The company has many “user stories” on its website (click the image to visit).

Like many tech companies, Turning Technologies of Youngstown markets products that are being used successfully and enhanced continuously.

So to help boost understanding of its audience response technology and the benefits the technology brings, Turning Technologies relies heavily on case studies that tell stories of success.

“We have found over the years that users of our products relate well to the success enjoyed by their peers, and our case studies shine a nice light on those successes – from the customer’s point of view,” said Morgan Tondo Cretella, marketing manager at Turning Technologies.

The Youngstown company now has well over 100 case study stories published on its website that feature users from across the globe in all five of its main business units – higher education, K12, corporate, rentals and government.

Instant feedback from audiences

Established in 2002, Turning Technologies markets easy-to-use solutions through which educators, trainers and others presenting to groups can ask questions and get instant feedback.

Many teachers leverage the company’s landmark TurningPoint software and response options to informally gauge impressions and formally deliver assessments. Turning Technologies also serves corporate trainers, public officials, game show hosts and others who work with live audiences.

Users profiled in the case studies typically relate the benefits of Turning Technologies products and compare what they can do today against what they did before they were users.

For example, in a recent piece about Koch Pipeline, a builder of underground pipelines, a corporate trainer talks about the ease of delivering required safety training to thousands of operators. Images on a screen and TurningPoint clickers make classes more engaging and also provide a means to instantly assess and analyze understanding of important safety topics.

And because Koch organizes the information by employee, location, subject matter, trainer and other categories, it can study the data and make decisions about future training.

“The case studies drill down to the specific benefits customers enjoy, and that’s much more important to a potential customer than just a favorable comment,” Morgan said.

Advice for case study programs

Dan Pecchia of Pecchia Communications, writer of several Turning Technologies case studies, provides these tips to organizations that want to start or improve customer case-study programs (read more in Dan’s blog here):

Get customer-facing personnel involved. They know which clients are most satisfied and most likely to welcome an approach about a success story, Dan points out.

Establish a process. “Agree on who does what, in what order,” Dan said. Two key – and separate — steps in the process are confirming the customer’s participation (early) and presenting a draft for review (later).

Leverage journalist-style writing. Objective, fact-based reporting works best, with a subtle complimentary tone, Dan contends. “Rah-rah-rah has its place, but not here,” he says. “It can turn people off.”

Manage a flow of success story possibilities. Think beyond capturing a satisfied customer or two, Dan said. “A good process, good writing and good management can make the effort catchy with all the players needed for ongoing success,” he said.