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Case Study
Posted By: mmcelyea on 6/29/2006 1:48 PM (CST) 50 Points
We are a providers of enterprise FM software.

What is the best way to conduct a case study?

Call and interview different users of the software.
Visit the customer site and observe.

Any critical info to include?

Posted by: alyson Member Response
6/29/2006 2:07 PM (CST)
Can you expand on what FM software does?
 
Posted by: mmcelyea Author Response
6/29/2006 2:16 PM (CST)
FM software - Facilities Management also know as CMMS, computerized maintenance management system

It is a software database used for manageing and maintaining information pertaining to work orders, assets, building maintenance, inventory, accounting, and more.

It is commonly used by property management companies.

 
Posted by: alyson Accepted Answer
6/29/2006 2:29 PM (CST)
I would contact the end user and go through a series of questions including:

1. System they were on prior to deciding to switch
2. What caused the need for a solution to be put in place or a new solution to be put in place
3. What savings have they realized (could be time, reduction in lost inventory etc... all of which can be calculated to an immediate ROI)
4. What other solutions did they look at
5. Why did they choose your software
6. Time to operational (purchase until working)
7. Best features of the system
8. About their company (good to show diversity in different size companies)

These are just a few but will give you a good format to work from.
 
Posted by: El Diablo Accepted Answer
6/29/2006 2:49 PM (CST)
Here's a great format that has always worked for me:

Challenge: What were your clients many challenges.

Goals: What was your client hoping to achieve.

Solution: How your product solves their challenge.

Results: Tangible ROI numbers.


Good luck

Tom Olivieri
The Creative Underground
 
Posted by: ShannonD* Accepted Answer
6/29/2006 3:25 PM (CST)
Sounds like it's Survey time. You should carefully decide which survey method you like the best and you have a couple options.

-Send a couple to all subscribed users through E-mail, letter, or phone calls
-Focus your study on new members as well. What is drawing them in?
-A perfect way to do a case study is satisfaction survey's. The automotive industry has been doing this for years. Soon after they purchase your product, send them a survey, or call them as a follow-up. You can also still do this with customers in your current database just by sending them a satisfaction survey to make sure that all your questions are answered.

Hope that helps

Shannon D
 
Posted by: rbauman* Accepted Answer
6/29/2006 3:52 PM (CST)
Tom's format is one that I've also used.

Knowing in advance what format you're using, whether Tom's or another one, construct a list of questions that leads a customer down the path to the answers you want. Once that's completed, contact your customers gain their permission to interview them for a case study. (Depending on their company, you may have to gain permission from corporate to use them for a published case study and may take a few months to get it.) Once you have agreement, interview the customer (in person or via phone) and record the conversation (with their approval). Once you write the case study, send a draft to the customer to get his/her approval before publishing.
 
Posted by: Frank Hurtte Accepted Answer
6/30/2006 6:58 AM (CST)
mmcelyea,
It all starts with a few friendly customers... you need to talk to as many customers as possible. Get a handle on how well they can articulate what they like about your software. I like to hear from people from several different levels... Maintenace Manager, Comptroller, Plant Manager, etc. Don't forget to touch base with the IT folks. I know of at least one Software Case study that backfired because the IT folks had a small beef with the Company... when their counterparts called to check out the story.. they did a "technical veto".
I suggest doing the first step via phone... last formal in person if possible....

By the way, this is a great deal sealer for companies with multiple facilities.

Frank Hurtte
 
Posted by: janiceking* Accepted Answer
6/30/2006 5:36 PM (CST)
Hello:

You’ll find useful ideas in this article: “Essential Strategies for Producing High-Value Case Studies” http://www.prsa.org/_Networking/technology/enews022006.asp#tools1.

The article is an excerpt from my new book, Copywriting That Sells High Tech, which contains a detailed section about cultivating and writing case studies.

You can read more about the book at the web site: http://www.writinghightech.com.

Good luck!
Janice King
 
Posted by: stevea Accepted Answer
7/3/2006 6:33 AM (CST)
Hi

You’ve got the points as to what to ask – how you go about it, I feel can only be face to face. You might lead up to the study by email or phone call but in the end, you need to meet up with the company and get face to face feedback, warts and all from all the stakeholders in each and every aspect of what is really rather a large programme. The topic headings (which I took from perhaps one of your competitors, or maybe it was you!) appear to be:

Help Desk & PPM
Budgeting & Cost Control,
Purchasing & Invoice matching
Project and contract management
Asset Tracking, Health & safety & Asbestos management
Import of Condition Monitoring and Bar Coding
Automated Measured Performance Benchmarking
Resource & Room Booking
Space Planning & Recharging
Real Estate/Property Management
Easy data builds and flexible import/export
Easy connectivity to other data sources
Programmable interface for user customisation

We do our own much slimmed down version of FM which integrates with Maximizer and it is very much asset based.

Interviewing your users on the above topics, less the ones which don’t apply and adding the ones not covered can be a bit formulaic- what where, when how did it help, what did it save, what disasters did it avert, etc, but the answers will be edited into an article, so regard this part as source data. Remember, every user has a story to tell, but every feature has a benefit and every feature therefore has a story to tell.

I’d only like to add one point – to ask one question really. What are you going to do with the case study once you’ve done it? I had to do this to my partners. They commissioned a beautiful case study with Europe’s top independent CRM consultancy and it read great. It cost a fortune. As usual, I spoilt things – “That’s a wonderful write up,” I said, “Now who’s going to read it and by what means, how often and where?”

Please give as much though as to what you do with your study. A good one could get you into Marketing Week which is great for the chairman’s ego, but you’ll get one lead. If properly used, it, or aspects of it could keep the commercial press busy with editorial for the next 6 months and you inundated with enquiries.

Bets wishes

Steve Alker
Unimax Solutions
 
Posted by: Tony Wanless Member Response
7/7/2006 7:36 PM (CST)
Tony Wanless of Knowpreneur Consultants/Sentare Publishing says:

A case study is not simply copywriting: It's a subtle persuasion document, much like a white paper, in that it provides education within a structure that persuades (peripherally) a reader of your expertise. In marketing terms, it's a lead generation tool.

It was first used in business schools and was modeled on the standard consulting format. So it should follow the consulting format.
Essentially this is:

Establish the objective
Determine the problem
Determine the causes of the problem
Determine a solution that answers the causes
Implement the solution
Follow up to measure results.
Further implement or correct if needed.

A case study is the documentation of this process, with, of course, a focus on your "solution".

But leave out the hard sell and over glorification. Show it warts, problems, and all. It will be far more persuasive if it is rings true and provides useful educational help for other businesses with similar problems.

It will also be far more persuasive if it doesn't sound like just another hyped up sales letter.

The best place to find a proper case study example is through a business school, the most famous being Havard Business School which publishes them regularly.

But you'll have to massage it to get more to the point, and translate it for your own messaging targets. That's where the copywriting comes in.
 
Posted by: Tony Wanless Member Response
7/7/2006 7:37 PM (CST)
Tony Wanless of Knowpreneur Consultants/Sentare Publishing says:

A case study is not simply copywriting: It's a subtle persuasion document, much like a white paper, in that it provides education within a structure that persuades (peripherally) a reader of your expertise. In marketing terms, it's a lead generation tool.

It was first used in business schools and is modeled on the standard consulting format. Essentially this is:

Establish the objective
Determine the problem
Determine the causes of the problem
Determine a solution that answers the causes
Implement the solution
Follow up to measure results.
Further implement or correct if needed.

A case study is the documentation of this process, with, of course, a focus on your "solution".

But leave out the hard sell and over glorification. Show it warts, problems, and all. It will be far more persuasive if it is rings true and provides useful educational help for other businesses with similar problems.

It will also be far more persuasive if it doesn't sound like just another hyped up sales letter.

The best place to find a proper case study example is through a business school, the most famous being Havard Business School which publishes them regularly.

But you'll have to massage it to get more to the point, and translate it for your own messaging targets. That's where the copywriting comes in.
 


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