How to create customer success stories: Templates & examples

When you were a kid, which stories stuck with you the most? Was it the one that started with a happy ending or the one that showed a character overcoming obstacles to achieve their goal? Chances are, you remember the latter. 

In adulthood, your customers aren't much different. They face pain points—frustrations and challenges that need solving. 

The customer journey is a story where those pain points are the villains.

And here's where customer success stories shine. They act as social proof. They show real solutions to real problems, helping leads see themselves in the success of others. 

In this article, we'll show you how to write customer success stories that sell. We'll explain the key elements you need to include and provide a template for structuring your story.

What is a customer success story?

A customer success story (also known as a case study) is a written or video account that illustrates how your product or service helped a specific customer achieve their goals and overcome challenges. 

Case studies and customer success stories allow you to:

• Detail the unique problems your customer faced and how your solution provided relief.

• Emphasize your product's value with quantifiable outcomes.

• Give your narrative credibility and relatability by sharing genuine experiences.

• Anticipate objections or doubts and counter them with real-life evidence and testimonials.

A customer success story goes beyond mere testimonials. It's a deep dive into real-life scenarios that showcase the tangible impact of your product or service on an actual customer's life or business. 

This way, the narrative isn’t only about the end result but also about the journey—the initial challenges, the decision-making process, and the effective solution. It's a compelling way to present real-life use cases and add a human touch to your brand.

Why do case studies work?

In SaaS, case studies are the #1 marketing tactic to increase sales—even above general website content, email sequences, and blog posts.

What’s the hype about?

Customer success stories combine two incredibly powerful elements: social proof and storytelling. When a potential customer reads a story about someone like them overcoming a challenge with your product, it's not just information. It's proof.

Why does this work? Research from the Harvard Business Review (HBR) shows that cognitive psychologists have a clue. 

They say our minds try to make sense of customer experiences by turning them into stories. These stories aren't random—they start with a goal, show the hurdles, and then the triumph. 

That's how we remember things. We forget lists and bullet points, but stories stick with us.

The customer success story template

Case studies are quite formulaic. You get the format right, and you can replicate the format again and again. A compelling customer success story follows a clear, structured template. Here are the elements of a client success story:

Headline

A case study headline is the first, and often the most critical, element that grabs the reader's attention. Spark curiosity and compel the reader to dive into the details. Here's what a good case study headline includes:

• Customer name

• Key benefit

• Your company name (sometimes)

• Data (if possible)

Take a look at this case study from Gong featuring Mintel. 

Here are a few templates of headlines that follow this structure:

• [Customer Name]'s revenue spikes by [Number]% in the first year using [Your Company Name]

• [Customer Name] increases website traffic by [Number]% with help from [Your Company Name]

• How [Customer Name] improved customer retention rates by [Number]% using [Your Company Name]

• How [Customer Name] streamlined operations and saves [Number] hours 

• [Customer Name] slashes marketing costs by [Number]% with the help of [Your Company Name]'s strategies

Notice how the focus is always on the customer. They are the hero of the story, and your company is the sidekick that helped them achieve their goals. 

Company information

The company information section adds context and relatability — it allows customers to see themselves in the story, making the case study more relevant and impactful. 

Here’s how we introduce Swinerton (our customer) in one of our case studies:

Different types of customers, whether small businesses or large corporations, each have unique challenges and successes. Highlighting specific information about the customer company makes the story more relatable to a similar audience.

Include the following information in this section:

• Company name, location, and industry

• Size and revenue (if available)

• Interviewee's position and background

• Any unique or interesting facts about the company

Limit this section to 2-3 paragraphs to keep the focus on the customer's success. Here’s a template: 

“[Customer's Company Name], located in [City, Country], operates in the [Industry/Sector] sector. Founded in [Year], this [Small/Medium/Large] sized enterprise has made a significant impact in its field, focusing on [Key Services or Products]. With a dedicated team of [Number] professionals, the company has been known for its [Unique Selling Proposition or Notable Achievement].

At the heart of their operations is [Interviewee's Name], the [Position in Company], who brings a wealth of experience in [Relevant Background Information]. [Interviewee's Name]'s role has been pivotal in [Specific Contributions or Projects related to the case study].

Interestingly, [Customer's Company Name] also stands out for [Any Unique or Interesting Fact about the Company], which adds a distinct flavor to their business model and operational approach. This aspect has not only defined their corporate identity but also influenced how they utilized [Your Company's Product/Service].”

The problem

The "Problem" section in a case study is where the heart of the narrative begins to beat. It's a critical component that sets the stage for your product's or service's intervention. 

This section explores the challenges or issues the customer faced before they found your solution. It's important because it highlights the need for your product and creates a connection with the reader who might be facing similar issues.

Here’s what this looks like in our case study featuring Kongskilde:

In this section, you should:

• Define the problem: Articulate the specific challenges the customer was experiencing. Were they operational, financial, technological, or something else?

• Discuss the day-to-day impact: Detail how these problems affected the customer's daily operations. What frustrations or limitations did they face? How did it hinder their progress or growth?

• Include a quote: Direct customer quotes add authenticity and personalize the problem. It allows the reader to hear the issue directly from those who experienced it.

Here’s a template:

“[Customer's Company Name] was grappling with significant challenges in their [specific department or area of operation]. The primary issue revolved around [describe the specific problem], which was [operational/financial/technological]. This problem began to manifest in various ways, notably [describe how the problem was affecting daily operations]. 

It wasn't just a minor inconvenience but a major roadblock, impeding their progress in [specific goal or objective of the customer’s company]. Every day, the team faced [specific frustrations or limitations], which not only slowed down their workflow but also affected their [describe a broader impact, such as customer satisfaction, revenue, employee morale, etc.].”

By vividly describing the problem and its impacts, this section creates a sense of urgency and need. It outlines the issues and sets the reader up to fully appreciate the value and impact of the following solution.

The solution

The "Solution" section bridges the gap between the customer's challenges and the eventual success they achieve. It's here that you introduce your product or service. 

This part of the narrative explains how your solution addressed and resolved the customer's issues. You show the practical application of your product and its value.

First, introduce your product or service as the solution to the customer's problems. Be specific about what made your offering the right fit. 

Then, walk through the steps of how the solution was applied. This includes the initial adoption, onboarding process, customization or integration, and execution.

Here’s a template:

“When [Customer's Company Name] faced [specific problem], they turned to [Your Product/Service] as their solution. Our offering stood out due to its [specific features or capabilities that made it the right fit], perfectly aligning with the customer's needs.

The implementation of our solution began with a detailed analysis of [Customer's Company Name]'s specific requirements. Our team worked closely with [Interviewee's Name], [Position], to ensure a seamless integration. The process involved [describe initial steps of adoption, such as training sessions, software setup, or initial consultations].

We then moved to the customization phase, tailoring [Your Product/Service] to fit their unique [processes, systems, workflow]. This involved [specific customization or integration steps, like adjusting features to fit their operational model or integrating with existing systems].

Throughout the execution, we focused on [strategy elements, such as maintaining communication, monitoring progress, or adapting strategies as needed]. The entire process was designed to solve the immediate problem and provide a long-term, sustainable solution for [Customer's Company Name].”

The results

The "Results" section of a customer success story is where you highlight the tangible outcomes and benefits realized from using your product or service. 

This piece provides concrete evidence of your solution's performance and the value it brings to your customers. 

Have a look at this section in our case study featuring Addison Lee.

It's the climax of the story that showcases the positive changes and real-world impact.

Share specific, quantifiable results your customer achieved. Include operational metrics like increased revenue, time saved, improved efficiency, or customer service metrics like higher customer satisfaction scores, etc.

Besides numbers, also touches upon qualitative improvements. How did the solution improve daily operations, employee morale, customer relationships, or the company's market position?

Lastly, add a quote from the customer. The quote that reflects on the results adds a personal touch and reinforces the success story.

Here’s a template:

“Following the implementation of [Your Product/Service], [Customer's Company Name] experienced remarkable results. They saw a [specific percentage] increase in [relevant metric, e.g., revenue, efficiency, customer engagement] and a significant reduction in [another metric, e.g., operational costs, time spent on certain tasks]. There were also noticeable improvements in [qualitative aspect, e.g., customer satisfaction, employee morale].

[Customer's Company Name] has now positioned itself more competitively in the market, attributing much of this success to [Your Product/Service]. Reflecting on these achievements, [Interviewee's Name], [Position] at [Customer's Company Name], comments, "The impact of [Your Product/Service] has been transformative. Not only did we see measurable growth in [specific area], but the overall quality of our [services/products/work environment] has improved dramatically. It has truly exceeded our expectations."

Visuals

Enhance the case study throughout with compelling images and graphics. Visuals make the story more engaging, relatable, and easier to comprehend. They break up text-heavy content and illustrate the points being made which makes the case study more appealing and effective.

In our case study for Aramex, we added visuals like this:

Some ideas for visuals:

• Customer logos & images: Display the customer's logo and images of their team, premises, or products. 

• Graphs & charts: Use graphs and charts to visually represent the results or data points mentioned in the story.

Screenshots or product images: Include screenshots that showcase your product’s features.

5 ideas to repurpose a great customer success story

Squeeze the most value out of your customer case study by repurposing it in different formats and for different marketing channels. Here are five ideas to share customer success stories:

1. Distribute on social media

Distribute your customer success story on social media to amplify its reach and impact. Social media platforms offer a diverse audience and the potential for high engagement. 

Start by creating bite-sized content from your case study—think compelling quotes, key results, or eye-catching statistics. Turn these into graphics or short video clips, perfect for platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Tailor your content to fit each platform's unique style and audience. Encourage your marketing teams and the featured customer to share and promote the content on their networks. 

2. Create video testimonials

Turn the case study into a short video, including visuals such as customer testimonials and product demonstrations. Use this for your video marketing strategy or as a standalone asset on your landing pages and social media. 

Add subtitles, transcripts, and captions to make the video accessible to a broader audience and improve SEO. You can repurpose the transcript into blog posts or social media posts.

3. Use them for product-led blog content.

Subtly weave your customer's success story into product-led blog posts. These posts educate readers on how to use your product with real-life customer examples as proof points.

For example, if you offer a project management tool, write a blog post on "5 High-Level Project Management Tips" and use your customer's success story as an example of how they used it.

4. Set up email campaigns

Use your customer case study in an email campaign to re-engage inactive or potential customers. 

Start by crafting an engaging subject line highlighting the success story's key benefit or result. In the email body, provide a brief overview of the case study, focusing on the problem solved and the results achieved. 

Also, include a link to the full case study for subscribers interested in more details. Then, tailor your message to address the specific needs or interests of your target audience segments. 

5. Invite the customers to your podcast

Inviting customers to your podcast is an excellent way to repurpose content and add depth to their narrative. 

This approach transforms the written case study into a dynamic, auditory experience, allowing listeners to hear directly from the customer. It adds a personal touch, making the story more relatable and engaging.

During the podcast, cover topics that might not have been explored in depth in the written format. Discuss the challenges, the decision-making process, and the solution's impact in more detail. Podcasts also offer the opportunity to address listener questions, providing a more interactive and informative customer experience.

Featuring customers on your podcast strengthens relationships with them and shows your audience the genuine partnerships you build. It's a strategy that diversifies your content and builds trust and credibility with your audience.

Creating a positive customer experience

The best customer success stories start with a strong, positive customer experience. It’s the foundation upon which you build impactful narratives. 

A memorable experience is key and almost always supported by tools like  Freshworks’ Customer Relationship Management system (CRM) or a comprehensive Freshdesk Omni. These tools ensure a positive customer journey by understanding and managing customer interactions.

Investing in customer experience design is crucial — it creates an environment where customers feel valued and understood. And when customers feel that way, it inspires compelling success stories that attract and reassure future customers.

Interested in additional Customer Success Stories? 

Check out Freshworks’ Customer Stories to learn how we have helped organizations across industries solve employee pain points, foster credibility within their industry, and experience transformative business results. 

Here's to capturing and celebrating the success stories that define your business!