Customer Relationship Management Knowledge Research Articles

Impact of Customer Relationship Management Dimensions on Customer Retention through Customer Satisfaction: A Customer Perspective of Balkan Transition Economies

One of the main challenges of service providers is the retaining of the acquired customers. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) has proved to be an effective tool in reaching this objective. Many researchers tested the effect of CRM on customer retention (CR), but most of the studies were focused on developed economies and were analyzed from a business perspective. The literature review highlights the lack of studies that examine the impact of CRM on CR from a customer perspective and that are focused on transition economies, especially in Balkan developing countries. Considering this, our paper aims to develop a model that proves the impact of CRM on CR, focused on three Balkan countries (Kosovo, Albania, and North Macedonia). Data was collected using an electronic questionnaire from a sample that consists of 764 residents of the three above-mentioned Balkan countries, all customers of the services sector. The research model shows the impact of three CRM dimensions (key customer focus - KCF, technology-based CRM - TCRM, and CRM knowledge management – KM) on customer retention through customer satisfaction (CS). The model fit and research hypotheses were tested using Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Model. Findings show a positive impact of KCF, TCRM, and KM on CS, which as a result positively affects CR as well. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Barriers to Customer Relationship Management practices: A survey of university libraries in Pakistan

The purpose of this study is to find out relationship between customer relationship management (CRM) practices and barriers in university libraries of Pakistan. The study also focused on CRM's barriers and its correlation with types of university, regions of university and gender. This study adopted correlational research design with survey method based on quantitative data collection. A structured and open-ended questionnaire was distributed among the head/in-charge librarians of universities libraries in Pakistan. The results have demonstrated that major barriers of CRM are financial resources/budget, qualified, experienced and trained staff, human resource satisfaction and motivation, information technology infrastructure, CRM knowledge and understanding by staff, library culture and collaboration, library users, and leadership commitment. Insignificant variations were found in the overall mean score of CRM barriers based on types of university, regions of university, and gender of the respondents. There is a strong negative (inverse) relationship exist among CRM practices and overall barriers as well as its four sub-facets, while three attributes having moderate negative relationship respectively. This study has numerous practical and theoretical contributions about CRM for academic libraries, especially those engaged in customer relationship management strategies, practices and implementation. The results enlighten library employees to be effective, proactive and successful performers for users’ satisfaction, retention and loyalty.

Marketing Performance Sustainability in the Jordanian Hospitality Industry: The Roles of Customer Relationship Management and Service Quality

This study examines the mediating role of service quality between customer relationship management (CRM) performance dimensions and the marketing performance of Jordanian hotels using resource-based view theory and contingency theory. A self-administered survey was conducted on 162 general managers of hotels in Jordan. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modelling. The findings of the study indicated that service quality mediated the relationship between the CRM performance dimensions (key customer focus, CRM knowledge management, CRM organization, and CRM-based technology) and the marketing performance of Jordanian hotels. This study provides significant contributions to theory and practice. From a theoretical perspective, this study fills in the literature gaps by providing insights about the mediating role of service quality in the relationship between customer relationship management performance dimensions and marketing performance. For managerial contributions, this study suggested that hotels can enhance their marketing performance by focusing on service quality and customer relationship management performance dimensions, especially the key customer focus dimension.

Innovative CRM and Performance of SMEs: The Moderating Role of Relational Capital

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is more than an information tool and plays a critical role in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The present study explored the moderating effect of relational capital (RC) on the relationship between CRM dimensions and the performance of 284 Yemeni manufacturing SMEs. Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the study’s hypotheses. Results indicate that only three of the CRM dimensions have a significant effect on performance. The moderating effects of relational capital on this relationship were also examined and were found to be significant for only two CRM dimensions: technology-based CRM and CRM organization. Key customer focus and CRM knowledge management had no effect. The findings of this study offer important insights for owners and managers of SMEs, researchers, and policymakers to further understand the effects of relational capital and CRM on SMEs’ performance. SMEs should be encouraged to develop their CRM and relational capital to improve their performance.

Customer relationship management technology: bridging the gap between marketing education and practice

The recent machine learning and analytics advances in customer relationship management (CRM) technologies place new demands on marketing education and practitioners to develop the skills needed to use the technology. Compounding the issue, research on the use of technology in sales curriculum is underdeveloped. In a comprehensive review of the sales education literature, one study identified that only six articles on sales technology were published in major marketing education journals from 1979 to 2013. In an effort to bridge the gap between critical industry competencies and marketing curriculum, understanding the impact of technology use and training is important for educational planning and student development. Using a survey of 82 salespeople in the United States, the current study empirically evaluates how use of technologically advanced CRM features influences self-perception of CRM knowledge, the perception that additional technology training would be beneficial, and adaptive selling performance of sales practitioners. A majority of survey respondents in the current study cited a need for college students to receive increased exposure to advanced CRM technology training and skill development. We propose an experiential learning approach to teach marketing college students advanced CRM features to help them bolster their effectiveness and value in the workplace.

Moderating role of gender amongst various constructs of CRM

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the interrelationships among the extracted constructs of customer satisfaction (CS), knowledge about customer relationship management (CRM) program, customer attitude and their effect on relationship share (RS). The study also attempts to find if moderating role of gender exists among these constructs.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual framework is developed based on previous studies. In order to address a lack of comprehensive evaluation of B2C relationships in Indian hotels, this study extracted the dimensions of CRM in hotels and used them in the structural model. The conceptual model is tested using structural equation modeling approach through maximum likelihood estimation technique. A sample of 305 domestic travelers was used to test the hypothesized relationships among the constructs.FindingsThe findings indicate that CS and willingness to engage (CWER) in the relationship are major predictors of RS. Besides, CS indirectly affects RS through customer’s attitude toward the hotel. The results of the study also show that customer willingness to engage in the relationship is dependent on attitude of customer toward firm which is further dependent on knowledge about CRM program. One more notable finding of the study states that gender plays a moderating role between CS and customer willingness to engage in the relationship.Practical implicationsIn addition to contributing toward academic knowledge, the findings of the present study will help the practitioners to better design CRM program and reap its maximum benefits.Originality/valueThe current study has considered new dimensions of CRM like customer’s knowledge of CRM and this is the first study to capture responses of Indian travelers in relation with various constructs. This is the first study to test the moderating effect of gender between various constructs.

Does age affect relationships between customer's attitude, CRM knowledge, satisfaction and relationship share in hotels?

The purpose of this paper is to examine the inter-relationships among customer satisfaction (CS), knowledge about customer relationship management (CRM) program, customer attitude and their effect on relationship share. The study also attempts to find if the moderating role of age exists among these constructs. The findings indicate that customer willingness to engage (CWER) in the relationship are significant predictors of relationship share (RS). The results of the study also show that customer willingness to participate in the relationship is dependent on the attitude of customer toward firm which is further dependent on knowledge about CRM program. One more notable finding of the study states that age plays a moderating role in CS and customer willingness to engage in the relationship. In addition to contributing towards academic knowledge, the findings of the present study will help the practitioners to design CRM program better and reap its maximum benefits.

The Comparison of Customer Relationship Management (Crm) in Czech Small and Medium Enterprises According to Selected Characteristics in the Years 2015, 2010 and 2005

The aim of the article is to present the results of the research in 2005 and 2015, respectively 2010, in the field of Customer Relationship Management (CRM). The subject of the research is CRM knowledge, CRM definition preference, customer contact level, and CRM results. The object of the research are the SMEs in the Moravian‑Silesian Region. A method of comparison of selected characteristics was used. Starting point is a brief theoretical discussion based on selected studies, including a brief genesis of research. Recent primary research using questionnaire survey addressed 736 respondents. Comparing the results of the research confirmed the growth of CRM skills between 2010 and 2015. In 2015, the first place in the preferences of the definition of CRM won the option A, meaning the creation of lasting relationships with customers, which delivers long‑term value to both parties to the relationship. The share of respondents who voted for it, was higher than in 2005. To compare the level of contact with customers, 4 ways of contacting them were selected. Adverse developments showed up for the customer records, higher was its randomness, which was not expected. More sophisticated ways of contacting customers confirmed a positive change, though not very significant. The most important result in 2005 and 2015 was the increase in the number of loyal customers, which contributes to the growth of profitability. In the end of the article, hypothesis about the relationship of the size of SMEs and CRM knowledge is confirmed by using logistic regression, and premises are verified about the comparison of results in various years. It turns out that the CRM can be beneficial for SMEs, so it should be implemented in its management system.

Investigating important factors influencing customer relationship management: A case study from banking industry

Article history: Received August 16, 2013 Received in revised format 12 September 2013 Accepted 1 November 2013 Available online November 5 2013 This paper performs an investigation on measuring the effect of different factors on customer relationship management (CRM) for different branches of an Iranian banks located in various regions of city of Tehran, Iran. The proposed study selects a sample of 275 managers and using structural equation modeling examines the effects of five variables including CRM knowledge, employment’s information technology skills, specialty, strategic use, CRM performance on the performance of CRM. Cronbach alpha has been calculated for the questionnaire as 0.881, which is well above the minimum acceptable level. The survey has concluded that there were meaningful relationships between all four mentioned variables and performance of CRM. In other words, knowledge and information technology influence on improving employments’ skills, which increase strategic use of CRM components and this would improve CRM performance. © 2013 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Customer relationship management (CRM) systems, intermediation and disintermediation: the case of INSG

Whilst our knowledge of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems continues to evolve, there is still much to learn. This paper offers some relatively rare insights on the use of CRM systems and the strategic impact on the processes of intermediation and disintermediation in order to improve customer service. This research was conducted from April 2007 to 2008 using an interpretative case study approach. The case involved working with a leading international insurance company (given the pseudonym of INSG) and some of their intermediary customer service agents. The research highlights some design characteristics and philosophical insights regarding CRM system approaches and also offers some useful practical insights on the impact of CRM in changes to the deployment of some intermediaries, leading to a process of disintermediation, in order to improve customer service. In summary, some theoretical and practical implications are highlighted and discussed.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, intermediation and disintermediation: The case of INSG

Whilst our knowledge of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems continues to evolve, there is still much to learn. This paper offers some relatively rare insights on the use of CRM systems and the strategic impact on the processes of intermediation and disintermediation in order to improve customer service. This research was conducted from April 2007 to 2008 using an interpretative case study approach. The case involved working with a leading international insurance company (given the pseudonym of INSG) and some of their intermediary customer service agents. The research highlights some design characteristics and philosophical insights regarding CRM system approaches and also offers some useful practical insights on the impact of CRM in changes to the deployment of some intermediaries, leading to a process of disintermediation, in order to improve customer service. In summary, some theoretical and practical implications are highlighted and discussed.

Putting market-facing technology to work: Organizational drivers of CRM performance

A large proportion of firms that adopt customer relationship management (CRM) technology find it challenging to integrate CRM technology into their core marketing processes and utilize CRM strategically to appreciably improve their performance. The authors conceptualize a model to understand the drivers of superior CRM performance after CRM technology has been adopted by a firm and examine strategic utilization of CRM technology as driven by user acceptance and proficiency in the form of employee buy-in and expertise. Top management championship practices, employee information technology (IT) skills, and CRM knowledge are identified and examined as key building blocks toward strategic utilization. The empirical test of the conceptual model is based on a mail survey of North American firms that have adopted information technology-based CRM systems. The results, based on random effects model, show that strategic utilization of CRM technology leads to higher performance when there is an emphasis on using it to manage business-to-business rather than business-to-consumer relationships, user expertise (but not buy-in) impacts CRM performance through strategic utilization, and top management championship practices, CRM knowledge, and employee IT skills impact strategic utilization through buy-in and expertise.

Customer Relationship Management: A Comparative Analysis of Family and Nonfamily Business Practices

It has been reported that family businesses perceive excellent customer service as critical to the future of their businesses. However, little research into the customer relationship management (CRM) practices of family businesses has been performed. In this study, we examine CRM implementation among 82 family and 370 nonfamily firms. Family and nonfamily businesses report similar attitudes toward the importance of CRM, their knowledge of CRM, and their success when they do implement it. However, using a logit regression model, we find that the actual implementation strategies of family businesses are significantly different from those of nonfamily businesses. These results remain constant when controlling for size and industry sector.