Why I Think Every Microsoft Dynamics Partner Needs Case Studies On Their Website Now More Than Ever

I believe every Microsoft Dynamics partner should have customer case studies on their website. 

The reason is that trust is more important than ever.

AI has made it incredibly easy for any company to build a polished website, publish professional-looking content and say all the right things about its expertise. You can tell me that your consultants have decades of experience, that you understand my industry and that you have successfully completed hundreds of Microsoft Dynamics projects.

But how do I know I can believe you?

A named customer case study gives me something your own marketing claims can’t: a real company willing to publicly stand behind what you’re saying.

When a customer allows you to use its name, tell its story and quote its employees, that customer is vouching for you. They are comfortable having their reputation associated with yours and letting the world know, “Yes, we hired this company. This is what they did for us, and we were happy with the results.”

In an era when it is becoming harder to distinguish genuine expertise from content that simply sounds authoritative, I think that kind of proof is becoming more valuable, not less.

Case Studies Are the Modern-Day Reference List 

Years ago, it was very common for a prospective customer to ask a Microsoft Dynamics partner for references before making a final decision.

Of course, we all knew how that worked. You didn’t hand over a random list of customers. You had several happy customers who had already agreed to serve as references and were prepared to take a call from a prospect.

Those conversations were valuable because the prospect could dig deeper. What was the implementation really like? How did the partner respond when something went wrong? What was support like afterward? Would you choose this partner again?

References are still valuable, but I think named case studies on your website send an additional signal of confidence.

When you publish a customer’s name in a case study, any serious prospect could potentially find that company and reach out to someone there. You aren’t necessarily choosing the person they contact or preparing your customer for that particular conversation. 

You are essentially saying, “We are comfortable telling you who our customers are because we are confident in the work we’ve done for them.”

It also matters when the case study is several years old. If you are still proudly displaying that company’s story on your website, I assume you’re reasonably confident that if someone contacted them today and asked what it was like to work with you, they would still have good things to say.

A Named Customer Is Putting Their Reputation Behind Your Claims 

There are plenty of other ways to demonstrate experience.

You can publish detailed technical articles. You can write about customer use cases without identifying the customer. You can explain how you solved a difficult implementation problem or handled an unusual integration. I encourage Microsoft partners to do all of those things.

But a named case study does something different.

Your marketing department isn’t simply telling me that you successfully implemented Dynamics 365 Business Central for a manufacturer. The manufacturer is allowing you to tell me.

They have agreed to be identified. They may have allowed you to use their logo and quote their employees. They have reviewed the story and agreed that it accurately represents their experience. (Which is why it is important not to make your customer sound like an idiot when you write about them).

There is another company standing behind the claims you are making.

That’s difficult to replicate with marketing copy, and I think prospective customers understand the difference.

Yes, Getting Case Studies Approved Can Be a Pain 

I won’t pretend the process is always easy.

I’ve written case studies for Microsoft partners after being told that the customer had agreed to participate, only to discover later that the company owner hadn’t approved it or the legal department had never been consulted. Then everyone starts looking bad.

Some companies have policies that prevent them from participating in case studies altogether. In other situations, the customer is perfectly willing, but getting the finished story through marketing, management and legal can involve months of back and forth.

That’s one reason I also encourage Microsoft partners to write anonymous customer use cases. They can be produced much more regularly and allow you to talk about real customer situations without necessarily going through the approval process required for a formal named success story.

But anonymous use cases don’t replace case studies. They serve different purposes.

A detailed use case can show me that you’ve solved a problem like mine. A named customer case study tells me that a real customer is willing to stand behind you.

I want both.

What If None of Your Customers Will Let You Use Their Name? 

This is where I have a fairly strong opinion.

If you have been implementing and supporting Microsoft Dynamics for years and you can’t find any customers willing to let you use their name and say publicly that they had a positive experience working with you, I think that’s a problem you need to solve.

That doesn’t automatically mean your customers are unhappy. There are legitimate reasons an individual company may not be able to participate. Large corporations can have strict legal or branding policies, and some industries are much more restrictive than others.

But across your entire customer base, I would expect to find some customers who are enthusiastic enough about the relationship to put their names behind your work.

If I were personally evaluating Microsoft Dynamics partners, I would absolutely look at this.

I would read the case studies, look at the kinds of companies willing to be identified and pay attention to what those customers actually say about their experience.

In a world where it has become easier than ever to say you’re an expert, I want evidence.

Your website can tell me you’re experienced. Your marketing can tell me you’re trustworthy. Your salespeople can tell me your customers love you.

But when a real customer is willing to put their company name next to yours and publicly say, “Yes, we worked with them, and we’re glad we did,” that’s something different.

I believe every Microsoft Dynamics partner should have customer case studies on their website. Today, I think they matter more than ever.

If you want a proven expert to write a case study that makes your client and your company sound great, review my case study writing services.

By Anya Ciecierski, Co-Founder

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