Case study interview guide #

This page is for the person who interviews a customer for a case study: a marketing manager, a partner, or the business itself interviewing its own staff. It gives a structure for a conversation of about an hour, questions that produce facts rather than slogans, and a notes form. Use it with the Case study template and the process on Case studies and content marketing.

Contents #

1. Before the interview
2. Opening: the consent check
3. The questions
4. Notes form
5. After the interview

Before the interview #

• To do: Written consent received (Step 2).
• To do: The public site looked at; features in use noted, with help pages for each.
• To do: Interviewees and their roles agreed; time zone and duration agreed (about 60 minutes).
• To do: Whether you may record the call asked in advance; if not, take notes.
• To do: A fact sheet started (Case study template, fact sheet).

Opening: the consent check #

Read or say, and note the answers:

Thank you for your time. Before we start, three points:
1. We will use this conversation to draft a case study about <project>. Nothing is published until you approve
   the final text in writing.
2. Do you agree to be named, or would you prefer to be quoted by your role only?
3. May we <record this call | take notes>? Recordings and notes are kept at <place> and deleted after <period>.
You can ask us to change or withdraw the case study at any time by writing to <contact>.

The questions #

Ask open questions. For any figure, ask "From which system, for which period?" and note it.

The organization and the situation before

1. What does your organization do, and who are your customers or users?
2. What did your website or application look like before this project?
3. What did not work, and what did that cost you in time, money or opportunities?

The choice

4. Why did you choose Exponential? Which needs decided it?
5. Which other options did you consider? (Record; publish comparisons only if they can be checked, see Comparing Exponential factually.)
6. Who built it: your own team or a partner? Why?

The project

7. What was built: content types, sites, languages, integrations?
8. How long did it take, in which phases?
9. What was hard, and how was it solved?
10. How did editors learn to use it?

Daily use

11. Which features do your editors and staff use every day?
12. How is the site hosted and kept up to date? Who does it?
13. Has anything gone wrong since launch? How was it handled?

Results

14. What has changed since launch? How do you know?
15. Which figures can you share, from which system and period? (Only measured figures.)
16. What would you not want to go back to?

Advice and next steps

17. What would you tell an organization in your position?
18. What do you plan next?
19. Is there anything we should not mention?

Notes form #

INTERVIEW NOTES - <project>   Date: <date>   Interviewer: <name>
Interviewees: <name or role>, <name or role>
Named in publication: yes / role only     Recording: yes / no     Notes deleted by: <date>

Q  | What was said (close to their words)       | Fact? | Source and period         | Quote candidate?
---|---------------------------------------------|-------|---------------------------|-----------------
1  |                                             | y / n |                           | y / n
2  |                                             | y / n |                           | y / n
...
Follow-up questions: ______________________________________________
Documents promised by the customer: ______________________________

After the interview #

1. Send a thank-you note with the list of documents or figures they promised.
2. Transfer facts to the fact sheet, each with its source.
3. Write the draft with the Case study template.
4. Check every product statement against the help (Feature highlights for customers).
5. Send the draft for approval; record changes and the final approval.
6. Delete recordings and notes on the agreed date.
7. Review the published case study at least yearly and withdraw it on request (Step 8).

Related pages #

• Case study template
• Customer references (partners)
• Demo scripts
• Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.