Customer service experience through technology-enabled social CRM – An exploratory analysis in the automotive industry

Abstract

In recent years, social media and the Web 2.0 have rapidly gained an increasing popularity. Companies have recognized this development and anticipate higher customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and customer lifetime value through the use of social media for commercial purposes. Social customer relationship management (SCRM) professionalizes the use of social media and aims at value cocreation of companies and their customers. Through a combination of high tech and high touch, this new way of interaction with customers also offers plenty of opportunities to enhance customer service experience. In this inductive, exploratory study, eighteen interviews were held with professionals from several vertical levels of the automotive industry (original equipment manufacturers, suppliers, market research agencies, and strategy consultancies). We aimed at exploring which opportunities, pitfalls and success factors organizations report when using technology-based Social CRM to leverage customer service experience. The findings are then discussed and practical recommendations given.