Case study template (customer success story)
A customer case study tells the story of one client's problem, what your company did about it, and the results, in numbers and in the client's own words. This free Word template takes you through the challenge, the solution, measurable results, an approved quote and a sign-off checklist, so nothing is published until the customer has agreed it.
Running a company of 30 to 200 people? Documents like this are now worth money.
A case study works when a prospect can see their own situation in it, so the best ones are specific: a recognisable type of customer, a real before and after, and a note of how the results were measured.
What's in the template
Customer case study
| Customer | Name, sector, size and location |
|---|---|
| Customer contact | Name and job title |
| Our account lead | |
| Service or product | |
| When the work happened | |
| Approved for publication | Customer's name, job title and date |
Headline
The customer and the result, with a number, in one line.
1. At a glance
| Customer | Challenge | What we did | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
2. About the customer
Two or three sentences: what they do, how big they are and where. Readers should recognise their own business.
3. The challenge
What wasn't working, what it was costing them, and why it had to change now. Use their words where you can.
4. Why they chose us
What else they considered, and what decided it.
5. What we did
| Stage | What happened | When |
|---|---|---|
6. Results
| Measure | Before | After | Period and source of the figures |
|---|---|---|---|
7. In their words
"[One or two sentences from the customer about the result and what it meant for them, in their exact words as approved.]"
[Name], [job title], [organisation]
8. Approval before publishing
- The customer has read the whole final text, not just the quote
- They agree to be named, or we've agreed how they'll be described
- Every figure checked against the customer's own records
- Everyone quoted or photographed has agreed
- Use of their logo agreed
- Written approval saved, with the name, job title and date
- A date set to check it's still accurate
9. Where it will be used
- Website
- Proposals and tenders
- Sales emails
- Social media
- Printed material
How to write a customer case study
- Pick a customer with a result you can measure and a contact who's happy to talk. Ask for agreement in principle before you start, and check your contract with them for any publicity or confidentiality clause.
- Interview them for half an hour. Ask what was happening before, what it was costing, what else they considered, what changed and what they'd tell a peer. Record the call, with their agreement, so the quotes are exact.
- Take the numbers from their records, using the same measure before and after, over periods of the same length. Write down where each figure came from.
- Follow the template's order and keep the customer at the centre. Your company belongs in "What we did", not in every paragraph.
- Put the main result in the headline and the at-a-glance box, so a reader who only skims still gets it.
- Send the whole draft for approval, not just the quote, and keep their written sign-off with the date.
- Cut it into the versions you'll use: a web page, a one-page PDF for the "Why us" section of a proposal, and a two-line summary for sales emails.
Example: a fictional lighting contractor and a school trust
A case study by a fictional 55-person electrical contractor about a multi-academy trust with six schools. Challenge: classrooms lit by ageing fluorescent fittings, frequent failures and caretakers spending hours a week changing tubes. What we did: replaced 2,340 fittings with LED panels and presence detection over five weeks of the summer holiday, with no teaching days lost.
| Measure | Before | After | Period and source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity used, all six schools | 1,180 MWh | 930 MWh | September to February, against the same months a year earlier; supplier meter data |
| Lighting faults reported | 31 a month | 3 a month | The trust's helpdesk log, same periods |
| Caretakers' time on lighting | About 6 hours a week | Under 1 hour a week | Caretakers' own estimate |
Headline: "How a six-school trust cut its electricity use by a fifth in one summer." The trust's finance director asked for a line saying the comparison isn't adjusted for weather or opening hours. The contractor added it, and the case study is more believable for it. The quote, from the trust's estates manager, was approved word for word.
Rules on testimonials and results
UK: the advertising code (the CAP Code), which covers marketing on your own website and social media as well as paid ads, says you must not feature a testimonial without permission; accurate statements taken from a published source are normally the exception. You must also hold documentary evidence that a testimonial is genuine, and factual claims made in it must not mislead. Keep the signed approval and the figures behind every result.
US: the FTC's Endorsement Guides say an endorsement must reflect the endorser's honest opinions, findings, beliefs or experience, and may not say anything that would be deceptive if the business said it directly. If the customer received something for taking part, such as a discount, that connection must be disclosed clearly when readers wouldn't expect it and it might affect how much weight they give the endorsement.
Common mistakes
- Results with no baseline and no period, such as "saved thousands", which nobody can check or believe.
- Publishing before the customer has seen the final text, or treating approval of the quote as approval of the whole piece.
- Making your company the hero. The reader is in the customer's position, so tell the story from there.
- Polished quotes nobody would say. Use the customer's real words, lightly edited and approved.
- Leaving old case studies up. Check them yearly and retire any where the figures, the contact or the service have changed.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need the customer's permission to publish a case study?
Yes. In the UK the advertising code requires permission to use a testimonial, the customer's name and logo are theirs, and your contract with them may restrict publicity. Get written approval of the final text and keep it.
Can a case study be anonymous?
Yes. Describe the customer instead of naming them, for example "a 600-employee housing association in the North West". Check the details don't identify them anyway, and hold the evidence for every claim just as you would for a named customer.
What's the difference between a case study and a testimonial?
A testimonial is a short endorsement in the customer's words. A case study tells the whole story, from problem to measured result, and usually includes a testimonial as its quote.