Towards a general definition of customer relationship management

Abstract

Research evidence shows that companies fail to make their customer relationship management (CRM) efforts pay off. This is probably due to the acknowledged lack of guidelines assisting firms to identify and develop capabilities enabling the successful implementation of their CRM system. In this paper, this deficiency is addressed by proposing a list of critical CRM capabilities and articulating tasks for their development within the organisation. The point of departure is a holistic CRM definition, which is grounded on market-orientation, information technology (IT) and integration. Alongside research evidence, it is used as a basis for the development of an overall conceptual framework for CRM capabilities. The framework is analysed and discussed, and practical implications are offered for the firm. ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR Copyright of Journal of Database Marketing is the property of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts)