Unlocking the Power of Customer Testimonials: Collection Tips and Examples

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If you’re like most people, you probably checked reviews before buying that project management tool, or read case studies before investing in that CRM system. You wanted to know: “Did it actually work for others like me?” 

That’s exactly why customer testimonials matter. They’re real proof that your solution delivers results.

In this guide, we’ll walk through everything you need to know about collecting and using customer testimonials effectively. 

Table of Contents

• Why Customer Testimonials Matter
• How to Collect Customer Testimonials
  • 1. Automate Feedback Requests (While Keeping Them Personal)
  • 2. Turn Your NPS Surveys Into Testimonial Goldmines
  • 3. Engage Your Loyal Users (They’re Sitting on Gold)
  • 4. Utilize Social Media Engagement
  • 5. Follow Up After Customer Service Interactions
  • 6. Create a Simple Testimonial Submission Form
• What are the Different Types of Customer Testimonials?
  • Quote Testimonials: Simple Yet Powerful
  • Video Testimonials: Making It Easy for Customers
  • Case Studies: Building Trust Through Detail
  • Social Media Testimonials: Capturing Authentic Moments
• Using the Right Testimonial at the Right Time
  • Early Stage (Awareness): Building Quick Trust
  • Middle Stage (Consideration): Showing Real Value
  • Late Stage (Decision): Proving ROI
• Start Collecting Powerful Customer Testimonials Today
• Start using Hiver today

Why Customer Testimonials Matter

When you’re building a business, every interaction with your customers is an opportunity to create trust. Customer testimonials amplify these moments of trust at scale. They work because they’re authentic voices about real-life experiences, something that could resonate deeply with potential customers who are in the same situation your current customers once were.

In a world where we’re bombarded with polished marketing messages, authentic customer experiences cut through the noise.

Research consistently shows that testimonials can boost conversion rates by up to 34%. But here’s what really matters: testimonials work because they address the fundamental questions every potential customer has:

• “Will this actually solve my problem?”
• “Is it worth the investment?”
• “Can I trust this company?”
• “What results can I realistically expect?”

Here’s a quick look at a testimonial from one of our users, where he talks about the positives, and sheds light on what Hiver could do to improve the experience.

Real customer stories answer these questions more convincingly than any marketing copy ever could. When a CEO shares how your software saved their team 20 hours per week, or when a customer success manager explains how your tool helped them double their response rates, potential customers see their own challenges and aspirations reflected in these stories.

However, testimonials do more than just build trust. They:

✅ Showcase specific, measurable results that potential customers can expect

✅ Highlight different use cases and applications they might not have considered

✅ Address common objections through real-world examples

✅ Demonstrate your product’s value across different industries and company sizes

✅ Provide social proof that reduces the perceived risk of making a purchase decision

The best part? Every satisfied customer is a potential source of these powerful stories. You just need to know how to capture and showcase them effectively, which brings us to our next section on collecting impactful testimonials.

How to Collect Customer Testimonials

Getting powerful customer testimonials isn’t rocket science, but it does require the right approach. Think about it: your happiest customers are more likely to share their success stories. They just need a gentle nudge at the right moment and an easy way to do it.

Let’s look at 6 easy and effective ways to collect impactful customer testimonials, and make the process painless for both you and your customers.

1. Automate Feedback Requests (While Keeping Them Personal)

Timing is everything when asking for testimonials. The trick isn’t just automating the process; it’s about reaching out at the right moments when customers are genuinely excited about what they’ve achieved with your product.

Think about when you last hit a major milestone; maybe finishing a big project or solving a persistent problem. That feeling of accomplishment? That’s exactly when you want to capture testimonials.

Start by mapping out these “celebration-worthy” moments in your customer’s journey:

1. When they first achieve measurable results
2. After successfully onboarding their team
3. Upon hitting usage milestones
4. Following positive support resolutions
5. After discovering and loving a key feature

Your outreach needs to feel personal, even when it’s automated. Here’s a template that consistently gets responses:

Remember to follow up gently; one reminder after three days, and a final check-in four days later. After that, let it go. Building relationships matters more than collecting testimonials.

Track what works:

Which milestones spark the most responses

Best times for outreach

Most effective email templates

Incentives that resonate

Customer support platforms like Hiver make collecting customer feedback a breeze with its smart automation features. Imagine being able to send out feedback requests automatically right after service interaction. Hiver does just that! 

By embedding surveys directly into your email communications, you can easily gather insights while the experience is still fresh in your customers’ minds. Curious to try it out? 

2. Turn Your NPS Surveys Into Testimonial Goldmines

Identifying your most enthusiastic customers is a game-changer, and one of the best ways to do this is through Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys. These surveys are super simple and effective! 

You start by asking your customers just one key question: “On a scale from 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our product/service to a friend or colleague?” This question helps you categorize your respondents into three groups: 

• Promoters (those who score 9-10), who are your biggest fans
• Passives (scores of 7-8), who are satisfied but not overly excited
• Detractors (scores of 0-6), who might have had a less-than-stellar experience

Running NPS surveys quarterly gives you valuable insight into customer sentiment over time. When customers rate their likelihood to recommend your product, you get a clear  picture of what’s working and what areas need improvement.

Every time someone gives you a 9 or 10, they’re essentially raising their hand saying, “Hey, I love what you’re doing!” These are your potential brand advocates, just waiting to share their success stories.

The key is to act quickly once you’ve identified your promoters. Within 24-48 hours of receiving the results of the NPS survey, reach out with a personalized follow-up email requesting their testimonial. However, maintain a clean outreach list. If a promoter has already provided a testimonial in the past, respect their time and remove them from future testimonial requests. This prevents survey fatigue and ensures you’re always gathering fresh perspectives from your satisfied customers.

Here’s a follow-up email template you can use:

Remember: Your goal isn’t just to collect testimonials. It’s to capture authentic stories and customer feedback that showcase real customer success. Make your follow-up process feel like a natural conversation, not a marketing exercise.

3. Engage Your Loyal Users (They’re Sitting on Gold)

Your loyal users aren’t just your best customers. They’re your best storytellers. These are the folks who use your product daily, push its limits, and often discover innovative ways to solve problems. They’re the ones whose stories will resonate most with potential customers because they’ve truly embedded your solution into their workflow.

Look for customers who’ve been with you for at least six months and show clear signs of success. Some main indicators of loyal customers could be:

1. Active product usage for 6+ months
2. Regular feature adoption
3. Low support ticket volume
4. High engagement with company communications

Once you’ve identified these loyal customers, it’s time to reach out! Create a simple outreach template that acknowledges their loyalty and invites them to share their success stories. For example:

Hi [Customer Name],

We’ve loved having you as part of the [Your Company] family for the past two years! We noticed how effectively you’ve been using [Tool Name] to manage customer support. Would you be willing to share how it has transformed your team’s workflow?
If you’re open to it, we’d love to feature your story on our website and social media channels (with your permission, of course). As a thank you, we’d be happy to offer you [a discount, free month of service, or another incentive].

This approach not only shows appreciation for their loyalty but also encourages them to reflect on their journey with your product. 

4. Utilize Social Media Engagement

Social media is a goldmine for authentic customer testimonials because people often share their experiences organically. When customers mention your product or service on social platforms, they’re usually speaking candidly about their experience.

Start by establishing a system to track brand mentions and relevant hashtags across various social media platforms. This will help you stay on top of what customers are saying about your brand in real-time. Consider using tools like Sprout Social, Brand24, or Hootsuite to streamline this process. 

When you spot positive feedback, respond promptly with personalized messages. This shows customers that you value their input and encourages further engagement.

“Hi [Name],

thank you for sharing your experience with [Product]! Your story about [specific detail they mentioned] really resonated with us. Would you be open to sharing more details about your success? We’d love to feature your experience to help other [industry/role] professionals.”

Remember to respect platform-specific etiquette and always get permission before repurposing social media content for testimonials. You might say something like:

“Hi [Name],

we loved your post about [Product]! Would you be okay if we shared it on our website? We think it could really help others.”

5. Follow Up After Customer Service Interactions

Positive customer service interactions present perfect opportunities for collecting testimonials. When a customer has just had a great support experience, they’re often more willing to share their overall satisfaction with your product or service.

Implement these best practices for post-support testimonial collection:

• Wait 24-48 hours after resolving the issue
• Focus on customers who expressed satisfaction in their feedback
• Make it easy by providing a clear, specific request
• Connect their recent experience to the broader value they’ve received

Here’s an effective follow-up template:

To make it even easier for the customers, give them some guidance on what to include in their responses. This helps them articulate their thoughts more clearly and provides richer content for your marketing materials. You might say something like:

• What specific problem were you trying to solve when you started using our product?
• How did our support team assist you in achieving your goals?
• What measurable improvements have you noticed since using our product?

6. Create a Simple Testimonial Submission Form

Make it effortless for satisfied customers to share their experiences by creating a streamlined testimonial submission process. The goal here is to keep things simple while still gathering the key information that makes testimonials truly compelling.

Design your form to capture:

• Specific challenges they faced
• How your solution helped
• Measurable results and outcomes
• Permission to use their testimonial
• Preferred way to be credited
• Company information and role

Keep the form short and sweet, aim for 5-7 questions maximum. This encourages more customers to complete it without feeling overwhelmed. Here’s a suggested structure for your questions:

Now that you have a fair understanding of the various ways of collecting testimonials, here are the different types of testimonials you can gather.

What are the Different Types of Customer Testimonials?

Getting testimonials can feel like pulling teeth, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The secret lies in understanding which type of testimonial works best for your business and knowing exactly how to collect them. 

Quote Testimonials: Simple Yet Powerful

Quote testimonials might seem basic, but they’re conversion powerhouses when done right. The key is asking the right questions at the right moment. Instead of hitting customers with a generic “Would you mind giving us a testimonial?” try catching them when they’ve just experienced success with your product.

“Hiver has come along as a trustworthy, discerning, and dependable sidekick that has helped us manage our emails better and faster.”

Brennan Hicks

People Operations Project Manager, Clutter

The most compelling quotes come from conversations, not forms. When a customer mentions a win, that’s your moment. Follow up with genuine curiosity about their experience. Ask them what specific problem they solved and how it impacted their metrics. This natural conversation often yields better testimonials than any formal request.

Video Testimonials: Making It Easy for Customers

Video testimonials are pure gold for building trust, but they can be intimidating for customers. Your job is to make the process as comfortable as possible. The key is preparation without over-preparation; you want authentic stories, not scripted performances.

Here’s a quick look at how we went about it:

Start by sending a simple prep sheet with 3-4 key questions they can think about beforehand. Offer a quick tech check if they’d like one, and share a sample video so they know what you’re looking for. Most importantly, let them know it doesn’t have to be perfect.

Feel free to share the below with them so they have a better understanding of how to give a video testimonial.

Using a tool like Loom can make the process much less daunting. Your customer can record on their own time, do multiple takes if needed, and share their screen to show your product in action. Some customers prefer a conversation-style recording. In that case, hop on a quick Zoom call and guide them through their story.

Here’s another example of how video testimonials can be more effective. Notice how Seth Godin lists out Claude.ai’s benefits, tells you why it stands out, and why it is better than ChatGPT, all in a really short time:

Case Studies: Building Trust Through Detail

Case studies require more investment from your customers, but they’re worth their weight in gold for complex sales cycles. The secret to getting great case studies? Make it ridiculously easy for your customer to participate.

Start with a simple 15-minute interview. Let your customer know that your team will handle all the writing, they just need to share their story. Be upfront about the time commitment and the approval process. Many customers appreciate knowing they’ll have final say over the published piece.

Here’s a sample case study you can use as a reference. We talk about how Clutter’s team transformed their customer communications using Hiver, leading to 25% faster response times. 

A powerful case study focuses on one thing: answering your prospect’s burning questions. Keep it short, specific, and focused on real results. Start with the exact challenge your reader is trying to solve, share the measurable impact of your solution, and make it crystal clear what they should do next; whether that’s booking a demo or starting a trial.

Social Media Testimonials: Capturing Authentic Moments

Social proof is powerful because it’s unsolicited and authentic. The trick isn’t just collecting these testimonials, it’s encouraging more of them to happen naturally. Create share-worthy moments through feature releases and milestone celebrations. Engage consistently with customer posts and make it easy for happy customers to spread the word.

When you spot positive feedback on social media, respond with genuine appreciation. A simple “This made our day! Would you mind if we shared this with our community?” can turn a single mention into a valuable testimonial.

The most important thing to remember across all testimonial types is that the best ones come from genuinely happy customers. Focus on creating amazing experiences first, and collecting testimonials becomes much easier. 

Using the Right Testimonial at the Right Time

Early Stage (Awareness): Building Quick Trust

At this stage, prospects are just discovering your solution. They’re asking, “Is this worth my time?”

What Works Here:

• Snappy social proof like Twitter testimonials
• Brief, punchy quotes focused on key pain points
• Numbers that grab attention (e.g., “Cut response time by 50%”)

Middle Stage (Consideration): Showing Real Value

Now prospects are actively evaluating solutions. They’re thinking, “How exactly would this work for us?”

Effective Formats:

• 2-minute video testimonials showing the product in action
• Detailed quotes with specific workflows
• Mini case studies focused on specific features

Pro Tip: Match testimonial content to specific features prospects are exploring. If they’re looking at your collaboration features, show them testimonials about team productivity gains.

Late Stage (Decision): Proving ROI

Your prospect is almost there. They’re wondering, “Can I justify this investment?”

What They Need:

• Comprehensive case studies with real numbers
• Industry-specific success stories
• Detailed implementation stories
• Technical validation

Start Collecting Powerful Customer Testimonials Today

Now that we’ve discussed all about customer testimonials, one thing stands clear: the easier you make it for customers to share their experiences, the more powerful stories you’ll collect.

Hiver’s CSAT surveys transform this insight into action. Right within your inbox, you can:

• Send automated satisfaction surveys after customer interactions
• Create custom questions to gather specific feedback
• Track responses in real-time through an intuitive dashboard
• Identify happy customers who are most likely to provide testimonials
• Follow up automatically with high-scoring customers

Ready to transform your customer feedback into compelling testimonials? Start your journey with Hiver today and see how easy it can be to capture and leverage the authentic voices of your satisfied customers. Talk to our experts!