data. For instance, maybe you see a company you sold to 10 months ago just bought eight more seats or upgraded to a new tier. Clearly, they're happy with the solution. Try this template:

I saw you just [invested in our X product; added Y more users; achieved Z product milestone]. Congratulations! I'd love to share your story using [product] with the world -- I think it's a great example of how our product + a dedicated team and a good strategy can achieve awesome results.

Are you open to being featured? If so, I'll send along more details.

Case Study Benefits

• Case studies are a form of customer advocacy.
• Case studies provide a joint-promotion opportunity.
• Case studies are easily sharable.
• Case studies build rapport with your customers.
• Case studies are less opinionated than customer reviews.

1. Case studies are a form of customer advocacy.

If you haven't noticed, customers aren't always quick to trust a brand's advertisements and sales strategies.

With every other brand claiming to be the best in the business, it's hard to sort exaggeration from reality.

This is the most important reason why case studies are effective. They are testimonials from your customers of your service. If someone is considering your business, a case study is a much more convincing piece of marketing or sales material than traditional advertising.

2. Case studies provide a joint-promotion opportunity.

Your business isn't the only one that benefits from a case study. Customers participating in case studies benefit, too.

Think about it. Case studies are free advertisements for your customers, not to mention the SEO factor, too. While they're not promoting their products or services, they're still getting the word out about their business. And, the case study highlights how successful their business is — showing interested leads that they're on the up and up.

3. Case studies are easily sharable.

No matter your role on the sales team, case studies are great to have on hand. You can easily share them with leads, prospects, and clients.

Whether you embed them on your website or save them as a PDF, you can simply send a link to share your case study with others. They can share that link with their peers and colleagues, and so on.

Case studies can also be useful during a sales pitch. In sales, timing is everything. If a customer is explaining a problem that was solved and discussed in your case study, you can quickly find the document and share it with them.

4. Case studies build rapport with your customers.

While case studies are very useful, they do require some back and forth with your customers to obtain the exact feedback you're looking for.

Even though time is involved, the good news is this builds rapport with your most loyal customers. You get to know them on a personal level, and they'll become more than just your most valuable clients.

And, the better the rapport you have with them, the more likely they'll be to recommend your business, products, or services to others.

5. Case studies are less opinionated than customer reviews.

Data is the difference between a case study and a review. Customer reviews are typically based on the customer's opinion of your brand. While they might write a glowing review, it's completely subjective and there's rarely empirical evidence supporting their claim.

Case studies, on the other hand, are more data-driven. While they'll still talk about how great your brand is, they support this claim with quantitative data that's relevant to the reader. It's hard to argue with data.

An effective case study must be genuine and credible. Your case study should explain why certain customers are the right fit for your business and how your company can help meet their specific needs. That way, someone in a similar situation can use your case study as a testimonial for why they should choose your business.

Use the case study questions above to create an ideal customer case study questionnaire. By asking your customers the right questions, you can obtain valuable feedback that can be shared with potential leads and convert them into loyal customers.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in June 2021 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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26+ Best Case Study Questions for Customer Interviews

Updated July 2024 : Case studies are a critical element of most SaaS marketing strategies. But what case study questions do you ask in the customer interview to ensure you elicit the details AND emotion you need for an authentic and compelling story?

In research we conducted this year, SaaS marketers ranked case studies the #1 most effective marketing tactic to increase sales—ahead of general website content, SEO, blog posts, social media and other marketing tactics.

But gathering the insights, data and customer quotes that make a case study resonate takes some finesse. This is why it’s so important to develop a set of relevant case study questions for interviews with customers.

Get 26 case study questions, PLUS 19 bonus questions for use case, adoption and switcher stories. Download the cheat sheet now .

What case study interview questions should you ask?

In this post, we share the 26 powerful case study questions we use when conducting a case study interview.

We also included favorite case study interview questions and hot tips from customer marketing and advocacy practitioners in our industry:

• Natalie Gullatt , Customer Lifecycle and Growth Manager, Artera 
• Cecilia Wainio , Customer Growth, Jitterbit
• Helen Feber , Founder, Referential
• Luis González , Head of Global Customer Advocacy, Alteryx
• Deirdre Puleo , former Content Strategist, Wix 
• Kaily Baskett , Director of Revenue Growth, SlapFive
• Jeff Ernst , CEO, SlapFive
• Gabriela Contreras , Independent Marketing Consultant
• Erin O’Quinn , Senior Manager, Customer Marketing, VMware by Broadcom
• Cassie Stevenson , Global Customer Advocacy Lead, Qumulo
• Cindy Aitken ,  Director, Customer Marketing, Collibra
• Diana Yanez-Pastor , Independent Customer Advocacy Marketing Consultant

With these insight-eliciting case study questions in your back pocket, you’ll be able to uncover nuggets of gold that will help you create a customer story that really resonates with your prospects and leads.

Also learn how to conduct a good case study interview

In this post, we also cover tips for conducting a great case study interview, as well as some common interview mistakes to avoid.

Before the case study interview

Find a convenient time for the interview, prepare your case study questions in advance, should you send the case study questions to your customer ahead of time, make your customer comfortable, 26 case study questions for interviews with customers, bonus case study interview questions, an email interview won’t cut it, take notes and record the interview, watch out for these 4 common interview mistakes.

Get a cheat sheet with 26 case study questions, PLUS 19 bonus questions for use case, adoption and switcher stories. Download the cheat sheet now .

Keep in mind that there are 3 important phases to any case study:

• Before: What were the customer’s pain points, challenges, priorities and aspirations before they found you?
• During: Why did the customer choose your solution? How did the implementation go? How are they using your solution?
• After: What can the customer do now that they couldn’t do before? What impact has your solution had on their business?

The best case studies draw readers in by walking them through these phases by using customer quotes and details that bring the story to life and make it more compelling.

Your customers are busy—and they’re doing you a big favor by participating in the case study—so be as flexible as possible when you’re scheduling the case study interview. And while you’ll likely want to talk to them for hours, be respectful of their time and ask for 30 minutes.

You’ll probably have just 30 or 40 minutes to capture your customer’s story so be thoroughly prepared before you even schedule the case study interview.

Hot tip: How to prepare for an interview

Here are three things you should do before each interview: 1. Ask the CSM or account manager about the account. 2. Review the account details in the CRM or customer management tool. 3. Customize your interview questions to ensure they align with the story you’d like to tell, your company’s goals and the customer’s success.

This is hotly debated amongst customer marketing and advocacy professionals. 

Some people worry that sending the case study interview questions in advance will result in less candid and natural responses. 

Others argue that it’s important to provide the case study questions for interviews with customers ahead of time so they have time to think about their responses and dig for metrics.

So, we did a quick poll and here’s the consensus:

I think we can all agree that we want our customers to be at ease during the interview. At the very least, that means sending the metrics-related questions ahead of time. 

Want to scale your case study production? Partner with Uplift .

Before the interview starts, it’s important to make the customer feel comfortable and explain the process—what to expect during the interview and after. Make sure the customer understands that they have complete control over what’s included in the final draft.

“Thank you so much for agreeing to tell us your story. Once we write the story, we’ll send it to you to review. We won’t publish anything you’re not 100% happy with. Are you okay if I record the call?”

Introductions and warm-up

1. Can you briefly tell me about yourself and your role? 

2. What is most meaningful to you about the work you do? 

Case study question #2 makes the story more personal and the answer often aligns with the company’s strategic initiatives.

3. What are you most proud of with this implementation/solution?

Case study question #3 helps put the interviewee into a positive mindset and you can sometimes get great intel that enables more detailed discussion—and this can lead to a more attention-grabbing story.

4. What keeps you up at night as it relates to your job?

Case study question #4 is one of my favorites because leaders who want to drive transformation will obsess over it. They don’t “turn off” ideating at 5pm. They think about it while they’re driving, doing chores… and trying to fall asleep. So for me, this question allows me to get to the core of their thinking—and you’ll often get the most human answer.

5. What was going on at your company that sent you looking for a solution like [company name]? 

5a. Follow-up: Why was this such a big problem for you and your company? 5b. Follow-up: What was the consequence of doing nothing?

Case study question #5 is a non-threatening way to ask what wasn’t working, and helps bring context to the conversation.

Case study question #5b usually uncovers a longer-term or more critical potential problem and helps get to the root of the ‘so what’ of challenges.

6. Before you landed on [our solution], how did you try to solve the problem?

6a. Follow-up: Why didn’t those solutions work?

7. What criteria did the new solution need to meet?

8. What were the top 3 things you wanted to achieve with the new solution? 

9. What are the 3 biggest reasons you chose [our solution] over competitors and the option of doing nothing? 

9a. Follow-up: Did anything else impress you at this early stage?

Emily Amos, CEO & Founder, Uplift Content

Hot tip: Get better answers

Use rapid framing to elicit prioritized responses. Don’t ask: Why did you purchase this solution? Instead ask: What are the top 3 reasons you purchased this solution from us, instead of another vendor?

10. When you first started working with [company name], how did you come up with the implementation plan?

11. What was the implementation process like? 

12. What challenges did you hit along the way and how did [company name] help you through it?

Case study question #12 is great for building trust. It’s also the #1 most frequently asked question on customer reference calls by a wide margin.

13. What changes did you notice early on? How did things progress?

14. Can you tell me about how you’re using [our solution] and how it’s helped you? 

15. Was there anything that surprised you or stood out to you about [our solution]?

16. How has [our solution] made your job easier? 

16a. Follow-up: What about your department or other departments? The company as a whole?

17. What has your personal experience been like working with the [solution/team]?

18. If you couldn’t use our solution ever again, what would that be like? 

Case study question #18 can lead to some great sound bites.

Hot tip: Create distance

Say to your customer: “Assume I know nothing.” This encourages the customer to provide more context, which is where the golden nuggets really come out. 

19. What would you consider to be the biggest success of your relationship with [company name]?

20. What can you do now that you couldn’t do before? 

Case study question #20 is great for eliciting before/after context.

21. Where have you seen the biggest increase/impact?

21a. Follow-up: Can you quantify those results? For example…

Case study question #21a helps you encourage the interviewee by mentioning specific metrics or outcomes. 

22. What have these results meant for your business? 

22a. Follow-up: Were you expecting to see the type of results you experienced?

Case study question #22 gives the interviewee an opportunity to explain how the results are personal and meaningful.

23. How has [company name] evolved with you? How has it managed to remain your ideal solution both then and now?

23a. Follow-up: Can you think of an example of how working with [company name] has changed your thought process, strategy or the way you do business?

Case study question #23 can open up unique avenues of questioning and capture the dynamic nature of the relationship between you and your customer.

24. What unexpected benefit did you find or what did you learn along the way that you’ll take with you through your career?

Case study question #24 is great because it gets the customer excited about what they do.

25. If another company asked you if you would recommend working with us, what would you say and why? 

Case study question #25 is helpful because it gets the interviewee to provide quotes that summarize the company’s value props succinctly.

26. Is there anything you wish I’d asked?

Case study question #26 can give you some of your best quotes.

Do you want your case studies to have a particular focus? Do you want to tell a:

• Use case story?
• Adoption story?
• Competitive steal story?

Do you want to create:

• Customer-led blog posts providing advice or best practices?
• Customer-led blog posts providing thought leadership?
• Video stories?

If you answered yes…

…you need specific case study interview questions.

We created a cheat sheet with the 26 case study questions above, PLUS 19 additional questions for stories with a specific storyline or focus.

Download the interview questions cheatsheet – with the 19 bonus questions.

Don’t settle for a case study interview done by email. Not only are people more candid in conversation, but you’ll also be able to ask spur-of-the-moment case study questions and explore ideas as they’re presented.

Here are the 4 best ways you can conduct your case study interview:

• face-to-face (this is the best and most personable choice; try to arrange this if your customer is in your region)
• phone interview
• repurposing webinar

A recording and transcription of the case study interview will ensure accuracy and give you peace of mind. Down the road, you can also use the transcript for other marketing activities, such as grabbing testimonials and pull quotes, writing blog posts and more.

Use an app to record phone calls, or use Zoom or Google Meet to record video calls. Make sure you have permission to record the conversation.

Learn how to write a SaaS case study in 9 steps.

1 . Using yes/no questions

Does your list have any yes/no questions? If so, be ready with follow-up questions. Better yet, revise the case study question so it’s open-ended to elicit a more thoughtful response.

2 . Not pushing for numbers

Don’t be afraid to ask for numbers, concrete examples or more information. You need these for a quality case study and this is your chance to get them. Don’t be afraid to repeat case study questions or rephrase them to make sure you get what you need.

3 . Not allowing the conversation to flow

You don’t need to be rigid about asking every single question on your list. The best insights are often unexpected so allow the conversation to flow a little—but don’t get too far off-topic or you’ll run out of time.

4 . Not listening to your customer

Don’t think you already have all the answers. Go into the case study interview with an open mind and be ready to listen.

Scale your case study production

We write case studies for high-growth SaaS companies like ClickUp, WalkMe and Lean Data.  Check out our case study writing service .

26 Case Study Interview Questions to Help You Uncover Gold Get the powerful questions we use in interviews, plus 19 bonus questions for use case, adotpion and switcher stories.

As the founder of Uplift Content, Emily leads her team in creating done-for-you case studies, ebooks and blog posts for high-growth SaaS companies like ClickUp, Calendly and WalkMe. Connect with Emily on Linkedin

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10 Best Case Study Interview Questions to Ask

Ask these 10 interview questions to get valuable case study insights.

When you’re striving to improve your product, brand, or marketing, conducting case study interviews with your customers can provide invaluable insight into your business. Yes, customer case studies can provide content that your sales and marketing teams can use in order to attract additional attention from prospective clients. But they can also give you fresh insight into your business’s strengths and weaknesses so you can identify opportunities for growth, particularly if you ask the right case study interview questions.

If you’ve never done a case study before, you may be struggling to wrap your head around how to approach this process—how do you write case study interview questions that are productive and impactful? Read on to learn what you need to know in order to conduct a great case study interview, even if it’s your first time.

What is a case study?

One of the most difficult tasks of a business is proving to potential customers that you really can do all you say you can, so that they feel confident in signing on to work with you. One of the best ways to go about showcasing your professional skillset and attracting new business is through case studies—in particular, by interviewing former or existing customers in order to simultaneously conduct market research and generate marketing materials.

The kind of customer interviews conducted for the purpose of business case studies can be tricky to execute. You want to learn about what went great in your collaboration, while also soliciting feedback that could help steer the improvements you foster within your own company. How do you do both of these things at once?

Plainly put, it’s no small feat. There are many challenges in conducting these kinds of interviews with customers, including:

• Limited staff resources: Your staff members are busy people—finding time for them to plan, structure, and conduct these types of case study interviews can be tricky .
• Difficulty scheduling time with willing customers: Your customers are equally busy individuals—and it’s even harder to sell a customer on carving out their time for work like this than for your own staff members.

While there are certainly hurdles involved in getting this information collected, the effort can really be worth it in the end. The insight customers are able to share with you as a business owner is priceless—and the fact that these case studies can also become impactful marketing tools is an added bonus. But in order to make things easier on yourself and more efficient, preparing carefully constructed, highly targeted case study interview questions is essential.

How to write the best case study questions

How do you actually write a case study interview question that’s sure to get at the heart of a customer’s most honest feedback, while also serving as a testimonial your marketing staff can use to generate new interest in your business? It’s a tricky task to take on, but not an impossible one. Here are some things to keep in mind as you set out to establish a set of case study interview questions that work well for your company.

First, you want to structure your case study interview like a conversation—while you’re looking for thorough information, you don’t want your customer to feel like they’re involved in an interrogation. The fact that they’re willing to participate in the interview is a sign that they valued your product, service, or collaboration. They’re doing you a favor by supplying this information for your company, so you want to capture the essential information in as few questions as possible—but you also want to ensure the questions you ask are succinct, friendly, and flow naturally from one to another.

Strive for open-ended questions that give customers the opportunity to expand on the parts of their experience that they remember most fondly. While you’re looking for specific information, you also want your customer to feel they have room to share what they found important about working with you.

To give you a sense of what kinds of questions you should include in your survey, here are the top 10 best case study interview questions to ask in 2023:

• What problems were you facing before you chose to work with us?
• Out of the many businesses available to help, what made you choose ours?
• How long have you been using our product/resource/service?
• How many people on your team are involved with our product/resource/service?
• How has our product/resource/service helped to improve your initial problem?
• Can you provide a measurable example of how the problem has improved?
• What concerns did you have about our product/resource/service initially? How do you feel about those concerns today?
• Have any new concerns or issues arisen since you started using our product/resource/service? How could we improve, if so?
• What features or developments could make our product/resource/service even more useful or beneficial for your company?
• Would you recommend our product/resource/service to a trusted peer in your industry? Why or why not?

When approaching a case study, you should always start with a genuine desire to hear feedback from your customers and provide improvements to their issues wherever possible. Spend sufficient time carefully defining your goal, crafting a collection of succinct questions that help you get to the information you need quickly, and preparing appropriately to execute the interview. While your customers are eager to share their positive experiences with you, it’s important to respect everyone’s time along the way.

If you’re looking for a way to circumvent some of the hurdles that come along with differences in time zones or geography in this kind of work, consider a tool like Voiceform. By asking case study interview questions through Voiceform, you can interview a number of customers simultaneously, allowing them to engage the questions at a time that is most convenient to them. Plus, you’ll have access to insights that will make market research and creating marketing materials easier than ever. When you’re ready to begin, start your trial with Voiceform or book a demo !

We make collecting, sharing and analyzing data a breeze

Get started for free. Get instant access to Voiceform features that get you amazing data in minutes.

Case Study Questions

Crafting an impactful case study library: the ultimate guide.

Case studies and testimonials are powerful tools for convincing potential clients of the value of your product or service. To create a truly effective library of case studies, it's crucial to ask the right questions and know how to write a compelling narrative. Follow our guide and learn how to use the "Problem-Agitate-Solve" method to create a winning case study.

The Significance of a Well-Designed Case Study Questionnaire

In order to produce a successful case study, having a well-structured questionnaire is essential. The questionnaire should gather all necessary information without feeling like an interrogation. It should flow like a conversation, covering key elements such as the client's problem, why they chose your company, and the measurable results of your product or service. It's important to tailor your questions based on how your customers use your product and the specific information you want to highlight.

The Ultimate List of Case Study Questions

If you're unsure of what questions to ask your clients for a case study, refer to our list of 100 carefully curated questions. These questions are designed to deliver a powerful message to leads in the decision stage of the buyer's journey. By asking open-ended questions, you can encourage your clients to discuss the excellent service or product you provide.

Approaching Your Customer for a Case Study

The thought of asking a client to participate in a case study may be daunting, but with the right approach, you can build trust and make them feel valued. Start by asking them to describe their processes and tools before using your product, highlighting the need your product fulfills and appealing to potential future clients. You can also inquire about any concerns or hesitations they had about switching to your product, showcasing how your company prioritizes customer satisfaction.

Crafting an Effective Case Study

When writing a case study, it's important to provide thorough information about the client's experience before and after using your product. Utilize details to paint a clear picture of the challenges they faced, how your company's solution helped, and any unexpected changes that came with switching to your product. This not only showcases the success of your product or service, but also makes it relatable for potential leads.

Utilizing Case Studies for Successful Sales

When assisting clients with troubleshooting, ask for their feedback on the product. How has their perception of the product changed since becoming a customer? Understanding how the product has positively impacted their business is crucial for creating a strong case study.

Interview Questions About the Decision-Making Process

Readers of the case study are interested in the factors that influenced the client's decision-making process. This information can help potential customers in their own decision-making process, increasing the chances of them choosing your product. Some relevant questions to ask include:

• How did you first hear about our product? This demonstrates your brand's reliability and reputation.
• How long were you searching for a solution to this problem? This adds context to the challenges the client faced before choosing your product.
• Were you considering other solutions? If so, which ones? This shows that the client thoroughly researched and compared options before choosing your company.
• What ultimately convinced you to purchase our product? What sets us apart from our competitors? Encourage the interviewee to discuss the benefits of your product and why they chose it over others.
• What were the key criteria in your decision to buy our product? This provides insight into the factors that influenced their decision-making process.
• Were there any specific goals or initiatives that led to the decision to purchase our product? This helps readers understand the bigger picture behind the decision to work with your company.
• Can you describe the buying process? Were there any notable positives or challenges? This allows the client to comment on the ease and efficiency of the buying process and highlight any positive aspects.

How Can You Improve the Buying Process for Your Customers?

When looking for ways to improve your buying process, having feedback from your customers is crucial. This allows you to tailor the process for future clients and enhance their experience.

Important questions to ask include:

• Who in your team was involved in the buying process? This provides insights into the key players, from executives to project managers.

Interviewing Customer Case Studies: How It Benefits Your Business

Understanding the impact of your product on your customer's business is essential in showcasing its value and benefits. Here are some questions to ask in a case study interview:

• How long has your company been using our product? This gives an idea of how long it took to see results and overall satisfaction with the product.
• How many individuals in your company use our product? This helps readers understand how the product can be adapted to their teams, especially if they are of a similar size.
• Are there multiple departments or teams using our product? This showcases the broad impact of your product across various departments.
• How do you currently use the product? What specific goals or tasks does it help you accomplish? Encourage the interviewee to provide details on how the product actively assists them in achieving their goals.
• If other departments or teams are using our product, do you know how they utilize it? This allows potential customers to visualize how the product can benefit their own teams and improve their metrics and workflow.

Why Every Business Needs a Case Study Library

As a salesperson, it's important to not just promote your product, but also show potential buyers its impact. This is where case studies play a crucial role in providing evidence of your product's success. In fact, according to a HubSpot survey, 77% of B2B prospects consider winning case studies important in their decision to buy.

The Power of Case Studies and Testimonials in Closing Deals

When it comes to building trust and closing deals, case studies and testimonials are valuable tools. But how can you create an effective case study? One approach is the "Problem-Agitate-Solve" method, which involves showcasing a customer's problem, agitating its impact, and demonstrating how your product solved it.

Tips for Building an Effective Case Study Library

Before diving into the "Problem-Agitate-Solve" method, it's important to have a solid foundation for your case study library. Here are some tips:

• Create a well-crafted questionnaire that covers company information, product impact, metrics, customer quotes, and before and after comparisons.

Top Questions to Ask in a Case Study Interview

An effective case study interview is key to gathering valuable information from your customers. Here are some key questions to ask:

• What benefits did you experience during the sales process?
• Were there any additional advantages you discovered after using the product regularly?
• How has our product impacted your core metrics?

Building Trust and Demonstrating Product Success Through Case Studies

By incorporating your customer's business goals and challenges into your case study, you not only showcase the benefits of your product, but also earn trust from potential customers. Testimonials and data-driven case studies are powerful tools in demonstrating the effectiveness of your product.

Tips for Conducting a Successful Case Study Interview

To ensure a successful case study interview, here are some helpful tips:

• Identify internal advocates for your product and seek advice from power users.
• Interview multiple team members for additional insights.
• Address any concerns or challenges during the rollout of your product.

Utilizing Business Goals and Challenges in Case Studies: A Powerful Tool for Success

In addition to showcasing your product's effectiveness, incorporating your customer's business goals and challenges into case studies can be a powerful way to demonstrate the benefits of your product and attract potential customers.

The Importance and Rewards of Asking About Referrals in Case Study Interviews

During a case study interview, it is essential to inquire about the customer's willingness to recommend your product to others. This positive recommendation can result in increased leads and customer acquisition. Furthermore, asking about how other companies in their industry address similar challenges can provide valuable insights and potential referrals. By gathering feedback on referrals and seeking advice for other businesses facing similar issues, you can enhance your case studies and generate more leads for future success.

Start Building Your Case Study Portfolio Today!

By implementing these strategies and incorporating the "Problem-Agitate-Solve" approach, you can create a robust case study library that will help you close more deals and establish trust with potential customers. So don't wait any longer – begin collecting your success stories and crafting your case studies today!

Harnessing the Power of Client Referrals for Business Growth

As a business, it is essential to capitalize on any opportunity to showcase the value of your products or services. One effective approach is to leverage client referrals to speak about their positive experiences with your brand. Not only does this enhance your credibility, but it also provides valuable insights into the impact of your product on your clients' customers and how it can be improved.

Referrals within Your Industry

If you have a client in a specific industry, it presents a perfect chance to reach out for a referral. By asking if they know of any other businesses facing similar challenges to those they had before using your product, you can arrange an interview to gather their feedback. This not only adds credibility to your product but also strengthens trust with potential clients.

Exploring Referral and Partner Programs

An excellent way to boost leads and improve customer retention is by having a well-established referral program. Consider asking your clients if they are currently participating in any referral programs and if they would be interested in receiving a referral kit as a thank-you for recommending your business. This not only incentivizes referrals but also shows your appreciation for their support.

Key Questions for an Effective Case Study Interview

When conducting a case study with a client, asking the right questions is crucial in gathering valuable feedback for your marketing materials. Here are some examples of questions that can elicit compelling responses:

• What challenges did you face before implementing our product? This question highlights the most significant pain point or issue your client experienced before using your product.
• What advice would you give to other businesses considering our product? By sharing their experience, readers can learn from your client's success.
• How has your team's workflow been affected by using our product? This showcases the value of your product and its impact on their business.
• Do you believe the investment in our product was worth it? Why? Allow your client to make the case for your product's value.
• What would happen if our product was no longer available? This demonstrates the necessity and impact of your product on their business.
• How would you describe our product to a friend? Your clients can often articulate the value of your product to their peers better than you can.
• What do you love about your job and company? This gives readers more insight into your client and their industry.
• What was the most challenging aspect before using our product? Ideally, this will highlight how your product helped solve this challenge.
• What do you appreciate most about our product? This question allows your client to share their opinion on the key features that make your product worthwhile.
• What motivates you to continue doing business with us? This question provides insight into why your client chooses to work with your company, showcasing the trust and satisfaction they have in your product.

The Importance of Client Relationships

Fostering a positive relationship with your clients is crucial for the success of your business. By building trust and understanding their goals and plans, you can gain valuable insights on how your product can help their business grow.

Securing Permission for a Case Study

Before creating a case study, it is essential to obtain permission from your client. Use this template to request their participation:

Expressing Gratitude and Requesting Collaboration

Hello [customer name],

I would like to take a moment to thank you for your business and express my excitement for our continued partnership. It has been a pleasure to work with you on [solving X, launching Y, taking advantage of Z opportunity], and I am eager to showcase our collaboration.

At [name of your company], we are compiling a library of case studies highlighting successful companies who have utilized our product to overcome challenges. Your company immediately came to mind as a great candidate for a case study. Would [customer company name] be open to being featured in our case study?

The process would involve a brief 10-20 question interview, either through email or phone, about your experience and results. Your company will also be featured in the case study with a link to your homepage, providing potential SEO benefits.

Thank you again for choosing to work with us, and I hope you have a fantastic week.

Best regards,

[Your name]

If a customer has shared positive feedback with you through various channels, you can reach out with this email:

Showing Appreciation for Feedback

I would like to personally thank you for the fantastic feedback you shared regarding [product]. It is always a pleasure to hear that our product is meeting your expectations and producing desired results for your business.

If you are interested, we would love to feature [customer company name] in our case study as a successful example of a business using our product. Let me know if you would be open to this, and we can discuss the details further.

Thank you again for your valuable support and partnership. We look forward to working with you in the future.

The Effectiveness of Case Studies for Your Business

As we continue to expand our library of case studies, we are eager to include your story. Whether or not you choose to participate, we appreciate your contribution and look forward to hearing more about your progress. - [Your name]

The Power of Customer Testimonials

One of the most significant advantages of case studies is that they serve as testimonials from satisfied customers. When someone is considering your business, a case study is a much more persuasive form of marketing compared to traditional advertisements.

The Benefits of Participating in Case Studies

Customers who participate in case studies also reap the rewards of this marketing strategy. Not only do they receive free publicity and improved SEO, but they also showcase the success of their business, attracting new leads and potential clients.

Easily Shareable Marketing Material

Case studies are an excellent tool for sales teams as they can be easily shared with leads, prospects, and clients. Whether through a website or PDF, a simple link can be circulated and utilized during sales pitches, making it a valuable asset.

Building a Strong Relationship with Your Customers

While case studies require some back-and-forth communication with your customers to obtain specific feedback, it also helps build a strong rapport between you and your most loyal clients. This personal connection can lead to positive word-of-mouth recommendations for your business and services.

The Impact of Data in Case Studies

Unlike customer reviews, which are solely based on opinions, case studies rely on data and facts. They not only showcase the success of your brand but also support it with relevant and measurable data, making it difficult to dispute.

A well-executed case study should be authentic and trustworthy. It should provide valuable insights and concrete evidence of the effectiveness of your product or service.

Create Effective Customer Case Studies to Attract Potential Clients

Learn how your business can meet the unique needs of your customers by showcasing success stories. Use our helpful case study questionnaire to create the perfect customer case study.

Utilize Our Free Case Study Templates

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3 Steps to Making the Most of Your Customer Case Study Interviews

When it comes to creating customer case studies, there’s one part of the process that’s absolutely critical: the interview. While it may sound obvious, the interview can make or break your case study. The question then is: how do you make the most of your customer case study interviews?

Going into interviews with customers, you need to put in the research and preparation in advance to ensure you can make the most of your opportunity. Your case studies are a content marketing superhero and are often cited as one of the hardest working pieces of content you can create.

Don’t make the mistake of showing up for interviews with customers without a plan. Your customer success stories are social proof that is a valuable marketing asset, so you need to make the most of every opportunity.

Here are three critical steps to take before your interview so have everything you need to ensure you get an amazing customer testimonial. 

Step #1: Create an Interview Guide

When you sit down to interview your client, you want to make sure that you’ve mapped out a game plan so you make the most of the time you have together.

I recommend you start with creating an interview guide that you customize for each customer interview. Using your knowledge of that client’s situation you can craft a list of core questions. 

If you need more information, pre-interviews with internal stakeholders can really help to round out your customer interview and save valuable time. This is particularly important for a B2B customer as the implementation or solution may be complex, and the finished result needs to land with your target customers.

Your interview guide should list out the key areas for discussion and questions you want to cover during the interview. Typically, I would recommend including questions related to their challenge, the solution, their results, and their experience with your company. 

When you’re crafting your interview guide, start with the end in mind. You want to have case study interview questions that leads your customer to the story you want to tell. As you consider what questions to include ask. yourself what questions your potential customers need to have answered with a case study.

If you’re working with content writers, this is a good place to pull them in as their insights are worth their weight in gold. They can help ensure that you answer the questions they need to write up the story on the case study subject, and give you insight into the content creation process. 

If you want to focus on a specific aspect of your offer or their results, craft questions that will help you get the answers you’re looking for. Don’t just ask a single question, have a series of follow-up questions at the ready in case you need to dig in further. 

Remember, the final case study will be used with potential clients, so you’ll want to answer the questions they may have about your product or service. You want to be able to make the case for how your offering can help them meet their business goals. Consider the questions your potential leads have, and aim to get your current customers to answers them in your case studies.

Consider including open-ended questions as letting your clients share their experience is often where we’ll find the most compelling part of their story. A powerful question to include in every interview guide is “do you have anything else to add?”. In my experience happy customers always have gems to share when they’re asked this question. 

Also, you may prepare more case study questions than you actually have time to ask in the interview. You may only have time to ask a total of eight to 10 questions, but having more questions avialable gives you flexiblity when you’re actually doing the interview.

Step #2: Prep Your Customers

Once the interview is scheduled, take some time to ensure your customer is well-prepared and feels very secure in the process. Once they agree, you want your interview subject to be very clear on all of the steps involved so they are comfortable.

A lack of preparation for the customer case study interview can result in people changing their mind, or an interview that doesn’t give you the compelling stories you’re looking for. 

Specific ways to help your customer prepare:

• Ask them if they have any questions.
• Provide questions or talking points in advance.
• Walk them through the case study process and what to expect.
• Share details on the format. Is this a video testimonial or a written one?
• Outline how the finished case study will be used. 
• If you’re doing a video testimonial, be sure to include details on lighting, backgrounds, and so on. 

When you’re prepping customers, avoid providing so much information that you overwhelm them and cause them to have second thoughts about participating. Aim to make this process easy for your customer and eliminate any pre-interview jitters.

Step #3: Getting Ready for Customer Case Study Interviews 

The first few times you work with customers in this way can be nerve-wracking, but spending time getting interview ready will help you make sure everything goes smoothly.

On the day of your interview, set aside 15-20 minutes right beforehand, so you feel 100% ready for your conversation. If you’re doing interviews for video case studies, you may need additional time to prepare. 

During this time, review your interview guide and then take a deep breath and relax. In my experience, most interviews are going to be fairly straightforward as the customer is already a fan of your product/service.

Giving yourself a little bit of extra time so you’re calm, cool, and collected, will help you show up as a professional and help you to conduct an interview that gives you exactly what you need craft an outstanding case study.

Now, you’re ready to interview your customer. Good luck! (And in the next post, we’ll be discussing how to conduct your customer case study interview for best results.)

Getting started with customer success stories can be easier than you think. Work with a pro team that specializes in creating compelling case studies for B2B companies. We take care of every step of the process so you can have high-quality customer success stories that generate leads and support your overall sales and marketing efforts. Learn more here.

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What are the most common case study interview questions at McKinsey, BCG and Bain?

If you’re preparing to interview at a top management consulting firm like McKinsey, BCG or Bain (MBB), you might be wondering what kind of questions you can expect to receive in your case interviews .

In this article we take a look at the most common types of case questions asked by interviewers at the world’s top-3 consulting firms. We also consider how you can develop the skill of structuring answers to case questions.

The 10 most common case interview questions

To identify the most common case interview questions posed by interviewers at McKinsey, BCG and Bain, we surveyed CaseCoach users who interviewed at one of the firms for a generalist role in 2023. We found that 90% of the 260+ case interviews reported by respondents fell into one of 10 question types:

The respondents in our study all interviewed for generalist consulting positions at McKinsey, BCG and Bain. It’s no coincidence that the case interview questions that they were asked align to the typical challenges and opportunities faced by CEOs.

However, it’s important to bear in mind that this is not an exhaustive list. If you’re interviewing for a practice-focused role on the firms’ expert career track you may be given cases that focus on your area of specialization, rather than the topics in our list.

Your target firm and location may also have a bearing on the type of cases you are given. This is because MBB offices tend to use the work they have done for clients to develop their case questions for candidates.

Knowing the frameworks that correspond to these questions is critical

As a management consulting candidate, it’s vital that you have an understanding of the issues behind the most common case questions and know the frameworks for tackling them inside out.

In our Interview Prep Course, we provide detailed examples of how to structure these questions at the beginning of a case interview. We also explain how different circumstances should influence your approach.

You can learn more about structuring frameworks for specific types of cases in our articles on mastering profitability questions , answering revenue growth questions and nailing market sizing question s.

You can also find examples of the following types of cases in our Case Library :

• Profit improvement
• Market entry
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Response to a competitive threat

If you’re not a CaseCoach subscriber, you can gain access to these examples by signing up for a free account.

You must be able to create custom approaches to answering case study interview questions

When it comes to answering a case question effectively, applying a framework in a ‘cookie-cutter’ fashion simply won’t allow you to give the best possible answer or impress your interviewer with your structuring skills.

In fact, respondents in our survey reported that many of the cases they received could be assigned to several case types and could not be solved by applying an off-the-shelf framework. A profitability question may have a focus on market growth or launching a product, for example. To structure a response to this kind of question, candidates need to combine several frameworks and use them as building blocks for creating their answer.

Even common questions require a custom approach: a profitability question that relates to a chain of restaurants, for example, will naturally require a different approach to a question on the same topic in the manufacturing industry.

Interviewers want to understand how your mind works and to see you think on your feet. Increasingly, they are using non-traditional cases (such as those set in the public sector) to test this. Ten percent of the respondents in our survey couldn’t assign the questions they had faced to a particular case type, suggesting that they were given an unusual problem to solve.

As a candidate, you’ll need to demonstrate that you are capable of proposing a custom structure to any case question, rather than simply relying on a framework.

What does a good custom structure look like?

An effective structure should focus on the right question and then break it down into an exhaustive set of independent drivers. The structure should also provide an approach to solving the case and supply helpful insights. In other words, it should pass ‘the AIM test’:

• Answer-focused: a strong case structure will be focused on the right question and will provide an approach to solving the case.
• Insightful: the structure should be tailored to the specific situation posed by the case question and should provide helpful insights.
• MECE: this stands for ‘mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive’. A good MECE structure will break the question down into an exhaustive set of independent drivers that neither overlap nor omit anything important.

You should use the AIM test as a guide for structuring your answers to case questions. If your structure meets all the criteria, it should provide a strong foundation upon which to solve the case. You can learn more in our article on case structuring and how to do it effectively .

Structuring skills take time and practice to develop

Building the muscle required to structure answers to a wide range of case questions, combine frameworks and develop your own approach to solving non-traditional cases takes a great deal of preparation.

First, you need to build an inventory of frameworks that you can use as building blocks to develop custom structures. You can do this by watching the structuring lectures in our Interview Prep Course , which covers topics such as the AIM test, business and academic frameworks, and using logical approaches to craft bespoke structures for unusual cases.

You then need to gain exposure to a variety of cases. You can choose from the 100+ questions in our Case Library and then schedule a practice session with a partner from our diverse community of top candidates in our Practice Room .

Structuring is one of the case interview skills you can practice alone in addition to practicing with a partner. Our Interview Prep Course includes 60+ structuring drills – which provide multiple solutions to each problem – to help you do this.

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Hosting a customer interview – during the call

Now you’re ready to go, here’s what to do during the call…

1. Start the call the right way 

When I carry out calls on behalf of my clients, I usually have information upfront about the customer. Likewise, if they are your customers, you’ll always know some things before you chat. 

But for the purpose of this customer interview, I ask them to describe things as if I know nothing about them. That way, they explain things more clearly and it leads to a better interview transcript that can be turned into a great case study with more direct quotes, rather than a slightly coded discussion between friends. 

Also make sure you double-check the person is happy for the call to be recorded. Even if you’ve mentioned it before, a quick reminder at the beginning is usually appreciated. Some people may ask what you’re using the recording for; I tend to predict this by mentioning that it’s only for me to listen back to so I can type up the quotes accurately. 

2. Work through your questions 

I always prefer to take minimal notes and let the recording software do the heavy lifting. The first few times I conducted customer interviews, I felt the pressure to write everything down as I didn’t record the calls (looking back, no idea why I didn’t). 

But since deciding to trust the tech, I’ve been more present during these conversations, which leads to a much better response. Listening actively through the conversation means you can spot any good follow-up questions to dig deeper into a topic. You might miss these opportunities if you’re still typing or writing.

When you have prepared your questions, work through them and allow your customers time to speak. Don’t rush through them or cut them off mid-flow! You’ll often get to the last few and they’ve answered them already, which is a sign of a more natural conversation. But for those people who need more guidance on what to say, they’re still there. 

Remember the information you noted down before the call? When you get to the end of your questions and it’s not been addressed in as much information as you’d have liked, use them as prompts to ask more questions. 

E.g. We worked together on X, can you tell me a little more about why this was important to you?

Tip: It’s perfectly ok to take a few seconds to check you have what you need before moving on. 

3. Sign off the call and explain the next steps

Always give people a chance to chat freely at the end, asking a more general ‘Is there anything else you’d like to say?’. This is usually where something insightful comes up, as they’re more relaxed. 

Depending on your clients, they may need anything they say to promote a company checking before you publish it, so it’s also good to have this discussion upfront to avoid any miscommunication. Explain what you plan to do with this information and check if they want to see the case study before you publish it. 

Evaluate your interview for voice of customer insights 

Now we get back to the VOC research part. It’s worthwhile spending time analysing calls with multiple customers to spot trends and key phrases/words that appear. When you filter through transcripts of your customer interviews, it’s amazing how often a new strapline or headline pops up from something your customer said as an off-hand comment. 

For more information on how to do this, check out my guide on how to use voice of customer research for a more compelling message . 

Write your case study and share it with your audience 

Writing your case study is now going to be so much easier, as you have direct words from your customer interview. You can quote anything that’s been said directly, and use other phrases and words that they used. 

The traditional case study format follows: 

• Problem or challenge 
• Solution or approach 
• Results or outcome 

A top tip for case study writing is to always focus on one core message or result. Even if you worked with someone who ended up getting 3 big wins, which one made the most difference? You could explain all within the main case study, but for your headline and subheadings, focusing on the main one makes it more effective as it avoids being confusing. 

Now it’s ready to share with your audience, you can use it on your social media platforms and through email marketing to tell everyone how awesome you are. 

Get a copywriter to conduct customer interview calls for you 

You might have read all this and still think, ‘Nah, I want someone else to do it for me’. If that’s you, get in touch and I can conduct these customer interviews on your behalf. It takes away that awkward feeling of asking someone to praise you… Contact me (Meghan) for a customer case study . 

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Customer Success Interview Questions And Answers for Managers & Specialists

Do you know what the fastest-growing job is right now?

Every year LinkedIn publishes statistics about the most promising and emerging job trends. According to the reports from 2019 and 2020, customer success manager is one of the hottest positions. 

Companies need more customer success managers than scrum masters! But hiring a good one can be a challenge.

We prepared some tough interview questions for a customer success manager to help you choose the best person for the job (or get it if you are a candidate).

In this article:

• Interview questions for regular and managerial customer success positions
• Examples of good answers that can help you land the job
• What skills are the most important for customer success and CSM roles

See how to enhance your performance as a customer success agent with AI chatbots

If you want to learn more about the job position and customer success philosophy, you can visit:

• What Is a Customer Success Manager? [All You Need to Know]  
• Customer Success Essentials [Metrics, Stories, & More]

Before we dive in, let’s see what all this “customer success” fuss is about. Does it differ from customer support?

Traditional customer support focuses on solving customers’ problems. It is reactive and usually related to the technical aspects of a product. Customer success specialists and managers, on the other hand, are proactive. They focus on helping customers achieve their business goals.

Customer success experts need to have a deeper understanding of contexts in which clients use a product or service. They don’t want short-term gains. Instead, their role is to look at the big picture and build long-term customer relationships.

Here is a selection of the most important questions that you should ask your customer success manager (CSM) candidates and other customer success professionals.

Customer success interview questions and answers:

• Why are you a good fit for this role?
• Have you ever gone above and beyond for a customer?
• How would you deal with a customer who is wrong and insists on something?
• What does our product do exactly? Have you tried it?
• Is customer success a philosophy or methodology? How would you define it?
• What would you do to increase our customers’ loyalty?
• What is the toughest customer problem you have ever handled?
• What skills do you hope to improve in this role?
• If you had to handle multiple problems at the same time, what would you do?
• What would you do if a customer misused our product to gain profits in an unethical way?
• What is your management style? (For customer success manager positions)
• What would you do if two of your teammates got into a conflict?
• What tools would you use to monitor and improve customer success rates?

Each question has been designed to test a specific skill or knowledge of your candidates.

If you are looking for interview questions for customer success managers that are more general you can also check out: Top 18 Customer Service Interview Questions & Answers

1. Why are you a good fit for this job?

Skill: Self-presentation

This is a very general question but you should ask it at some point nonetheless. It gives your candidate an opportunity to fill in some core details. Do they have the necessary experience? What personality traits or achievements do they value in themselves?

If they are struggling with presenting their strengths, it may be a problem. A customer success professional must be able to convince customers that your products are the best choice. If they can’t even present and “sell” themselves, it’s not a good sign.

Example answer

I’ve been working in this sector at a similar job for several years. My role wasn’t managerial but I had an amazing opportunity to work with awesome leaders. I learned many things from them. And it turned out that working with customers is something that I really enjoy. Every case offers a slightly different challenge. And figuring out the best way in which customers can apply our solutions gives me a lot of satisfaction. After I joined the previous team, we managed to increase our NPS from 49 to almost 60.

What you should pay attention to as a candidate: Be careful not to brag too much. This may seem exaggerated or dishonest. Focus on your results. But if you want to mention how good you are at something, try to quote a happy customer or a teammate. Otherwise, it may sound like just your opinion about yourself and not a fact.

An extra follow-up question for recruiters: Have you ever received negative feedback about the quality of your work?

2. Have you ever gone above and beyond for a customer?

Skill: Customer focus

If you want to make customers happy, you should always show that you are willing to go the extra mile. Some companies make it an official rule. You can even find it in Disney’s customer service training manual .

If your candidates care about customer satisfaction, they shouldn’t have any problems with describing at least one situation that proves it. You can ask some follow-up questions about the final outcome of their actions too.

Questions of this sort work really well with the STAR methodology:

• Situation (circumstances)
• Task (what had to be done)
• Action (step by step description of the actions taken)
• Result (what was the end result)

( S ) One of the customers at my previous job wanted to integrate our app with a third-party solution. At that point, the integration was not possible. ( T ) But the customer really had to connect the tools. ( A ) I decided to personally walk the customer through using Zapier. It took some time but we’ve managed to set up an advanced workflow. ( R ) It worked like a charm. The customer keeps the whole configuration to this day and even bought a higher plan.

What you should pay attention to as candidates: Make sure that the situation you describe is aligned with the company’s values. Being helpful and going the extra mile is usually appreciated. But don’t confuse it with the lack of assertiveness. Be prepared that recruiters may challenge you and ask if it was the right call.

Extra follow-up question: What was the most unpleasant interaction with a customer that you have ever had?

3. How would you deal with a customer who is wrong and insists on something?

Skill: Conflict resolution

Some customers are more difficult to cooperate with than others. Usually, they just want things to work according to their plan. And the fact that their plans are sometimes ludicrous is an entirely different matter.

The way your customer success job candidate answers this question is critical. If they immediately start to argue or try to prove customers wrong, they are likely to make them churn. You can learn more about difficult or angry customers here . A good CSM candidate knows that a frustrated customer is not necessarily a lost customer.

Well, I’ve noticed that there is no point arguing with them. Instead, I try to understand their position and ask additional questions. If I’m challenging their views, I try to soften the blow as much as possible. I’d say something along the lines of “Yes, I understand you. I too find it confusing. This feature is not very intuitive.” It allows the customer to keep their face. Then, I’d try to shift the focus of the conversation towards helping them achieve their initial goal. If they were wrong, let’s start from scratch and find a new solution.

What you should pay attention to as candidates: Recruiters ask about difficult customers to get more insights about your composure. A good candidate for a CSM job will never try to prove that the customer is wrong just for the sake of it. The goal is to make them realize the mistake on their own. It requires patience and tactfulness. Try to convince your recruiter that you understand this role.

Extra follow-up question: Did it ever turn out that the customer was right after all?

4. What does our product do exactly? Have you tried it?

Skill: Technical knowledge 

A good customer success manager should be curious enough to try out your products. Or at least have a good understanding of what they do. If they didn’t have the opportunity to use them yet, the way they justify it will also give you some insights.

If you want to test their ability to summarize and explain complicated problems, you can also phrase this question differently. For example, you can try something like: My grandma is not good with computers—how would you explain our product to her?

Tidio is a customer service tool that allows you to add a live chat widget to your website . It gives you the possibility to chat with visitors and customers in real-time. It is much more convenient than writing emails—both for customers and support teams. I’m not a very technical person, but I managed to set it up without any problem in minutes. I see a lot of potential in this software.

What you should pay attention to as a candidate: You are not applying for a product manager position but having a general idea shows that you did your homework. Recruiters may also want to check if you can explain complex matters in simple words. Your role is to communicate it in an illustrative way. Use analogies and comparisons to other products if you can.

Extra follow-up question: Do you have any suggestions on how we could improve it?

5. Is customer success a philosophy or methodology? How would you define it?

Skill: Persuasive speaking

This question may seem slightly academic and pretentious. But a customer success specialist should be able to adapt to a variety of situations. If someone invites them to give a lecture on customer success at a reputable university, they should be able to handle it.

By asking this theoretical question, you’ll learn a lot about their communication skills. Being down-to-earth and pragmatic is much more useful on the customer service frontline. But a true professional should also know how to project authority. If it means using fancy words, so be it.

I’d lean towards philosophy. It’s not just about the things you do. It’s more about the way your whole company thinks about customers and their obligations to them. Obviously, these shape the attitudes of employees and approaches to the customer. In turn, it affects good practices and specific processes and procedures. But at the highest level, customer success is a state of mind.

What you should pay attention to as a candidate: Don’t try to memorize complex definitions. Nobody will expect you to recite them. And it’s way too easy to get stuck if you forget specific wording. You’ll get a better grasp of the terminology by reading articles about good customer service .

Extra follow-up question: What is the difference between customer success and customer service?

6. What would you do to increase our customers’ loyalty?

Skill: Problem-solving

The role of a CSM requires creativity and logical reasoning. Working with customers is not a type of job that’s based on following commands and not showing any initiative. Customer success experts must be resourceful and full of ideas. And customer churn is something that should always be at the back of their minds.

They need to improvise and solve difficult problems that require creative thinking. That’s why they should be able to convince you that they know what they are doing and it makes sense.

I don’t know your exact metrics but I’d try to identify the key moments when we are losing users. Do they abandon shopping carts? Cancel their orders or subscriptions? Leave because they don’t know how to use the tool? The simplest way to find out would be to add a very short pop-up or chatbot survey to collect feedback and ask them for the reasons. Then we can address specific pain points one at a time and see if there is any improvement.

What you should pay attention to as a candidate: Your familiarity with techniques for building customer loyalty reveals very much about you. Convince them that you know what you are talking about and that you understand how specific strategies work. Learn more about their advantages, disadvantages, and different ways of building customer relationships .

Extra follow-up question: How would you measure the effectiveness of your work?

7. What is the toughest customer problem you have ever handled?

Skill: Customer relationship management 

The answer to this question will show how your candidate handles difficult situations. Apart from understanding the needs of customers, customer success professionals must be problem-solvers.

Do they approach challenges heads on? Or do they seek help from others? How do they cope with stress? Are they able to remain calm in every situation? This question is a great opportunity to discover some insightful tidbits about them.

One of our customers had very limited technical knowledge. She drew a very complex workflow and described the whole process in detail. But she had problems with configuring everything on her own. At some point, I took over and set up the whole thing but she kept asking for additional things and updates over the following weeks. That’s when I realized that it’s not worth the effort and I had to give up. It was a tough choice. But I was forced to handle the problem by not handling it anymore. I knew I shouldn’t get involved in anything like that ever again. Instead, we prepared a selection of knowledge base materials and redesigned our support policy. We decided to encourage customers to do things on their own and instruct them. But never set up anything complex for them. They will never become fully activated if they don’t use the tool on their own.

What you should pay attention to as a candidate: Customer happiness writes white. But “bad” experiences give you an opportunity to finally say something really exciting. Try to recall several tough situations with some juicy details before your interview. But also remember that the story should demonstrate you can make good choices while working under pressure.

Extra follow-up question: Have you ever acted out of character to satisfy a customer? What were the results?

8. What skills do you hope to improve in this role?

Skill: Personal and professional development

Asking this question will help you learn about their aspiration and self-consciousness. In today’s workplaces, continuous development is essential. Improving skills and learning new things is a constant part of the job.

A good customer success specialist or manager should be aware of areas they need to work on. Are they good active listeners? Do they want to practice their communication skills? Maybe they want to learn some hard skills to get a better understanding of the product?

Since much of the interaction with customers happens in a written form, I’m trying to perfect my writing skills. I’m currently reading a book about technical copywriting. Explaining how a piece of software works via email or live chat can be difficult. But I believe I’m getting better at it. I was also hoping to discover how process management works in your company.

What you should pay attention to as a candidate: You can try to mention some of the brands, tools, methodologies, or institutions that your recruiters could recognize. For example, if you are hoping to learn more about Scrum, don’t hesitate to mention it. Just don’t overdo it with the name-dropping.

Extra follow-up question: Have you ever invested time, effort, or your own money into learning something completely new?

9. If you had to handle multiple problems at the same time, what would you do?

Skill: Task prioritization and time management

Customer success jobs require good work organization and flexibility. Usually, teams are understaffed and this means that they need to juggle between many cases each day. Choosing which ones require their attention at any given time is a skill. And an important one too.

A good candidate should prove that they know how to prioritize tasks and align them with the business goals of your company.

I would go through them one by one and not try to do everything at once. The most natural thing to do would be to prioritize tasks by the amount of time they require, their urgency, and overall importance. However, evaluating them can also be time-consuming and ineffective. That’s why it is better to do it in real-time. In my previous job, we designed a system of tags and labels. It used to automatically organize task priority in our customer database software . And if someone was busy they could assign it to a different agent with one click.

What you should pay attention to as a candidate: Many employees take on too many tasks. Therefore, the ability to delegate tasks or schedule them over time is critical. Especially for managerial positions. You’ll be better off if you admit that sometimes it is impossible to handle everything all at once.

Extra follow-up question: Do you know or use any good time-management techniques?

10. What would you do if a customer misused our product to gain profits in an unethical way?

Skill: Emotional intelligence

This question is tricky and there is no right or wrong answer. But probably your candidates are not expecting it. Ask it to see what values they put first.

Working with customers involves helping them with things you don’t approve of personally. A real professional should be able to know when to hold their judgment and when to intervene and in what way.

Do you mean like an online casino? It depends. If something was illegal, I’d definitely inform the customer or consult our legal team. But as long as they are our customers and want to use our tool, I wouldn’t try to moralize. I’m there to serve our clients and help them achieve their goals. If they meet our terms and conditions, who am I to judge? On the other hand, it may also mean that maybe we should specify in what circumstances our products can be used or not. In some cases, it may harm our reputation and, in the long run, we should ban them from using our software.

What you should pay attention to as a candidate: A professional employee of a customer success team knows that they should keep their personal opinions to themselves. Recruiters may be examining if you can take an adequate distance. Or intervene if the situation at hand calls for it.

Extra follow-up question: Have you ever had a customer try to trick you into giving them a discount?

11. What is your management style? (For customer success management roles)

Skill: Team management

There are many approaches to management and different companies need different leaders. However, there are still some types of management that could be considered good or bad.

A good manager should be able to organize, inspire, consult, and communicate. Clear vision and hands-on approach help. Conversely, bad managers don’t know their goals, can’t share their ideas with the team, and want too much control over their subordinates.

I think my approach to leadership evolved over time. Initially, I wanted to micromanage everything and sometimes I wanted to have too much authority. It doesn’t work in the long run. I’ve learned to trust my team and focus on the outcomes. Many times, it turned out that other members of my team are doing great without my input. Instead of hijacking every meeting, it is better to observe, suggest, and experiment. I don’t believe in bossing people around. It is better to become their partner and help them develop their natural skills.

What you should pay attention to as a candidate: Goal-driven managers who trust their team are better leaders than control freaks. However, you should also inform your recruiters that you know where to draw the line. Managers who expect great business results only because they keep their team happy usually end up disappointed.

Extra follow-up question: What would you do to keep your team’s morale high and motivate them to work?

12. What would you do if two of your teammates got into a conflict?

Skill: Team player

People are only people. Sometimes they get on each other’s nerves or try to assert their position too much. In the end, everyone wants to work in a friendly and peaceful environment.

Conflict management is a skill that is helpful both in dealing with customers and your coworkers. An answer describing a real situation would be great. But if your customer success candidate can’t think of a real-life incident, it doesn’t need to be a bad sign.

This is something that actually happened. Two of my teammates got into a fight over a neglected customer case which backfired. They tried to put blame on each other and it escalated. The only way was to intervene and I happened to be an accidental mediator. We had a meeting and talked the matter through. I listened to their positions and tried to focus on investigating what went wrong communication-wise. I tried to justify what happened and ultimately we decided to blame the tools that we use. We focused on improving the process and now we joke about the incident.

What you should pay attention to as a candidate: Don’t make your ex-coworkers look bad. Describe the situation in a way that shows that you understand their motivation or feelings.

Extra follow-up question: Describe a good experience you had while working as a member of your team.

13. What tools would you use to monitor and improve customer success rates?

Skills: Technical know-how

This question will tell you a lot about the candidate’s hands-on experience. If you know the same tools and platforms, it will give you an instant common ground. You can discuss different features, compare their usefulness, talk about pros and cons.

If their answers make sense it is a quick test to check if they know their line of work. It is hard to make this sort of stuff up, so you will know that the candidate worked with the tools or not.

Sometimes developers invent different names of programming languages and ask if someone has used them. It is an instant lie detector. You can try something similar. Just invent a name of fictional CRM software or a customer success metric. But double-check if it really doesn’t exist!

In my previous company, we used HubSpot as our CRM and handled most of our customer interactions there. However, I think we should create a custom dashboard in Airtable. It gives more flexibility and is more appropriate for our volume of customers. And I would also use Tidio for automated FAQ, customer feedback, and live chat. We can integrate it with Airtable and sync our data across all teams. For example, a customer request can be instantly sent to Airtable.

What you should pay attention to as a candidate: It is OK to use different tools or not recognize some of them. You can try to turn this into a conversation and ask about solutions currently used by your interviewers. Show that you understand that each company develops its own workflow and you are not intimidated by learning how to use new CSM software .

Extra follow-up question: If the company were on a tight budget, how would you reduce the costs while keeping the same quality of customer experience?

CSM interview questions: key takeaway

Customer success roles are booming right now. There has been a 34% annual growth in job openings, according to LinkedIn. As SaaS companies put more and more focus on customer retention, customer success teams are becoming extremely important.

But a great customer success manager is a difficult catch. A thorough CSM interview process is critical. And the right questions will help you screen out those who aren’t cut out for the customer success manager’s job.

At the end of the day, you are looking for specific customer success skills.

You should come up with customer success manager interview questions that examine:

• Emotional intelligence and empathy
• Problem-solving skills and resourcefulness
• Familiarity with the SaaS industry work culture
• Expectation and relationship management
• Communication and persuasiveness
• Knowledge of upsell techniques
• Ability to cooperate with other team members

Similarly, if you are applying for a customer success job you must be prepared for an interview that tests these very qualities.

If you want to test some of those skills during the practical part of your interview, we recommend role-playing activities. You can use our free live chat tool to arrange a mock conversation and analyze conversation transcripts afterward.

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Kazimierz was one of the original authors of Tidio Blog. His primary objective was to deliver high-quality content that was actionable and fun to read. His interests revolved around AI technology and chatbot development.

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Never Leave Your Customer Without an Answer

5 Customer Analytics Case Studies (Updated for 2024)

Customer analytics is a subset of business intelligence that provides insights to help the business better serve its customers.

Ultimately, many customer analysts start in business intelligence or data analytics and build domain knowledge in customer strategy. Customer strategy knowledge is then assessed during interviews with a customer analytics case study. If you’re interested in a customer analytics role, here’s everything you need to know about landing a customer analyst job:

• What is Customer Analytics?
• What is a Customer Analytics Case Study?

Interview Prep: How to Solve Customer Analytics Case Studies

Sample customer analytics case study interview questions, what is customer analytics.

Customer analytics is the measurement, collection, and analysis of data related to customers. The customer data may include demographics, psychographic segmentation, behavioral data, or customer feedback. Businesses then use the data to make marketing investments, operations, product development, and planning decisions.

Customer analytics relies on data from various sources, including website traffic data, Customer Record Management insights, and transactional and behavioral data. These data offer insights into a variety of business processes. For example, businesses can use customer analytics to:

• Identify opportunities for product/business development
• Minimize customer churn/predict churn
• Personalize product, service, or marketing offers
• Optimize pricing or product performance
• Improve customer experiences

Churn analysis, for instance, is a high-value-adding customer analytics problem. Businesses use it to identify customers most likely to churn from their platform or service. These insights can personalize the product, develop a new offer, or other strategies to improve retention.

How Does Customer Analytics Work?

Customer analytics relies on various data sources to answer important customer questions like Who are my most valuable customers? What strategies are most likely to increase conversion rates? What strategies are most likely to reduce churn?

Therefore, customer analytics can touch all business areas, from reducing acquisition costs to providing insights that increase retention and build loyalty.

Customer analysts must be proficient in data processing. Often, they are required to build complex datasets - both structured and unstructured data - to analyze customer behavior and product performance. The most common data sources used by customer analysts include:

• Social listening data
• Customer survey data
• Website traffic data
• Marketing analytics data
• Social media data
• Customer Resource Management (CRM) data

Customer analytics tools. Customer analysts must be proficient in various tools and have a strong sense of data processing techniques. Standard tools include analytics platforms like Google Analytics and CRMs like Salesforce, Tableau, or the Acquia Customer Data Platform.

Customer analysts must also have strong SQL skills to query data and pull customer insights, data visualization skills, analytical skills, and data sense.

What Is a Customer Analytics Case Study?

Interviews for customer analyst roles typically include one or more customer analytics case studies. An interview case study is an open-ended discussion question that asks the interviewee to solve a real-life customer analytics case. These questions assess a wide variety of skills, including:

• Technical - SQL, data modeling (in some cases), A/B testing, and statistics
• Data Sense - Ability to pull valuable metrics, data processing and metrics, and ability to generate insights
• Behavioral - Communication and adaptability are assessed, as well as your problem-solving ability creatively.

For example, the interviewee might be asked: “How would you measure the customer service quality of a chatbox feature?” In addition, the interviewer would likely give a dataset for analysis.

As an interviewee, you would then need to propose a solution and perform an analysis to develop a solution for the problem.

To answer a customer analytics case study, you should use a framework to organize your response. A framework that includes asking for clarity, making assumptions about the case, gathering data and analysis, and ultimately proposing a solution will help you best communicate your ideas.

The most common steps we recommend for answering data science case studies include the following:

Before you jump into an answer, you want to gather additional information. Data and insights about the customers are intentionally left out with analytics case study questions. Therefore, you must dig in and fill in the gaps in the provided data. Some questions to ask in customer analytics case interviews include:

• Who are the customers?
• What are the customer’s needs?
• How does the product/service align with these needs?
• Make Assumptions

At this stage, you can propose hypotheses about the case question. This stage shows your ability to develop customer insights. Remember always to communicate your hypotheses to the interviewer and walk the interviewer through your line of thinking.

2. Make Assumptions

At this stage, you might make assumptions about the following:

• Customer segments - What segments/demographics are most likely using the product?
• Customer desires - Why do customers buy the product or service? What are some reasons they might churn?
• Customer insights - How might you go about generating insights from the data? For example, what metrics would you investigate if you wanted to reduce customer churn?

3. Propose a Solution

In this step, you want to establish a hypothesis, which you will investigate. However, there isn’t one correct answer to this type of case question. Instead, these discussions are used to assess your ability to wrap your head around a problem quickly, your thoroughness in getting started, and, ultimately, how you generate insights from the data.

One tip: Your hypothesis is a refined version of the problem that uses the available data to support or disprove the hypothesis.

4. Provide Data Points and Analysis

The fundamental goal in this step is to choose and prioritize a key metric. This metric will allow you to work through the hypothesis and analyze different case solutions that will help you validate the idea.

In addition to performing analysis and gathering data, remember to discuss trade-offs. Your approach may have potential limitations, and incorporating these in your answer will show your thoroughness and ability to be proactive rather than reactive in assessing case studies.

As you prepare for a customer case interview, you can practice with these examples, including a range of customer analytics cases, analyzing churn behavior, identifying new customer outreach opportunities, and analyzing customer acquisition.

One thing to note: Customer analytics questions typically overlap with marketing analytics questions. Therefore, you might look at things.

1. How would you determine the best business partners for a credit card company?

More context: The company has a list of 100,000 small businesses but only has the human capital to reach 1,000 of them. How would you determine the best 1,000 businesses to reach out to?

This business case question is customer-centric; therefore, you could draw insights from existing business partners to determine the best new customers to target. You can follow along with this mock interview for this question:

2. What metrics would you use to determine the value of a marketing channel?

See the video solution here:

3. How would you verify that the map is showing the wrong location pickup spots?

Let’s say you work at Uber. You’re getting reports that riders are complaining about the Uber map showing wrong location pickup spots.

How would you go about verifying how frequently this is happening?

Note: If we only have user location data, we can’t know on what occasions the Uber map showed the wrong location pickup spots to riders.

However, we do know drivers and riders’ locations at different points in time. What happens with these variables when a driver arrives at the wrong pickup spot?

4. What three metrics would you suggest to monitor the health of an online community?

You work at Stack Overflow on the community team that monitors the health of the platform.

Community members can create a post to ask a question, and other users can reply with answers or comments to that question. The community can express their support for the post by upvoting or downvoting.

Now, think about what Stack Overflow’s objectives are. What would it mean for the community to be successful? What kinds of user actions does this translate to?

5.How would you investigate if the redesigned email campaign actually led to the increase in the conversion rate?

See video solution here:

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23 Case Study Questions Every Marketer Should Ask

December 16, 2022

By Joe Gillespie

Case studies offer one of the most powerful types of content in the inbound marketer’s toolbox.

When done right—with descriptive storytelling and a powerful visual presentation—a case study can deliver a clinching message to leads in the decision stage of the buyer’s journey . Prospects who already know they need a solution to their problems read the case study and see how your company has helped others, which nudges them closer to becoming customers.

That said, case studies are a different animal from other inbound marketing content, such as blogs , e-books, pillar pages, and infographics. Most content in the awareness and consideration stages of the buyer’s journey doesn’t self-promote much but, instead, simply gives the reader information. The decision stage, however, is a chance to persuade leads that your solution is their best option. 

Shifting gears usually isn’t much of a problem for marketers, but switching to the case study format can be. The process is more journalistic—you conduct interviews, gather information, and weave a narrative—and that can be daunting for someone more accustomed to blogging than article writing.

Don’t stress out: Case studies aren’t difficult if you take your time, are diligent about gathering information and writing the content, and ask the right questions. And we can help with the questions! Below are 23 to ask when conducting the interviews.

Case Study Questions to Ask Your Project Manager

Usually, you will interview someone at your company—maybe a project manager, salesperson, client manager, customer liaison, or other colleague who deals with customers—who worked with the client you are profiling for the case study. 

Often, this interview will occur first and give you a good launching point for subsequent interviews with the customer’s representatives. You might already know the answers, but ask these questions anyway. You may get a deeper explanation from your interview subject and something quotable you can use in the case study.

(Note: I’m using product , solution , and service interchangeably throughout these case study questions; simply use the term that best applies to your company during the actual interviews.)

• What initial challenges did you encounter with the client that could be overcome with our product? This question is good to establish what problem the customer was experiencing and how your organization was poised to help.
• What process did you follow during implementation? Again, this may be obvious to you but is worth hearing from the PM. A little bit of process info in your case study can go a long way toward showing leads how you, step by step, can help solve their problem.
• What roadblocks for implementation did you help the client overcome? Highlighting how you assisted shows that no matter how messy a customer’s status with its previous solution is, you are positioned to overcome the hurdles that get in the way.
• How have we helped the client since implementation/introduction? Some customers are good to go after your solution is implemented, but others rely on additional support—be sure to find out what that support entails.
• What kind of success did the client enjoy with our product? Results, results, results!
• Did we go above and beyond with our service? If the answer to this is no, that’s OK, and perhaps you don’t want to set unreasonable expectations—even if you did go above and beyond—with the case study, which is also fine. That said, showing how you went the extra mile or were unusually innovative stands out to readers looking for a company that will take care of its customers.

Case Study Questions to Ask the Client

If a client has agreed to be the subject of a case study, they obviously are happy with the service you provided. Take advantage of this enthusiasm by asking open-ended questions and letting your interviewee gush about your organization and your solution.

Some of the case study questions listed here may seem redundant to the ones you asked internally, but ask them anyway. You want both perspectives, and often, the best quotes you hear and use will be from the client.

• Can you give a brief description of your company? If you aren’t familiar with the client, ask for some basic background. Yes, you usually can find such information online, but this is a good icebreaker to get the interviewee talking.
• How did you first hear about our service? If the client learned about you via other case studies or articles in outside publications or websites—or they simply knew about you by reputation or word of mouth—you definitely want to include that in the case study. For the reader, this info strengthens your industry presence and thought leadership. This question is also a good lead-in to learn about how the deal between the client and your company was finalized.
• What challenges/problems necessitated a change? Listen carefully to the answer to this question. Ideally, the challenges and problems the client was facing are exactly what your organization’s product addresses.
• What trends in your industry drove the need to use our product?
• What were you looking for in a solution?
• What made our solution stand out over others that you researched? Ideally, you want the interviewee to say how great your product is. This and other questions lead them to be your greatest advocate.
• What feature of our product was most appealing?
• How did you implement/introduce our solution? The rollout, and the steps taken to get to that point, can make or break the success of the solution. Ideally, the client will say the process was seamless and that your product and team were the reasons for such ease.
• How did our team help with implementation?
• What was the initial reaction to our product? In other words, how did the client’s users and customers accept and utilize the solution?
• How has our solution helped since implementation? Dig into the success realized by your product. This is important because it provides the basis of the case study: “X Company Used Our Solution and Achieved X Hundred Percent Growth.”
• Has this solution saved money and/or increased productivity?
• Can you share any metrics/KPIs that show the success you have enjoyed with our service? The more hard numbers, the better.
• What have you been most impressed with? Here’s another chance for the client to gush.
• What surprised you about us? Hopefully, the customer will share the positive unexpected—things that make you stand out amid the competition.
• What plans do you have to use our solution in the future? After initial success, many companies expand the use of a product, either to more people or additional applications. This info is also important to include in the case study because it shows that the client is not only sticking with your product but also using it to foster more growth and productivity.
• Is there anything else we should know? If you’ve been thorough, the answer to this is likely no, but the question still offers a chance for the interviewee to conclude.

A case study is a wonderful inbound marketing opportunity for your organization. Ask these questions, and use the answers to write a case study that helps your product and your company shine in the eyes of leads.

This blog was originally published on 2017 and has been updated since. 

Easily craft compelling customer interviews & provide leads with the information they need to make an informed decision.

Case Study Questions Template

About the author

Joe Gillespie is Director of Inbound Copy for SmartBug Media. He graduated from Marquette University with a B.A. in journalism and, before coming to SmartBug, was a two-decade veteran of the newspaper industry. Read more articles by Joe Gillespie .

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14 Best Case Study Questions to Ask Your Top Customers

If you want to show interested leads that you can put your money where your mouth is, case studies are a good way to go. They’re a valuable form of content that can even be used as lead magnets under the right conditions, and they have a singular purpose: To show how your clients achieved specific, significant results with your product or service. 

Knowing how to write a great case study is an important part of success, but there’s a part of the process that comes before that: Knowing which questions to ask, which you’ll determine when you’re preparing for a case study interview. 

The questions you ask can make the difference between a case study that feels like it’s been churned out by a low-quality AI machine compared to one that feels actionable, engaging, and high-stakes to your readers. 

In this post, we’re going to go over the 14 best case study questions to ask, along with discussing some tips to improve the results you’ll get. 

How to Structure Your Case Study Questions

Before we dive in, we want to talk about how to structure your questions in the interview.

In this post specifically, we’re going to look at individual questions you should ask around pointed topics, like about the client’s brand, solutions they’ve tried already, and their results. 

It’s best to stick close to the progression outlined here because it will give you the basic information you need at every level of the case study interview . You can’t ask what solutions they’ve tried before when you don’t even understand their brands’ needs. 

And keep in mind that when you’re asking users to provide specific information about a topic up front, they’ll often reference it later, strengthening the overall case study and sometimes encouraging them to share information they may not have thought to share otherwise. 

That being said, let’s go ahead and start to dive in to the best case study questions you should ask. 

Questions About Their Brand 

The best case studies will have some information about the brand they’re featuring and not just about how the brand uses their product. Information about the brand size, industry, and unique selling propositions (USPs ) can all play a valuable part in building a strong case study. 

These are a few important case study questions to consider asking about branding: 

1. Can you tell us a little bit about your brand? 

This is a great way to start the interview off strong. Ask the client to tell you about the brand, plain and simple. See what they have to say; they may share information about their product or service, how they fit into their industry, what differentiates them, and more. 

Leaving this first question relatively vague and open-ended helps them feel more comfortable while giving you some good ideas for where to go. 

If they’re stumped, ask them to provide a brief description of what their company does.

2. Can you tell me about your business’s structure, including industry, company size, or years in business? 

While this may feel technical, it can be exceptionally valuable to readers of the case study to help them relate or get a good understanding of who is using your products. 

3. An industry-relevant question 

SaaS tools that help with ad management may ask clients about their total monthly ad spend, for example. An eco-friendly company may ask clients what their “green goals” are or their previous carbon emissions. 

Think about what would benefit you to have in the case study, and ask it here if possible. 

Questions About Their Challenge & Pain Points 

We know that all great case studies will highlight the challenges that clients have before finding your product or service as their solution, exacerbated by key pain points. 

It’s so important to get enough information that these challenges feel real and significant in the case study; if you neglect to explain why a challenge was an actual obstacle, it can come across as seeming trivial. That can make your solution seem trivial, too.

These are the best case study questions to ask for this stage of the interview.   

4. What were the challenges you needed to solve before finding our product? 

This is a specific, pointed question, which helps make it effective. 

If I ask my content marketing clients this question, for example, they might say, “we didn’t know how to create content that ranked well” or “we needed help creating content at scale.” 

You can dive deeper by asking pointed questions about their key problems, which brings us to the next question. 

5. Why did this challenge have such a significant impact on your business?

This is the golden ticket right here, because it’s about pain points. 

Say you’re selling marketing services, and the client’s challenge is that they wanted help with lead generation . 

The pain points of “organic channels were too slow in driving customer acquisition, and our churn rates were eviscerating our client numbers” or “we tried to run ads ourselves but ended up losing hundreds of dollars to no avail.” 

Wasted money. Bleeding clients. Too-slow organic channels. These are pain points that make the case study feel real, and that other customers will connect to.  

6. What other solutions had you tried before and why didn’t they work? 

While it’s best to skip out on trash-talking competitors in the case study, asking this question during the interview can give you valuable context and a lot to work with. 

If, for example, I’m a weight loss coach, my clients may have tried the keto diet and Weight Watchers to no avail. Knowing that the keto diet made them feel queasy and that they found the point-tracking Weight Watchers to be too much work can be useful information for the study, even if you don’t ever name the alternatives.

These are pain points in their own right, and can be utilized like the following: 

 “The client had tried different solutions before but found that the diets either made them sick or were too much work to maintain.” It positions your solution to be the winning option. 

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Questions About How They Discovered You 

While it may seem irrelevant, information about how customers discovered you and why they decided to work with you can actually become compelling parts of a case study— even if only mentioned in brief. 

Here’s an example of how you can use this information in the case study: 

“We found Breadcrumbs after our business partner mentioned it to us, and after reading about their easy-to-use interface and accessible lead scoring , we decided to give it a try.” 

You’ve got social proof (business partner referred them) and a promo for a unique feature that made them convert. 

Here are the case study questions you can ask to get this information:

7. How did you find out about our brand? 

It’s a simple question, and it will likely be a simple answer. Nice and easy. 

8. What made you decide to try our product over other solutions? 

This essentially gets the customer to sell your product back to you, which is phenomenal. And someone reading the case study might think, “They’re right; I’ve also looked for a lead scoring tool with a great interface, I’d try that.” 

Questions About How They Used The Product or Service 

This will likely be one of the meatier parts of the case study interview because this is where some of the actionable information comes into play. How did your clients use your product or service, what steps did they take, and how can others use this to replicate the eventual results we’ll discover? 

These are the case study questions to ask: 

9. Which specific products and product features did your team use? 

Say you’re selling invoicing software to small businesses. Not all clients will use every feature.

Graphic designers, for example, may take advantage of project estimates for upfront deposits more than a copywriter who only works for flat fees. That copywriter, however, might be more likely to use invoice templates for retainer clients or automated billing features. 

Ask about the products and services the team used. 

10. How did your team use our products and services to meet their needs? 

You know what products or services were used, but now it’s time to ask how they were used.

Project estimates, for example, allowed graphic designers to send more professional-looking invoices to clients, who could pay upfront deposits through credit card, check, or bank deposit. This helped that designer weed out clients who had no intention of paying and gave them the funds they needed to secure the supplies to begin working.

And for the copywriter who used automated billing, it saved her an exceptional amount of time and ensured she got paid on time because she sent those invoices on time. 

11. How was your experience? 

Was the SaaS tool user-friendly? Did your clients take advantage of a free demo program or the option to have an account manager get their entire account up and running?

Ask about their specific transition process using the tool and what made the experience a more positive one. 

Questions About Their Results 

Last but not least… the results. Believe it or not, some case studies skip this part of the interview, but you definitely want to include hard, quantifiable data in as many case studies as possible. 

12. What end results did you get after using our product? 

Ask for the results your clients achieved. If they’re comfortable sharing the information, ask for KPIs. 

How did using our social media marketing software increase message response rates? 

How did our marketing service improve lead generation efforts, and customer acquisition costs? 

How did our lead scoring software reduce the contact-to-close period for leads or increase the overall financial value of leads acquired? 

Be as specific as the client will allow. The more definitive the data you can share, the better. 

13. What impact did these results have on your business? 

While this may seem self-explanatory, this is a great final question that again helps the impact of your product or service really stand out.

We saw customer satisfaction increase and sales go up by about 15% by improving message response rates on social media. 

Or, by getting more leads at lower costs, our business was able to reinvest those accelerated profits into additional campaigns to scale exponentially at an unprecedented rate, and now we’re opening two new branches. 

This can be a combination of data-focused or story-driven impacts. Either (or both!) works well. 

14. Is there anything else we should know? 

Anything else you want to share? This is a short but powerful question, and while some clients will say, “nope, that’s it,” you may be surprised what some other people share with you. 

There may be something they’ve been excited to talk about that hasn’t come up in the questions yet, or something may pop into mind to elaborate on something you’d discussed earlier.

Give them the floor, and see what they have to say. 

Final Thoughts 

If you’re going to take the time needed to conduct and write up a case study (both your own time and the client’s), you want to get it right. Coming prepared with a list of strong case study questions can help you create content that will be highly effective at generating leads and converting customers for a long time to come. 

Want to speed up the lead conversion funnel with lead scoring software? Create a Breadcrumbs account for free here ! 

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