Case studies are a great way to show how your business helps customers solve problems in the real world. A well-written case study uses lively quotes, interesting examples, and juicy anecdotes to engage prospects and differentiate your business from the competition.

Most clients should be happy to talk about their experiences and toot both your and their horns. But to get the right information needed to bring these customer stories to life, you need to ask the right questions.

Many case studies fit nicely into a standard Introduction–Challenges–Solutions–Results format. Using that structure, the following key questions can be adapted to use in your case study interviews.

Note: Basic info such as business name and address, company history and mission, products and services offered, and target audience can be collected in advance to save time. Also, a quick glance at the business’s About Us page should provide most basic company information.

Introduction
Tell us about your organization’s history and mission.
What products or services do you offer?
Who is your target audience?
Can you share any of your strategic business goals?

Challenges
When did you start working with our company?
What factor influenced your decision to work with us?
What challenges was your business facing?
What goals did you hope to accomplish?

Solutions
Which of our products/services did you use?
Tell us about the implementation process (e.g., how long did it take, experience working with our staff, any lessons learned along the way).
How challenging or easy was it to use our products or services, and why?
How do these products/services benefit your business? your customers’ experience?

Results
What goals did using our products/services help you achieve?
Can you share any data or metrics demonstrating these results? (e.g., increase in conversions or sales; increase in memberships, signups, or subscriptions; increase in new customers and/or customer retention; return on ad spend [ROAS]; or business growth)
Looking ahead, how do you see our products/services benefitting your business?
What advice would you give other businesses facing similar challenges?
Anything else you’d care to add about your business or working with us?*

*This last question is a good kicker! By now interviewees should be relaxed enough to share whatever else is on their minds. Sometimes the “anything else?” question elicits other information or details you might not have thought to ask about.

Finally, we like to send questions to case study sources in advance to give them time to prepare. For a deeper dive into how to lead an interview (and deal with curveballs), check out How to Ask Case Study Interview Questions. Remember, with preparation, case study interviews can be a fun, positive experience for both you and your customers.