success stories vs case study

We recommend using case study templates to help turn your customer story into a coherent, well-organized publication.

2. Lightico: A1 Comms

3. Hourly.io: Izzy's Brooklyn Bagels

What do they all have in common? When you get to these landing pages, key details are immediately prominent: The issue the company was facing and/or the results they generated.

This is a great way to hook in the reader and get them interested to read on.

By showing the results, you highlight the benefits of using your brand. By emphasizing the problems, you can help prospects identify issues and understand why you’re the solution.

Both strategies can generate positive results, it’s just a matter of figuring out which method converts best with your audience.

How to Leverage Customer Success Story on Social Media

1. figure out which case studies will translate well..

The "right client" will vary from brand to brand.

Samuel Mironko , associate marketing manager on the HubSpot brand marketing team, says that this is what they look for: brand recognition, buzziness, and relationship.

The bigger the brand, the more buzz it can create to share its story. This doesn’t mean that you should only highlight stories from recognizable brands. However, it could be a way to prioritize them.

The second is buzziness – how much interest will this story generate? Is the brand in a booming industry? This is another plus for you.

Lastly, and perhaps the most important according to Mironko, is your relationship with the customer. Building a customer story requires a lot of collaboration between the two companies. If your relationship with the client isn’t solid, you may face several obstacles as you attempt to deliver the product.

"You get a better story knowing more about the customer. You know what questions to ask, how to guide the story, and more details," said Natalie Gullatt , marketing manager on the HubSpot customer marketing team. "The customer tends to trust you more if you have a relationship with them so it makes the process better for both parties."

To narrow down a list of options, you will likely need to work with customer advocacy and/or customer success teams at your company to connect you with the clients.

They can also offer some insight into the problems that the company faces and the issues they were able to solve with your product/service.

2. Write a script.

Once you narrow down your list, it’s time to write the script for your social media campaigns.

While you follow the same format as the case study, you have to adjust it for social media – taking only the key details that will help you tell a story in an engaging but concise way.

          View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Hellopeter.com (@hellopeter_za)

Mironko says that this format works well for customer success stories because it tells a story. You leave knowing the problems the company faced before, how they attempted to solve the issue, their new experience, and how that has addressed their main pain points.

3. Get feedback from the client.

Once you have a draft, you’ll need to send it to the client for approval.

They may provide feedback on anything from the visual design to the way they’re portrayed.

We are delighted to launch our customer success story series with @GaryWidger , Head of Change at @mercuryeng - about how Mercury leveraged #nocode / #lowcode technology to connect their people through shared knowledge. Read more here: https://t.co/BDvRjRxVgd #innovation #tech pic.twitter.com/9qe7dmEART — Kianda (@KiandaBPM) March 30, 2021

Because this is a collaborative process, it’s essential that both parties are satisfied with the end result.

"Make sure to have the customers approve the drafts before publishing - that's so important," says Gullatt. "Customers may have to ask their marketing teams, legal teams before they say certain things publicly so you don't want to burn bridges."

This is why having a good relationship with the customer is key – this will make addressing issues with the content so much easier.

Gullatt adds that flexibility is key. 

"Be flexible even when it's inconvenient because customers doing stories is a favor to you and your organization," she says. "Making it easy for them and being patient goes a long way."

4. Post and measure success.

Once the content is finally ready and published on social media, you’ll want to track its success.

How are people responding? Are they engaging with the content? Did it help you generate more leads?

Establishing KPIs before publishing on social media allows you to gauge your success accurately. From there, you can review the data to assess improvements for future success story campaigns.

Case studies work to showcase a company's function to the fullest degree. They represent the facts of what happened, who was involved, and what the outcome was.

The main goal of a case study is to earn prospective customers' trust and motivate them to choose you over your competitors.

Turning a case study into a customer success story is done through a meticulous and investigative process.

Now that you have everything you need to get started, design a visually appealing piece of content that gives the reader more than just words, but sparks their imagination of what it would be like to work with your company. They'll want to reap the benefits of your services — and may even become the star of your next customer success story.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published in Oct. 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Discover the Essential Elements of a Winning Case Study and Improve Your Success Rate

Are you looking to improve your business strategies and learn from successful examples? Look no further than case studies and success stories. These powerful tools allow us to dive deep into the experiences of others and extract key takeaways and lessons learned. Whether you are a marketer, entrepreneur, or student, case studies provide valuable insights and practical knowledge that can help you excel in your field. In this article, we will explore the art of crafting a successful case study. From identifying the right subject to highlighting the most important lessons, we will guide you through the process of creating a compelling and informative case study.

So, if you're ready to take your skills to the next level, read on to discover how to create a powerful case study that will leave a lasting impact. In today's digital age, case studies have become an integral part of marketing and business success. Through real-life examples and success stories, they showcase the effectiveness and benefits of a product or service. However, creating a successful case study goes beyond just highlighting numbers and statistics. It requires a deep understanding of the main purpose of a case study - to provide value to potential customers. The focus of a case study should not be solely on promoting your product or service, but rather on solving a problem or addressing a need that your target audience may have.

This means that your case study should be relatable and engaging for readers, rather than just listing features and promoting your brand. For example, if you are promoting a project management software, your case study should highlight how it helped a company streamline their processes and increase productivity. This not only showcases the benefits of your product, but also provides valuable information for potential customers who may be facing similar challenges. When crafting a case study, it is important to focus on the key takeaways and lessons learned from the real-life example being presented. These takeaways should be actionable and applicable to potential customers, showing them how they can achieve similar results by using your product or service. By including these key takeaways and lessons learned in your case study, you are providing value to potential customers and positioning yourself as an expert in your industry. This can greatly increase the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and contribute to the success of your business. In conclusion, when creating a successful case study, remember to focus on providing value to potential customers through relatable and actionable examples.

Identifying Your Target Audience

Crafting a compelling story.

It should tell a story that resonates with the reader and evokes emotions. Make sure to include quotes and testimonials from your client, as well as before and after scenarios to showcase the transformation that your product or service brought about. This will make your case study more relatable and credible. Crafting a compelling story is crucial in capturing the attention of potential customers and convincing them of the effectiveness of your product or service.

Choosing the Right Format

In this article, we will discuss the key takeaways and lessons learned from crafting a winning case study. In conclusion, crafting a successful case study requires a thorough understanding of your target audience, choosing the right format, and telling a compelling story. By following these key takeaways and lessons learned, you can create a winning case study that not only promotes your product or service but also provides value to potential customers.

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Stories vs Case Studies? The Top Difference is the Focus

Stories vs Case Studies? The Top Difference is the Focus  – In a 2008 article, Ardath Albee writes about the difference between case studies and customer stories .

According to her the difference between stories vs case studies is in both perspective and emotional impact:

A case study gets into the nitty gritty details and the measurement of successful outcomes, which is fine and well and has its place. But what about the emotional impact? Regardless of the complexity of purchase, there’s always a degree of emotion involved.

Those who play a more granular comparison game, like Ben Olivieri in his LinkedIn post about customer stories and case studies , would argue that it’s very easy to recognise a case study from a story:

Each [case study] contains the key ingredients: (1) A recognizable customer name (2) A quantifiable metric (3) A reference to the product or company

If you look at the majority of today’s case studies, these are generally structured in three main areas:

• The problem
• The challenge
• The solution

They also often include a testimonial from the client, who is always very happy about the final result.

If you are a fan of TED Talks or Simon Sinek or both, then you most likely have already watched the famous video ‘ How great leaders inspire action ‘.

By now you know that everything starts with a Why:

people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.

What is the why of a case study then?

According to Ed Shelley from ChartMogul in this article on Crazyegg.com, this is why we do case studies :

To demonstrate the business value of our product with a concrete example To show that high-value customers trust our product To build hype and FOMO around our product (“These guys are using it… why aren’t we?”) To act as a form of social proof, and inspire confidence in the buyer

By now you might have guessed where I am going with this, but first let me say one thing.

There is nothing wrong with case studies. You should keep creating them as long as you are clear that the focus is on yourself, your company, products or services.

Stories vs Case Studies: the Difference is in the Focus

A story instead, whether successful or not, flips the script and focuses on the other person, the one that most likely paid you to do the job, the person that co-created with you her experience through your products or services.

A story will go beyond the numbers or any quantifiable metric and will tell why a person, one day, decided to launch a business.

It will tell why a human being, one day, decided to connect with you and co-create something together.

Whether the final result is good or not, a story will tell about the experience that that person had with you and your company.

In the end, it will still be about you and your company, but the focus or perspective will be extremely different and will make all the difference in the world.

It’s up to you to decide between stories vs case studies but as a member of the H2H, Human-to-Human marketing movement, you already know where your focus should be.

Pasquale Mellone

Pasquale is Founder at Increasily.com, a H2H marketing agency based in Dublin, Ireland, and owner at print-on-demand ecommerce Mintycase.com. Pasquale has worked in Digital Marketing and Account Management since 2004. He currently lives in Dublin with his wife, stepdaughter and cat.

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5 Essentials for Telling Your Customer Success Story

You’ve committed the time, the tools, and the talent. You’ve overcome challenges and emerged with a shining victory. Isn’t it time to toot your own horn a little? Your customer is ready to evangelize your brand, so now’s the time to share their experience with potential buyers.

A customer success story, also known as a client story or testimonial, is a narrative that describes a client’s experience with your company to raise brand awareness for your products or services. Prospects who read customer stories are in the consideration phase of the customer journey. In other words, they are still assessing your product or service before making a purchase. You should consider your success stories as a portfolio of real-life use cases that prove your company’s value.

Every success story is a chance for your business to connect with potential customers in a meaningful way. A strong narrative goes beyond dry facts and figures to touch on the human impact of business decisions. Further, a success story should include the challenge your customer faced before using your product, how the product impacted their business, and proof points to support your claims.

How to write a customer success story

A well-crafted customer success story is a proven tool for differentiating yourself from competitors and giving your prospects the information they need to make their purchase. By embracing the art of storytelling, you can elevate your brand narrative and forge stronger connections with your audience, ultimately driving business growth and fostering customer loyalty.

To help you learn how to write a customer success story that resonates and inspires action, we’re sharing effective client story examples, tips, and best practices. 

At Spur Reply, your success is our inspiration. We craft customer stories for clients spanning a legion of industries and specialties. In this blog, we will overview five time-tested, client-approved best practices for writing a compelling success story.

#1: Get to the point

When it comes to pitching your company via a success story, remember the mantra “short, but sweet.” You need to hook your reader immediately and leave a memorable impression. Case studies are traditionally broken down into three components: the problem, solution, and result. Throughout all three, remember to keep your language direct and straight to the point.

Answering three questions will help keep you on track:

• What was the obstacle you and your customer needed to overcome?
• What action(s) did you take to solve the problem?
• What positive outcome(s) did your product or service deliver to your client’s business?

It may be tempting to take detours into your company’s business philosophy or elaborate on related wins, but don’t get distracted. Less is more.

#2: Back up your claims

Authenticity is key to gaining a potential customer’s trust. Backing up your accomplishment with verifiable facts and data goes a long way to instilling confidence in your brand. Offer proof of your claims, either with facts and figures (quantitative data) or more general descriptions of positive qualities or characteristics your client gained from your product (qualitative data). For example, say you helped a client automate their team’s monthly performance data report process. Quantitative proof points could include the number of hours your client’s team saved from having to complete the process manually, how much direct revenue your client generated through freeing up their team members’ bandwidth, or a percentage that reflects the increase in report accuracy.

For inspiration on using quantitative data to back your claims, check out this client story example about how we helped Microsoft create better modeling within structured, synthetic data production.

If you or your client don’t have access to quantitative results, using qualitative proof points is also an effective way to demonstrate your product’s value. Back to our previous example, qualitative results might include stating that your client increased performance transparency, increased employee satisfaction, and engagement, or created a path that allowed their team to prioritize data analysis over data collection.

For a reference on how to use a combination of qualitative and quantitative data to share your results, check out this client story example about how we helped Microsoft conceptualize a new industry intersection between retail and healthcare.

#3: Use powerful language

Put away that test-marketed, legal department-approved corporate speak. Readers don’t want to be “sold.” They want to be inspired.

You’re excited about your success, so let that show in your writing. Use active verbs to give the story energy. Avoid run-on sentences with multiple clauses that might lose your reader. Employ “power words” that evoke a psychological or emotional response like, “breakthrough,” “superior,” or “conclusive” just to name a few. (Check out this website for more on power words.) This is your chance to seize the attention of potential new customers, so make it count!

#4: Share the struggles

Everybody likes a happy ending, but like any story worth reading, they also enjoy a little drama and conflict along the way. While it may be tempting to focus on everything that went right on your road to success—presenting a picture-perfect scenario from start to finish isn’t authentic or genuine, and your potential customers will see through it.

Walk the reader through the steps or process you took to address the challenge your customer faced. How did you build that particularly stubborn line of code that required hours of overtime to create? How did you overcome the sudden change in scope that sent the team scrambling to rethink the project’s parameters? Eschewing conflict in a success story may seem like an easy way to show your company in the most favorable light possible, but your reader will better connect with the story through candor.

#5: Include a testimonial

Your business’ success could be the most groundbreaking advance in your field this year, but how is it helping others succeed? Readers want to feel like they’re connecting with another human being, not like they’re being sold to by a faceless entity. Consider including experiences of real beneficiaries to add that touch of empathy and authenticity by asking your client for a testimonial. A testimonial puts a face to your claims and serves as a real-life example of the value your product or service provides. Testimonials are essential to your story as they help establish trust and credibility among prospects and customers.

An enticing testimonial goes beyond a general recommendation of your product or service. The quote should explain the challenge your product or service addressed, along with specific outcomes your product delivered as a result. Additionally, you can use the testimonial in other sales and marketing materials such as pitch decks, website pages, and social media posts.

Here’s an example of a testimonial we used from our client at Microsoft to share the impact of our collaboration in launching their first-ever Artificial Intelligence (AI) Business School.

The power of storytelling

So, what is a customer story to us? It's more than just a testimonial or case study; it's a testament to the transformative power of how our clients serve their customers and the enduring partnerships they build with them. In our digital world, innovation moves at lightning speed. It's crucial for your audience to understand not only the technical aspects of your products and solutions, but also the human stories and emotion behind them. By creating success stories, you can uncover and convey how you made your customers feel and effectively communicate the transformative impact of your business.

No matter what new product, technology, or solution you’re writing about, making that emotional, human connection through a story with a clear beginning, middle and end can help readers better understand how it benefits them. Using language that resonates with the audience, describing the challenge your company helped solve and the process you took to get there, in addition to backing up your claims through data and testimonials are the key elements to telling a story that will convert prospects to customers.

Interested in creating success stories that resonate with your target audience? You can trust that Spur Reply has the expertise and experience to bring your business victory to life. We’d love to chat .

Adam Reinhard

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Case Study or Success Story? How To Present Your Projects And Generate Leads

by Christian Brandstötter MMSc | Mar 5, 2017 | Blog

If you look at the websites of large software and IT companies, you are constantly presented with different terms…. sometimes, they are called case studies, while other companies present success stories and others refer to customer stories.

But are these really just synonymous terms which describe the same fundamental kind of communication? Or do they conceal different documents which should all be used for different occasions or goals?

Curious about the answers to these questions and to support them with concrete examples, I looked at the case studies offered by leading software and IT companies in preparation of this post, to see what they mean by case studies, success stories or customer (success) stories.

First of all, no matter whether a case study or a success story (synonym with customer success story), in both cases it is a special form of an underlying testimonial or a reference / customer recommendation.

Testimonials

A classic testimonial is a 1 to 2-sentence quotation of a satisfied customer, which the person/company allows you to use in your marketing (explicit permission is always required!).

Here is an example of a testimonial, on the website of ProvenExpert.de, an online recommendation service.

Testimonials are especially effective because they generate social proof. Social proof means that the fact that you have achieved great results for similar customers in the past, is a proof that you can do the same for a new customer, such as a prospect browsing your website.

But instead of you yourself telling the reader what a great supplier you are, it is stated by a satisfied customer – now this is really effective, credible marketing: SOCIAL PROOF.

If, however, you want to offer more complex and higher-priced solutions in the B2B sector, then testimonials are not enough. Interested prospects need more detailed information. Many companies, particularly in the IT and software sector, therefore provide customer stories, or success stories, on their website. They encompass more detailed reports on past customer projects.

Success Stories are detailed reports on the experiences and results of a client company. Here, for example, Genesys presents a wealth of Customer Success Stories on their website.

The most important features of Customer Stories:

• Length: mostly 1-2 pages, as my research on Success Stories by major IT companies has confirmed.
• Story: As the name already suggests, success stories are written in the form of stories that are told from the customer’s point of view and report similar like an article does.
• Styling: to emphasize the character of the story, several quotes of the satisfied customer should be included. This is particularly useful in passages where the client’s original problem is described or the great results reported.
• Structure the structure of a success story goes from the problem to solution and finally to the results that the customer has achieved. Specific to the success story itself, however, is that it also describes how the customer learnt about the provider (ie you) or why he chose you (usually in the form of or supported by a customer quote!)

Success Stories are ideal for illustrating the benefits and advantages of your solution while being compact enough to be read in one session from start to end by even the most time-stressed decision-makers.

Nevertheless, there are cases in which even a success story is not enough to give the interested reader the wealth of insights he needs to be well informed to reach the next step along the Customer Journey.

This is where the case study comes into play.

A case study is a very detailed description of a past project or the implementation of a solution offered by the provider to the customer. It is mainly used in software and industrial industries.

Here you see an example by the manufacturer Fujitsu. The first page starts with a big header and a short summary, for better readability a short version is offered in the individual tables. Most case studies are 3 pages, sometimes 4.

Important features of a professional case study are:

• Length : 3-4 pages, as my research on Cisco (3 pages) or Genesys (3 pages) also showed.
• Study : as concerns its tone, a case study is more technical than a success story. In the sense of a study, the question “How?” gets answered. Describe the implementation of your solution in a detailed and chronological manner (step 1, step 2, …)
• Styling : just as with Success Stories, you should always quote the strongest statements by direct quotes from your customer. Particularly in the section on results. Results can also be stated in a compact fashion in 3 bullet points, each of them with a specific number or percentage.
• Structure : The structure follows the classic problem-solving orientation and goes from problem / challenge to the decision process of the customer, then to the solution, first describing the implementation in detail, then the advantages and the results achieved

Case Study or Customer Story – Which One Should You Choose?

You may also be faced with the question whether you should write a case study or a success story about your last project or completed projects.

While it is difficult to give a general recommendation, it is advisable to first observe the following criteria. From this it can be deduced whether a shorter success story or more detailed case study is suitable to achieve the desired effect for the reader.

• Previous standard: The most important criterion is your previous approach: Did you publish case studies or success stories so far? The performance should of course be uniform, but do not restrict yourself to the past! If necessary, you can create a success story. Continue to call it as you previously did, but once in a while make it 1-2 pages longer than usual.
• Need for explanation: How complex was the project and/or the solution to be described? The bigger the need for explanation, the more you should prefer a case study to a success story.
• Amount of investment: What is the investment sum for the solution implemented by the customer in the case study (hence also the prospect researching…)? More complex projects with higher prices call for a case study as the reader has more uncertainty and is willing to read more.
• Innovativeness of the product: Another consideration is finally how old the product is, which is used in the case study. If the product is e.g. still very new and is also very actively advertised by you, the first case studies can be particularly helpful to support sales and highlight the effectiveness of the solution.

By observing these 4 aspects and, in fact, coordinating them with the responsible persons in the sales department, you can make a qualified decision as to how extensive the content document to be produced needs to be.

Support for Case Study, Customer Story and Co

If you need professional support in the creation of your case study or success story, then I will be happily at your disposal. As an experienced copywriter and author in the field of B2B communication, I will accompany you from collection of the information until its conclusion and layout of your document. I will also be happy to interview your customers on your behalf, if you still need to gather some information.

Contact me right now at +43 680 133 09 56 or Send me an e-mail inquiry . I look forward to serving you!

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For more than 135 years, Carhartt has delivered heavy-duty apparel to customers around the world. Today, Cisco Full-Stack Observability helps Carhartt expand visibility into applications and the network. This holistic view facilitates informed decision making and helps enable business growth. 

Service provider

BT Group is a leading provider of communications services and solutions, serving customers in 180 countries. BT's new Better Workplace initiative relies on a comprehensive suite of Cisco solutions and services to provide smart, dynamic workspaces that adapt to new workstyles, enhancing employee collaboration and well-being.  

Room & Board

Modern furnishing retailer Room & Board is committed to providing customers with exceptional experiences. At the heart of this experience is the company's popular free design offering, and secure networking solutions from Cisco help ensure great service, whether customers visit a showroom in-person or online. 

Transportation

Easyjet airline company.

UK-based easyJet serves 927 routes in 34 nations. The airline stays on track and on time with end-to-end visibility of the user experience across its network and applications with Cisco Full-Stack Observability, monitoring every application and service that touches its customers.

Sports, media, and entertainment

Adelaide oval sma ltd.

Formerly a single-use stadium, Adelaide Oval used advanced technology from Cisco to transform itself into one of South Australia's leading tourist destinations, a world-class, multi-dimensional precinct capable of providing a seamless experience for customers.  

Flinders University

Once one of Australia's oldest car manufacturing plants, Flinders University's Tonsley campus is now a thriving hub of innovation. Today, Cisco technology supports the university's teaching and research across key industries, helping to facilitate economic renewal. 

Energy and utilities

Cpfl energia.

CPFL Energia is Brazil’s second-largest energy supplier contributing since 1912 to urban development through solutions in power generation, transmission, and distribution. CPFL secured their award-winning grid operations with Cisco Cyber Vision, built into Cisco industrial switches.

Most popular

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines

Travel innovator Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines relies on Cisco Full-Stack Observability (FSO) to enhance customer experiences. With FSO, the company gains complete visibility into business-critical applications, enhancing application performance, optimizing resources, and strengthening security.  

National Football League (NFL)

From the draft to Super Bowl Sunday, the NFL relies on Cisco to protect billions of devices, endpoints, and users from cyber threats. What does that look like on game day? Watch the video on the story page to find out.

Financial services

First abu dhabi bank.

First Abu Dhabi Bank solidifies its position as one of the UAE’s leading banking providers by cutting downtime and improving availability of customer-facing and internal business applications using Cisco Full-Stack Observability. FAB is building a culture of improvement, fueled by better insight into application performance. 

Professional services

Cintas mitigates risk and improves resilience for its distributed business with the Cisco security portfolio, maximizing visibility, simplifying detection to block threats at multiple levels, and speeding response time.

Gwinnett County, GA

In Gwinnett County, the Department of Transportation deployed an intelligent transportation systems network, which digitizes traffic control to support efficient and accessible transportation using Cisco Catalyst Center and industrial Internet of Things (IoT) switches.

One of the world's leading integrated energy providers, Enel collaborates with Cisco to gain real-time insights to optimize the supply chain and improve operations with Cisco CX Cloud.

The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the top governing entity for golf in the U.S., organizing 19 championships at across the U.S. and abroad annually. The USGA relies on Cisco technology to  improve network reliability and performance, as well as secure its corporate and championship sites, both indoors and out.

Oil and gas

Ampol limited.

With locations across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the U.S., Ampol's business includes refineries, fueling stations, and corporate offices. The company's infrastructure and retail operations are protected and connected with Cisco technology.

Victoria University (Australia)

Victoria University's City Campus relies on a digital-first vision: IT that supports growing numbers of users, devices, and applications, with a consistent, secure experience for students and educators.

By industry

Schools, colleges, and universities are securely connecting educators, students, and administrators with technologies that are transforming education.

Energy and utility companies are using technology to improve system efficiency, resilience, and security to meet changing environmental, consumer, and regulatory demands.

Retail banking, wealth management, insurance, and other financial organizations innovate with technology to help ensure security and compliance, increase efficiency, and deliver a superior customer experience.

Governments are modernizing critical infrastructure, delivering cybersecurity and compliance, and facilitating public services and safety with transformative technologies that benefit the lives of constituents.

Clinics, hospitals, and other healthcare organizations use technology for efficient workflows and patient care that is connected and secure, improving the patient, provider, and staff experience.

Manufacturing

By deploying secure, intelligent solutions, manufacturers are laying the foundation for smart factory operations that connect, automate, and operate anywhere at scale.

Mining companies use technology to make work underground and on the surface safe, reliable, and efficient, sustaining operations while protecting people and the environment.

With transformative technology, oil and gas producers keep product flowing and make upstream, midstream, and downstream operations safe, reliable, and efficient.

In retail companies of all sizes and types, technology transforms operations, helps improve customer satisfaction and the associate experience, and protects the business.

Sports and entertainment venues are using technology to engage fans and improve the experience for artists, athletes, teams, and leagues, while enhancing business efficiency, resiliency, and security.

Technical services

Ranging from IT consultancies and broadband connectivity providers to construction and engineering firms, these organizations prioritize security and improve experiences for customers, employees, and partners.

Across rail, roadways, airports, and ports, transportation businesses are investing in digital transformation to improve safety, mobility, and operational efficiency.

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The Difference Between a Customer Story and Case Study

• July 23, 2012

When talking with home builders and remodelers, I often use the terms case study and customer story interchangeably, but they are actually two different types of projects because of the detail and depth required to write each one. Both are enhancements of a customer testimonial, so let’s start there.

A customer testimonial is a short, direct quote from your customer that expresses satisfaction for the product (new home or renovation) and service they received from you throughout the project. Testimonials are usually just a few sentences long, and although they express satisfaction and gratitude for a job well done, they often lack depth . Most homeowner testimonials sound something like this:

“Thank you to JL Smith Building and Remodeling Company for a beautiful job building our addition. Their team was professional throughout the entire process, and they were extremely courteous in working around our family’s crazy schedule. We’d highly recommend them. Thanks Jay and Linda for a job well done!” – R. Hackman

Testimonials are great to use in marketing, such as in newsletters or marketing brochures, as a quick blurb, but they lack the power of detail that can be found in customer stories and case studies.

A customer story (sometimes referred to as a customer success story) is a more comprehensive account of your customer’s experience. It is, in fact, a story and is usually written in article form. It contains details of the project, direct quotes from the customer, and paints a clear picture of the project – from start to finish. It is usually only 1-2 pages in length, and not only does it cover the problem, solution and results , it reveals why your customer chose you for their project.

Picture a customer story like an article you’d see in a magazine, such as Better Homes & Gardens , or on practically any HGTV show. It starts by providing some background on the homeowner and why their current home isn’t fitting their needs. For instance, if they built a new home with you, there is an explanation of why they elected to build a new home (instead of remodel), an account of the creative solution you provided to design and build their new home, and a detailed testimonial of why they are so thrilled with the results.

A case study provides even more details and specifics than a customer story. In addition to the above, it showcases the “how” – how a solution was delivered and/or how the solution works in the customer’s environment. Case studies will involve tangible measurements of results (such as cost savings or increases of efficiency). They are often written for use in the technology industry, or in the case of construction, manufacturers will use case studies to educate contractors about new building materials – and persuade them to incorporate these new materials in upcoming projects. Another application would be if a builder installs a high-efficiency furnace, for example, he may team up with the manufacturer to develop a case study for that particular aspect of the home.

As you can see, the detail is what distinguishes a testimonial from a customer story from a case study, and new home builders and remodelers will most often use testimonials and customer success stories in marketing their business. However, all have the same goal in mind: educate potential customers, gain credibility and validate your products/services.

Tess Wittler

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© 2007-2023 | Tess Wittler Marketing, LLC | Content Marketing & Consulting | Lake Tapps | Tacoma | Seattle | Washington

OKR Success Stories and Case Studies

OKRs are seen as the solution for all kinds of inefficiencies that creep up over time in organizations, and this behavior can set them up for failure. The other side of the coin isn’t rosy either – organizations that are afraid of the effects of OKRs also fail to make the most of the framework.

High expectations can be tempered by studying the prerequisites of OKRs, but that does little to assuage the fears some organizations might have. Going through OKR case studies of organizations that have successfully used the framework can highlight the best practices, and drive the fear away. Their questions about prerequisites and implementing Objectives and Key Results can be answered by steps taken by organizations who have succeeded in using OKRs.

OKRs are becoming one of the most important ways for goal setting and performance management, as they are flexible enough to work for small and large businesses alike.

OKR case studies: 5 businesses who successfully use OKRs

The 5 case studies presented below demonstrate how the performance of leading businesses was impacted positively by using OKRs.

Microsoft has used OKRs in the recent past to align strategic priorities between and within different teams. The emphasis of the OKR practice at Microsoft is to localize objectives and key results (OKRs), identify opportunities quickly and address gaps in communication and resource requirements.

The organization uses OKRs to measure what really matters in the current cycle. Managers chart, calculate, and share progress on key results and metrics that define success.

The team made full use of Teams – Microsoft’s collaboration and chat tool – to bring strategic priorities into regular conversations. This ensured important and urgent tasks stayed in the line of sight of all stakeholders, and the efforts every day reflected the same. The adoption did not reduce even during the work from home phase, where distributed teams could access the objectives and expected key results, and compare them with actual results. This led to a near-real-time update of KPIs, with the simplicity of Teams chat.

Teams at Spotify use a time-boxed agenda to stay on track – where topics are outlined at the beginning of the session, along with activities that will be covered. The duration of every task and the desired outcomes are glanced over too. ‍

There are a few ground rules that help the currently distributed teams to function efficiently – like outlining the rules and expectations beforehand. They also have a dedicated Slack channel to post questions that are then addressed during the discussions – which are held with the cameras on to add that human touch. ‍

If that explains the smooth running of the meetings, the preparations that happen beforehand provide the basics. Team members review the OKR structure with the team, and OKRs start at the very top with the company vision. This vision defines key focus areas resulting in the setting of yearly objectives. These in turn allow teams to define their own team’s quarterly goals, which are converted into team OKRs.

The Team OKR setting sessions Start with icebreaker events, and then key results are prioritized via brainstorming. Everything goes here, and ideas are evaluated by the team in a democratic fashion. The ones that seem promising are stickied, and the collective KRs are brought down to just three to five items. The teams reconvene into a larger group and present their outputs to everyone – and the larger group then finalizes their quarterly KRs.

Google has been a proponent of OKRs since 1999 when it was a company of 40. One thing that has stayed in its phenomenal growth to 60,000 people is their reliance and belief in OKRs. The leaders set ambitious objectives, and key results are graded on a scale of 0.0-1.0 at the end of every quarter.

One of the highlights of Goole OKRs is that they are transparent – that means any employee in the organization can see what their colleagues are focusing on. OKRs between 0.6 to 0.7 is considered successful at Google: for good reasons too, because OKRs are designed to push the team to be a little better in the current cycle than the previous one. They also don’t consider low OKRs as a cause of concern, as they believe low scores indicate there is room for improvement. These low score OKRs are used as learning opportunities for the next OKR cycle (in Google’s case, next quarter).

LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner believes that the business is responsible for providing clear directions to the leaders of the organization, as making informed decisions helps in staying on track of the vision and mission . The CEO believes that good leaders can lift their surroundings (in this case, team members) through different modes of activity like coaching, strategy planning, defining objectives, and measuring the right results. The belief in the organization is to complete OKRs in a limited time period, and hence 3 to 5 objectives in a quarter are enough.

OKR progress is tracked at LinkedIn through regular meetings with employees, which can take the entire day.

These meetings keep the CEO and the rest of the leadership team updated on how the employees are contributing towards the business objectives of the organization. Employees share their views on the success and roadblocks so that they get recognized for the good work done and request help in areas they are slower than average.

One of the leading telecom organizations in the world, Huawei, moved to OKRs from KPIs to take their business practices a notch above. The leadership team at Huawei was unhappy with the KPI system that was in use, as it could only use goal setting as the process starting point and performance evaluation as the end – but didn’t provide any avenues for the employees to clearly understand the need or importance of the goals set. The process was mechanical and did not add much to the upward curve the organization was aiming for.

In 2019, the leadership group decided to adopt OKRs. OKRs were used to set goals for the team members, who could clearly identify and understand the importance of goals set for them and how they contributed to the overall growth of the organization. The process boosted the performance of their business, as aligning the goals of employees led to an increased collaboration which resulted in the completion of business goals in a collective manner.

Sears holding company started using OKRs in 2013 for all of its 20,000+ salaried employees – but the expected changes did not happen even after a year of using the framework. This led to some necessary changes being made, where teams of outbound call agents at different locations were allotted different objectives based on the data accumulated. The focus was diverted to add-on sales that were measured using hourly calls and hourly sales data. This refresh brought the desired changes, as the sales figures increased by 8.5%. Average sales figures jumped significantly and increased to $15.67 per hour – a marked rise from the previous $14.44.

Learnings from the case studies

Organizations can start by using the OKR formula to calculate the expected effectiveness – which can be stated in simple terms as below:

[objective] needs to be attended to, and the progress of the process can be measured by [key result 1], [Key result 2] …

Here, the ambitious, concrete goal that the organization wants to achieve is the objective, and the key results are how the accomplishment of the objective is measured. Limiting key results to 3 to 5 items is important, as employees can get bogged down if the number is more than that per objective. This enables the objective to be focussed on the minds of the employees, and they can see how striving to achieve each metric helps them and their organization.

Aligning day-to-day work As the Spotify and Google case studies point out, having a well-defined OKR can result in the better articulation of the outcome, that can be easily followed and adhered to by employees. As soon as employees can see how their everyday work impacts the overall objective of the organization, their productivity increases. Instead of seeing work as a list of tasks to be completed, they treat them as stepping stones towards achieving their and the organization’s objectives. Regular meetings also help in highlighting issues or new avenues that might be useful in the long run.

Unlocking the potential of the workforce.

OKRs provide a robust platform for employees to collaborate and work towards a common objective instead of just finishing tasks on their plate. This focus brought forward by OKRs is essential to keep the remote workforce engaged, as it simplifies collaboration between teams and allows them to stay focused on executing the strategy penned down by the leadership teams. Employees can then plan their business-as-usual activities better, and identify areas of innovation and learning that can help them and their organization stay ahead of the curve. The potential of the workforce increases rapidly because of the clear line of action presented by well-planned OKRs, and results in:

• Speed at which changes can be carried out. Due to increased collaboration between team members and different teams, the time taken to execute important steps are shortened. Individual contributions add up to more than the sum of their parts, and the organization as a whole can move towards being nimble in the face of unexpected changes, without affecting business productivity.
• Priorities can be set based on immediate needs while keeping an eye on the changes that may occur in the future. With constant coaching and one-on-one sessions, both the manager and the team members can grow faster into the roles and contribute more effectively to the overall objective.
• Execution becomes more streamlined as there are other key results that need to be achieved. The continuous feedback cycle which OKRs thrive on, help in identifying and adopting potential changes that might disrupt the market in the near future.
• Alignment of goals and ambitions of employees with that of the organization creates a win-win situation where employees upgrade their skills promptly, which allows the organization to stay ahead of potential challenges from competitors (or market conditions).

More OKR Success Stories

There are plenty of OKR success stories that can be used to understand the effectiveness of the process, but having the basics right is more important for organizations thinking about putting the framework into practice. Without the presence of a strong vision and buy-ins from the leadership team, however, OKRs have little chance of causing any significant improvement to the day-to-day activities of the organization. The clarity and accountability that can be gained from OKRs depend on connecting the objectives of the company and team members into results that can be easily quantified.

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January 10, 2023

27 companies that use OKRs and success stories

Bryan Schuldt

Co-Founder, Tability

Table of contents

Sneaker enthusiasts and businesses have one major thing in common — they’re keen for the hot, new drop on the scene. And what’s the talk of the town lately? Air Jordan’s and OKRs (see OKR meaning for a complete definition of OKRs). 

While OKRs have been around since before the microwave, they’ve only attained buzzword status in the last couple of decades. But why should businesses adopt them? And which companies utilize them?

This article will share some of OKRs' greatest successes with case studies highlighting best practices. We delve into how leading companies like Google, Adobe and Linkedin use OKRs to create goals and boost their performance.

Who uses OKRs?

If you’ve done your homework, you probably know that OKRs were made popular by Google. Many major tech companies, such as the aforementioned plus Microsoft, Twitter and even Netflix, use the OKRs framework to set and track goals within their business.

But just because these companies have popularized OKRs doesn’t mean they’re just for major corporations. Whether you’re a doggy daycare owner, millionaire executive or just an average Joe, OKRs may be the missing piece to your individual or business success.

Smaller teams may be able to implement OKRs more easily due to their flexibility and fewer moving parts. Larger companies can experience faster growth with OKRs, as more people's combined efforts usually yield quicker results.

Since OKRs are scalable and adaptable to just about any company or person, the answer to ‘Who uses OKRs?‘ is potentially anyone!

What companies use OKRs?

From startups to multi-billion dollar companies, thousands of businesses use OKRs. Here’s a snapshot of some of the more well-known companies implementing OKRs.

OKR case studies

How exactly have OKRs helped multi-billion dollar companies become so? Here are three examples detailing how well-known organizations use OKRs for growth.

Best known for its innovative software products such as Acrobat and Photoshop, Adobe’s success is well documented. 

However, some years ago, Adobe struggled with a people management issue stemming from outdated annual performance reviews. This tedious and time-consuming process was causing a spike in resignations once a year.

Adobe executive Donna Morris identified this issue and posed the question on the staff intranet — ‘If we did away with our ‘annual review,’ what would you like to see in its place? What would it look like to inspire, motivate, and value contributions more effectively?”.

From these responses, the OKRs system was implemented. Rather than measuring performance annually, Adobe committed to continuous performance management through a 'Check-in' program. Check-in is a three-part system that starts with OKRs (what Adobe internally calls ‘Goals and Expectations’ and continues to regular feedback and career development discussions.

Voluntary attrition has dropped significantly since OKRs were implemented.

One of the best-known companies in the world, Google has long been a user of the OKRs system. It was introduced to the company by famous venture capitalist John Doerr in 1999, who had previously worked under Intel CEO and OKR founder Andy Grove.

Since implementing OKRs, Google has grown from a company of 40 to more than 140,000 employees worldwide. Every Google employee can view their colleagues' OKRs — this transparency is a hallmark of OKR success. 

Every quarter, Google leaders set ambitious objectives and grade key results performance on a scale of 0.0-1.0. Scores between 0.6 and 0.7 are considered successful, and low-score OKRs are identified as growth opportunities in the following quarter.

Google’s OKR success doesn’t end internally — after a Google Ventures workshop detailing how Google sets OKRs went viral, the framework gained enormous traction. As more companies report OKR success, data and revenue are fed back into the search engine.

When former LinkedIn CEO Jeff Wiener took over the company in 2008, he brought with him a mission and vision goal model (otherwise known as Objectives and Key Results). He credits his $20 billion success to the implementation OKRs framework.

LinkedIn has a slightly different approach to OKRs — each team member sets three to five ambitious quarterly objectives, which become more important higher up the company ladder. 

Teams track progress through in-person meetings, which keep leadership teams aligned with how objectives work toward wider business goals. Employees identify their successes and shortcomings, and leaders recognise their achievements and provide assistance as  needed.

More OKR success stories

The OKR framework is used by many popular businesses, so explaining everyone's story would be impossible. Instead, we’ve decided to share a few testimonials we’ve received at Tability, demonstrating the success of the OKRs model and our OKRs software.

• Blys : “I’m able to take our new team members through our strategic plan and quarterly goals OKR in Tability. It gives them a clear picture of our milestones and what’s coming up.”
• Covaler : “We saw team members get excited by having a better understanding and being better connected to the company vision and goals.”
• Ricksoft : “Tability has been useful for planning goals, tracking them every week and leading our team in the right direction."

Read more customer success stories on our testimonials page .

Why you should use OKRs for your company

With so many benefits, it is easy to see why pioneering companies use OKRs as part of their company strategy. Here are some key benefits of using OKRs, as outlined in our case studies.

Improved motivation

OKRs is an inclusive goal-setting methodology that gives teams a say in what they're working on, which motivates them to accomplish their own objectives.

Aligned teams

With OKRs, your workforce will clearly understand the company's goals and how their efforts contribute to them. Goals are public so that anyone can see them.

Increased revenue

OKRs are designed to boost performance, and better performance at for-profit companies leads to an increase in revenue.

Better insights

Unlike annual performance reviews, OKRs provide feedback every week, helping people identify and resolve problems early.

Approaching OKRs with Tability

Just because many businesses have made great use of OKRs doesn’t mean they haven’t faced early-stage challenges. Team commitment is essential for OKRs to be effective, which is often easier said than done. That’s where software like Tability comes in handy.

Tability simplifies OKRs planning and implementation, making it easier to get everyone on board. What are you waiting for?  Try Tability for free today!

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Curating OKR, planning, remote and work culture tips from the brightest minds around the world. New articles every week.

Copyright © 2024 Tability Inc.

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How GroupM Germany measured the engagement of TUI Cruises Mein Schiff CTV campaigns with Microsoft Invest DSP

Consumers are second screening more than ever before. From streaming shows on CTVs while reading the news on smartphones to watching online videos while booking travel on a tablet. That’s why EssenceMediacom’s goal was to measure second screen engagement when consumers were exposed to a TUI Cruises Mein Schiff Connected TV (CTV) ad campaign by using GroupM Nexus proprietary CTV solution Advanced TV that leveraged Microsoft's Invest DSP.

The solution

With Microsoft’s Household Attribution, EssenceMediacom was able to measure the impact of CTV exposure on website usage and interactions. They overcame measurement gaps and established a granular customer journey tracking. By combining Microsoft’s Household Attribution with GroupM Nexus Advanced TV intelligent targeting solutions, it was possible to measure and attribute the effectiveness of TUI Cruises Mein Schiff campaign, across multiple screens and targeting strategies.

GroupM Germany was now empowered to align performance KPIs to analyze success and optimize different data strategies.

Implementing GroupM Nexus Advanced TV alongside Microsoft's 'Household Attribution’ has significantly amplified the success of our 'Mein Schiff' campaign under TUI Cruises. This combination has deepened our understanding of CTV's contribution to the customer journey, enabling us to use this medium more effectively and strategically in the future.

The results

When people see a CTV ad that inspires–something happens. They open a browser and will get further information, even up to buying a cruise ticket, a new coat, or book a cabin in the mountains. Measuring GroupM´s CTV campaign proves CTV video ads drive real results.

With TUI Cruises Mein Schiff 43% of engagements happened within the first 24 hours. And after 2 weeks, HH attribution analytics reveal 54K interactions tied to the CTV ad.

In 42% of interactions, customers were entering concrete travel information on the Mein Schiff website.

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Study Suggests Genetics as a Cause, Not Just a Risk, for Some Alzheimer’s

People with two copies of the gene variant APOE4 are almost certain to get Alzheimer’s, say researchers, who proposed a framework under which such patients could be diagnosed years before symptoms.

By Pam Belluck

Scientists are proposing a new way of understanding the genetics of Alzheimer’s that would mean that up to a fifth of patients would be considered to have a genetically caused form of the disease.

Currently, the vast majority of Alzheimer’s cases do not have a clearly identified cause. The new designation, proposed in a study published Monday, could broaden the scope of efforts to develop treatments, including gene therapy, and affect the design of clinical trials.

It could also mean that hundreds of thousands of people in the United States alone could, if they chose, receive a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s before developing any symptoms of cognitive decline, although there currently are no treatments for people at that stage.

The new classification would make this type of Alzheimer’s one of the most common genetic disorders in the world, medical experts said.

“This reconceptualization that we’re proposing affects not a small minority of people,” said Dr. Juan Fortea, an author of the study and the director of the Sant Pau Memory Unit in Barcelona, Spain. “Sometimes we say that we don’t know the cause of Alzheimer’s disease,” but, he said, this would mean that about 15 to 20 percent of cases “can be tracked back to a cause, and the cause is in the genes.”

The idea involves a gene variant called APOE4. Scientists have long known that inheriting one copy of the variant increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s, and that people with two copies, inherited from each parent, have vastly increased risk.

The new study , published in the journal Nature Medicine, analyzed data from over 500 people with two copies of APOE4, a significantly larger pool than in previous studies. The researchers found that almost all of those patients developed the biological pathology of Alzheimer’s, and the authors say that two copies of APOE4 should now be considered a cause of Alzheimer’s — not simply a risk factor.

The patients also developed Alzheimer’s pathology relatively young, the study found. By age 55, over 95 percent had biological markers associated with the disease. By 65, almost all had abnormal levels of a protein called amyloid that forms plaques in the brain, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s. And many started developing symptoms of cognitive decline at age 65, younger than most people without the APOE4 variant.

“The critical thing is that these individuals are often symptomatic 10 years earlier than other forms of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr. Reisa Sperling, a neurologist at Mass General Brigham in Boston and an author of the study.

She added, “By the time they are picked up and clinically diagnosed, because they’re often younger, they have more pathology.”

People with two copies, known as APOE4 homozygotes, make up 2 to 3 percent of the general population, but are an estimated 15 to 20 percent of people with Alzheimer’s dementia, experts said. People with one copy make up about 15 to 25 percent of the general population, and about 50 percent of Alzheimer’s dementia patients.

The most common variant is called APOE3, which seems to have a neutral effect on Alzheimer’s risk. About 75 percent of the general population has one copy of APOE3, and more than half of the general population has two copies.

Alzheimer’s experts not involved in the study said classifying the two-copy condition as genetically determined Alzheimer’s could have significant implications, including encouraging drug development beyond the field’s recent major focus on treatments that target and reduce amyloid.

Dr. Samuel Gandy, an Alzheimer’s researcher at Mount Sinai in New York, who was not involved in the study, said that patients with two copies of APOE4 faced much higher safety risks from anti-amyloid drugs.

When the Food and Drug Administration approved the anti-amyloid drug Leqembi last year, it required a black-box warning on the label saying that the medication can cause “serious and life-threatening events” such as swelling and bleeding in the brain, especially for people with two copies of APOE4. Some treatment centers decided not to offer Leqembi, an intravenous infusion, to such patients.

Dr. Gandy and other experts said that classifying these patients as having a distinct genetic form of Alzheimer’s would galvanize interest in developing drugs that are safe and effective for them and add urgency to current efforts to prevent cognitive decline in people who do not yet have symptoms.

“Rather than say we have nothing for you, let’s look for a trial,” Dr. Gandy said, adding that such patients should be included in trials at younger ages, given how early their pathology starts.

Besides trying to develop drugs, some researchers are exploring gene editing to transform APOE4 into a variant called APOE2, which appears to protect against Alzheimer’s. Another gene-therapy approach being studied involves injecting APOE2 into patients’ brains.

The new study had some limitations, including a lack of diversity that might make the findings less generalizable. Most patients in the study had European ancestry. While two copies of APOE4 also greatly increase Alzheimer’s risk in other ethnicities, the risk levels differ, said Dr. Michael Greicius, a neurologist at Stanford University School of Medicine who was not involved in the research.

“One important argument against their interpretation is that the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in APOE4 homozygotes varies substantially across different genetic ancestries,” said Dr. Greicius, who cowrote a study that found that white people with two copies of APOE4 had 13 times the risk of white people with two copies of APOE3, while Black people with two copies of APOE4 had 6.5 times the risk of Black people with two copies of APOE3.

“This has critical implications when counseling patients about their ancestry-informed genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease,” he said, “and it also speaks to some yet-to-be-discovered genetics and biology that presumably drive this massive difference in risk.”

Under the current genetic understanding of Alzheimer’s, less than 2 percent of cases are considered genetically caused. Some of those patients inherited a mutation in one of three genes and can develop symptoms as early as their 30s or 40s. Others are people with Down syndrome, who have three copies of a chromosome containing a protein that often leads to what is called Down syndrome-associated Alzheimer’s disease .

Dr. Sperling said the genetic alterations in those cases are believed to fuel buildup of amyloid, while APOE4 is believed to interfere with clearing amyloid buildup.

Under the researchers’ proposal, having one copy of APOE4 would continue to be considered a risk factor, not enough to cause Alzheimer’s, Dr. Fortea said. It is unusual for diseases to follow that genetic pattern, called “semidominance,” with two copies of a variant causing the disease, but one copy only increasing risk, experts said.

The new recommendation will prompt questions about whether people should get tested to determine if they have the APOE4 variant.

Dr. Greicius said that until there were treatments for people with two copies of APOE4 or trials of therapies to prevent them from developing dementia, “My recommendation is if you don’t have symptoms, you should definitely not figure out your APOE status.”

He added, “It will only cause grief at this point.”

Finding ways to help these patients cannot come soon enough, Dr. Sperling said, adding, “These individuals are desperate, they’ve seen it in both of their parents often and really need therapies.”

Pam Belluck is a health and science reporter, covering a range of subjects, including reproductive health, long Covid, brain science, neurological disorders, mental health and genetics. More about Pam Belluck

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