Social customer relationship management (s-CRM) among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia

Purpose In this twenty-first century, the emergence of social media has been integral in business-related processes, especially in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which allows businesses to interact and build a relationship with customers to improve their sustainable service quality. Concisely, this study aims to examine the benefits of social customer relationship management (s-CRM) performance from the perceptive of SMEs owned by Muslims. Design/methodology/approach A survey method was used and the data were gathered from 135 SMEs which participated in Halfest (Halal Fiesta Malaysia) trade show in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Findings Interestingly, the results revealed that the adoption of information and communications technology (ICT) has both direct and indirect impacts on s-CRM performance. On the other hand, the perceived value of s-CRM mediates the relationship between customer information management and performance of s-CRM. In this context, the perceived value was ascertained to be an influential factor for both ICT adoption and customer information management. Research limitations/implications With a connection to the results, this study concludes that to enhance business performance to sustain in the marketplace, the establishment of s-CRM is crucial, as it has significant implication in marketing, customer service and sales department of SMEs. Originality/value This paper provides new insight into the importance of s-CRM to SMEs to improve interactions with the key stakeholders and convey meaningful insight to instil customer-centric practices.

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How platforms are transforming customer information management

The Bottom Line Managing Library Finances ◽

10.1108/bl-08-2017-0024 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 30 (3) ◽

pp. 216-235 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Merlin Stone ◽

Eleni Aravopoulou ◽

Gherardo Gerardi ◽

Emanuela Todeva ◽

Luisa Weinzierl ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Information Management ◽

Customer Relationship Management ◽

Relationship Management ◽

Teaching Experience ◽

Customer Relationship ◽

Business Strategies ◽

Content Type ◽

Customer Information ◽

Research And Teaching ◽

The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explain how ecosystems and platforms have evolved to manage customer information and to identify the management, research and teaching implications of this evolution. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on research and industrial experience of two of the co-authors in customer relationship management, further developed with other co-authors in the field of business models, the research and teaching experience of the university authors and cross-functional literature reviews in the areas of strategy, marketing, economics, organizational behaviour and information management. Findings This paper shows that digitalization, cloud computing and new information-based platforms are beginning to change how customer information is being managed, creating new opportunities for improving marketing, customer relationship management and business strategy. Research limitations/implications The impact of platforms on the management of customer information needs to be confirmed by primary empirical research. Practical implications This paper identifies the need for senior marketing management to examine closely how internal and external/public customer information platforms may enhance their capability for managing customers and setting new strategic directions. Social implications The emergence of giant multi-sided platforms has clear implications for data protection and privacy, which need to be explored more in research. Originality/value This paper highlights the move to customer information platforms and identifies how senior managers should consider them as an option for better customer information management and as a basis for new business strategies.

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Infosys Technologies Limited

Cases on Information Technology Series - Cases on Strategic Information Systems ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-414-9.ch001 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 1-15

Author(s):

Debabroto Chatterjee ◽

Rick Watson

Keyword(s):

Information Management ◽

Delivery System ◽

Customer Relationship Management ◽

Relationship Management ◽

Customer Relationship ◽

It Services ◽

Customer Information ◽

Crm System ◽

Front End

Infosys Technologies Ltd., one of the world’s most profitable IT services company, implemented a customer relationship management (CRM) system called CIMBA – Customer Information Management By All. This customer-focused system was conceived and designed to improve communication and collaboration between the company and its customers. By seamlessly integrating the front-end sales system with the back-end delivery system, CIMBA was expected to further enhance the company’s IT solutions delivery capability. This case provides insights into the factors that triggered the need for developing such an integrated CRM solution and how the company went about developing and launching this system. It also brings to light the various challenges associated with the implementation of this IS solution.

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Infosys Technologies Limited

Cases on Information Technology Series - Cases on Information Technology ◽

10.4018/978-1-59140-673-0.ch028 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 502-517

Author(s):

Debabroto Chatterjee ◽

Rick Watson

Keyword(s):

Information Management ◽

Delivery System ◽

Customer Relationship Management ◽

Relationship Management ◽

Customer Relationship ◽

It Services ◽

Customer Information ◽

Crm System ◽

Front End

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The effect of customer relationship management (CRM) dimensions on hotel customer’s satisfaction in Kashmir

International Journal of Tourism Cities ◽

10.1108/ijtc-06-2019-0075 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 601-620

Author(s):

Maraj Rahman Sofi ◽

Irfan Bashir ◽

Mohammad Ashraf Parry ◽

Altaf Dar

Keyword(s):

Customer Satisfaction ◽

Customer Relationship Management ◽

Customer Orientation ◽

Relationship Management ◽

Customer Relationship ◽

Content Type ◽

Customer Information ◽

Hospitality Sector ◽

Hotel Managers

Purpose The study aims to investigate the effect of four customer relationship management (CRM) dimensions, namely, customer orientation, customer relationship management organization, managing knowledge and CRM based technology, on customer satisfaction in the hospitality sector of Kashmir. Design/methodology/approach A survey instrument with a slight modification is adapted from literature and is exercised on the customers of three- and four-star hotels operating in Kashmir. A total of 176 responses received using systematic random sampling were subjected to exploratory factor and regression analyses to uncover the underlying relationships among dependent and independent variables. Findings The results revealed a significant and positive relationship between CRM dimensions, namely, customer orientation, managing knowledge and CRM organization on customer satisfaction. Though the results also indicate a significant positive effect of CRM-based technology on customer satisfaction, the magnitude of this effect is very weak. This suggests that hotel organizations use technology as a mere tool to store customer information only. Thus, CRM-based technology should be used by the hotels to analyze customer information and, subsequently, design customized products. This will unravel the full potential of the technology and lead to better customer satisfaction. Practical implications The findings of this study provide significant insights to the practitioners to understand the role of successfully implementing a CRM strategy. It reflects that establishing an effective CRM strategy helps managers in improving customer satisfaction and in maintaining a long-term relationship with customers to achieve the organizational goals. Thus, establishing an efficient and effective CRM strategy should be (one of) the key objectives for all hotel managers. Moreover, the hotels that successfully implement CRM strategy and manage customer knowledge properly will reap the rewards in terms of better customer loyalty and long-term sustainable profitability. Originality/value This study approaches the implementation of CRM strategy from a customer perspective with a specific focus on investigating the effect of four CRM dimensions on customer satisfaction in the hospitality sector. This will provide a novel impetus to the hotel managers to devise and manage a CRM strategy that leads to (better) customer satisfaction.

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UST Global, India: delivering software service solutions

Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies ◽

10.1108/20450621111127403 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 1-20

Author(s):

Balakrishnan Menon

Keyword(s):

Customer Relationship Management ◽

Relationship Management ◽

Services Marketing ◽

Subject Area ◽

Customer Relationship ◽

Management Service ◽

Content Type ◽

Customer Delight ◽

Software Service ◽

Offshore Development

Subject area Marketing management – services marketing specialization. Student level/applicability MBA/PGDM senior students studying services marketing as a specialization course. Case overview US Technology Private Ltd (UST) is a major software services company in India. It was started in 1999 with a few employees at an offshore development centre in Trivandrum. Now in 2010, renamed UST Global, the company has over 7,000 employees worldwide. Phenomenal success of such a software company, in the left-oriented party dominated state of Kerala, has invited the attention of many people in the industry. The company earned valuable foreign exchange through software exports for the country and the state over the last ten years. The company has created innovative service differentiators, to impress on its clients, on the advantage of doing business with the company. The cementing customer satisfaction and derived customer delight that the company has created in their clients, has secured stable customer relationship management and customer loyalty. This reinforces the trust they have shown in the services management philosophy adopted by the company. The company's unique hybrid delivery model has worked well with its clients. Its unique selling proposition of “few clients and more focus” has resulted in delight of its customers, as they see it as a value addition for their money's worth. The leadership team attributes the success of the company to its fundamental core values and twin strategy of customer centricity and employee focus. Expected learning outcomes These are: customer perception of service; purpose of customer relationship management; service differentiators; and employees' role in delivering successful software service solutions to the customer, etc. Supplementary materials Teaching notes.

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Customer relationship management

International Journal of Bank Marketing ◽

10.1108/ijbm-11-2014-0160 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 34 (3) ◽

pp. 388-410 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Suhail Ahmad Bhat ◽

Mushtaq Ahmad Darzi

Keyword(s):

Factor Analysis ◽

Competitive Advantage ◽

Customer Relationship Management ◽

Customer Loyalty ◽

Relationship Management ◽

Retail Banking ◽

Customer Relationship ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Customer Knowledge ◽

Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a comprehensive integrated model which helps in explaining the impact of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) dimensions (complaint resolution, customer knowledge, customer empowerment and customer orientation) on customer loyalty and competitive advantage of a bank. The study also explores the mediating role of customer loyalty in the relationship between CRM and competitive advantage in retail banking. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on a theoretical model which consists of four CRM dimensions and two exogenous variables. These have been used for establishing the hypotheses to analyze relationships between the variables constituting the CRM model. The data have been collected from 278 customers of a private bank. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The scale was developed and purified through factor analysis (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis). SEM was then used to examine the causal relationships and “model fit” of the proposed model. Findings – The results provide evidence that the four CRM dimensions have a positive effect on customer loyalty and competitive advantage of the bank. Among the CRM dimensions, customer knowledge is most influential of all the dimensions. Furthermore, customer loyalty acts as the mediator in the CRM model between CRM and competitive advantage. Research limitations/implications – Since, the study involved a single bank and therefore the results should be generalized cautiously. Only four CRM variables were included in the study; additional variables can be introduced in further studies involving different contexts. Practical implications – The study highlights and supports the need for mangers to devote additional resources toward developing a better CRM system. Therefore, mangers need to think beyond the technological aspects and should focus on these four dimensions, especially customer knowledge, to enhance the loyalty and competitiveness. Originality/value – The paper investigated hitherto unexplored relationships between customer-centric CRM dimensions instrumental in providing competitive advantage to a bank through mediational analysis. Thus, it contributes to the information on the implementation of CRM practices valuable for banking sector.

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A structured literature review on Big Data for customer relationship management (CRM): toward a future agenda in international marketing

International Marketing Review ◽

10.1108/imr-01-2021-0036 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Pasquale Del Vecchio ◽

Gioconda Mele ◽

Evangelia Siachou ◽

Gloria Schito

Keyword(s):

Big Data ◽

Customer Relationship Management ◽

Research Agenda ◽

International Marketing ◽

Relationship Management ◽

Customer Relationship ◽

Future Research ◽

Content Type ◽

Future Research Agenda ◽

Structured Literature Review

PurposeThis paper aims to advance the international marketing debate by presenting the results of a structured literature review (SLR) focusing on Big Data implementation in customer relationship management (CRM) strategizing. It outlines past and present literature and frames a future research agenda.Design/methodology/approachThe research analyzes papers published in journals from 2013 to 2020, deriving significant insights about Big Data applications in CRM. A sample of 48 articles indexed at Scopus was preliminarily submitted for bibliometric analysis. Finally, 46 papers were analyzed with content and a bibliometric analysis to identify areas of thematic specializations.FindingsThe paper presents a conceptual multilevel framework demonstrating areas of specialization emerging from the literature. The framework is built around four coordinated sequences of actions relevant to “why,” “what,” “who” and “how” Big Data is implemented in CRM strategies, thus supporting the conception and implementation of an internationalization marketing strategy.Research limitations/implicationsImplications for the development of the future research agenda on international marketing arise from the comprehension of Big Data in CRM strategy.Originality/valueThe paper provides a comprehensive SLR of the articles dealing with models and processes of Big Data for CRM from an international marketing perspective. Despite these issues' relevance and the increasing literature focused on them, research in this area is still fragmented and underexplored, requiring more systematic and holistic studies.

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IT Evaluation Practices in Electronic Customer Relationship Management (eCRM)

Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, Second Edition ◽

10.4018/978-1-60566-026-4.ch362 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 2285-2290

Author(s):

Chad Lin

Keyword(s):

Customer Service ◽

Customer Relationship Management ◽

Relationship Management ◽

Customer Relationship ◽

Business Organizations ◽

Bottom Line ◽

Evaluation Practices ◽

Customer Information ◽

Widespread Agreement ◽

Key Issues

Organizations are becoming increasingly aware of the need to scrutinize their bottom-line financial returns of business automation initiatives. To achieve this, organizations have to become more customer-centric. According to Karakostas, Karadaras and Papathanassiou (2005), a 5% increase in customer retention can result in an 18% reduction in operating costs. Therefore, the need to build and maintain customer relationship has become a priority for organizations. However, according to a KPMG survey, only a small percentage of companies were able to obtain even basic customer information despite the fact that 89% of companies consider customer information to be extremely important to the success of their business (McKeen and Smith, 2003). As a result, many organizations are adopting electronic customer relationship management (eCRM) applications in order to gather, organize, understand, anticipate, and respond to the constant evolution of customers’ requirements and demands. Indeed, eCRM is forecasted to become increasingly important as businesses seek to deliver their services and information as well as to provide transactional facilities via online and wireless platforms, in additional to the more traditional means of communication channels (e.g., call centers and customer service) (Tan, Yen and Fang, 2002). The market worldwide for eCRM applications is predicted to grow from US $3.4 billion in 2000 to US $10.5 billion in 2005 (EPS, 2001). Yet, despite the huge investment and widespread agreement that eCRM has direct and indirect impact on customer satisfaction, loyalty, sales, and profit, it has been found that 70% of eCRM solutions that have been implemented by businesses fail (Feinberg, Kadam, Hokama and Kim, 2002). Moreover, studies carried out by Gartner, Forrester, AMR Research, and the Yankee Group claim that most of CRM implementations did not return the expected ROI (Foley, 2002). This is because management tends to be myopic when considering their IT (information technology) decisions, primarily because they are unable to evaluate (specifically the indirect benefits and costs) eCRM applications (Ernst and Young, 1999). To address this issue, this paper sets out to investigate the current evaluation practices by Australian organizations implementing eCRM. The other objective is to identify the key issues faced by managers to justify and measure their eCRM. Hopefully, the finding can help business organizations to better manage their eCRM investment and its contribution to improving their long term profitability.

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Investigating the Impact of Customer Relationship Management Practices of E-Commerce on Online Customer's Web Site Satisfaction

Electronic Commerce ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-943-4.ch137 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 1742-1759

Author(s):

Su-Fang Lee ◽

Wen-Jang ("Kenny") Jih ◽

Shyh-Rong Fang

Keyword(s):

Customer Relationship Management ◽

User Satisfaction ◽

Web Site ◽

Management Practices ◽

Customer Orientation ◽

Relationship Management ◽

Customer Relationship ◽

Primary Data ◽

Customer Information ◽

The Web

This study addresses the effect of customer relationship management (CRM) practices on online customers’ satisfaction with their experience in interacting with the company Web sites. Recognizing the importance of maintaining a healthy relationship with customers, companies are actively seeking ways to enhance the customer value of their offerings through relationship marketing. Since effective managing of customer relationships essentially involves managing customer information flow, Internet technologies have become an important element of a firm’s CRM program. The company Web site is functioning as the focal point of contact for interacting with existing and prospective customers. An important concern is how the company Web site affects customers’ overall perception of the Web site. Using the concepts of Internet-mediated market orientation in marketing and user satisfaction in information systems, this study formulated and validated a theoretical model to analyze causal relationships between CRM practices, customers’ perception of a Web site’s online customer orientation and online customer Web site satisfaction. Based on the structural equation modeling analysis of the primary data collected in Taiwan, the study found that CRM practices positively impact online customers’ Web site satisfaction through their perception of the Web site’s customer orientation.

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