The priority factor model for customer relationship management system success

As the market competition becomes keen, constructing a customer relationship management system is coming to the front for winning over new customers, developing service and products for customer satisfaction and retaining existing customers. However, decisions for CRM implementation have been hampered by inconsistency between information technology and marketing strategies, and the lack of conceptual bases necessary to develop the success measures. Using a structural equation analysis, this study explores the CRM system success model that consists of CRM initiatives: process fit, customer information quality, and system support; intrinsic success: efficiency and customer satisfaction; and extrinsic success: profitability. These constructs underlie much of the existing literature on information system success and customer satisfaction perspectives. We found the empirical support for CRM implementation decision-making from 253 respondents of 14 companies which have implemented the CRM system. These findings should be of great interest to both researchers and practitioners.     

IT alignment strategies for customer relationship management

Customer relationship management (CRM) is the overall process of building and maintaining profitable customer relationships by delivering superior customer value and satisfaction. A CRM strategy involves the entire enterprise and is employed on an ongoing basis. Despite the fact that CRM projects incur huge expenditures, a large percentage fails to achieve the stated objectives. Failure in CRM initiatives could be avoided if a firm's CRM strategies are intelligently linked with its employees, customers, channels, and IT infrastructure. In this paper, we focus on those linkages, particularly on the linkages between an organization's CRM strategies and its IT infrastructure. Even though the relationships between IT and business strategies have been extensively explored in the IT alignment literature, prior research has not addressed how a firm's CRM strategies are aligned with its IT infrastructure. In this paper, we investigate the issues relating to CRM-IT alignment based on an in-depth case study of a large, well-known Internet travel agency.     

A model of customer relationship management and business intelligence systems for catalogue and online retailers

As more retailers evolve into customer-centric and segment-based business, business intelligence (BI) and customer relationship management (CRM) systems are playing a key role in achieving and maintaining competitive advantage. For the past ten years, the authors have had the rare opportunity of observing and interviewing employees and managers of three different management teams at three separate Fingerhut companies as they experimented with various ITs for their companies. When the first Fingerhut company peaked in 1998, as many as 200 analysts and 40 statisticians mined the database for insights that helped predict consumer shopping patterns and credit behaviour. Data mining and BI helped Fingerhut spot shopping patterns, bring product offerings to the right customers, and nurture customer relationships. By 1998, Fingerhut was the second largest catalogue retailer in the U.S. with revenues nearing $2 billion. However, after Federated acquired Fingerhut in 1999 and made it a subsidiary, Fingerhut Net, it suffered great losses and was eventually liquidated. Finally, a new company, Fingerhut Direct Marketing, was resurrected in 2002 under a new management team, and it once again became successful. What went right? What went wrong? The paper concludes with CRM and BI systems success factors and a discussion of lessons learned.     

Enabling customer relationship management in ISP services through mining usage patterns

The monopoly of state ownership of telecommunication industry in Taiwan was lifted in 1997. In choosing an ISP, pricing was and still is a main differentiating factor in the mind of customers; however, service quality has emerged as a major concern among users lately. Management of ISP has discovered that service quality is important not only for attracting new customers, but, more importantly, for retaining existing customers who may otherwise be lured away by lower fees. Hence, it is essential to develop a CRM system, which could help keeping existing customers and exploring further business opportunities at the same time. In this study, we, based on the IP traffic data, developed a CRM systematic approach for a major ISP company in Taiwan to enhance customers' longer-term loyalty. This approach employs CRISP-DM methodology, and applies Attribute-Oriented Induction as the mining technique to discover network usage behaviors of customers, which help management identify usage pattern and also pinpoint the time when usage is excessively heavy. The former allows management to make effective personal calls for services or maintenance, and the latter presents opportunities for management to offer personalized cares and advanced products. Pixel-oriented visualization is applied to improve the understanding of mining results.     

Exploring the role of customer relationship management (CRM) systems in customer knowledge creation

This study explores how customer relationship management (CRM) systems support customer knowledge creation processes [48], including socialization, externalization, combination and internalization. CRM systems are categorized as collaborative, operational and analytical. An analysis of CRM applications in three organizations reveals that analytical systems strongly support the combination process. Collaborative systems provide the greatest support for externalization. Operational systems facilitate socialization with customers, while collaborative systems are used for socialization within an organization. Collaborative and analytical systems both support the internalization process by providing learning opportunities. Three-way interactions among CRM systems, types of customer knowledge, and knowledge creation processes are explored.     

Social relationship and its role in knowledge management systems usage

The KMS has been widely implemented in organizations. However, its availability does not guarantee that employees have been willing to spend time and effort using it. We explored the use of KMS with emphasis on social relationship. Specifically, social capital theory was employed to establish the social relationship construct and its three dimensions: tie strength, shared norms, and trust. By studying a company that had implemented a KMS, we explored the dimensions of social relationship and its importance in the use of a KMS by employees. A theoretical framework was used to depict the antecedents of employee's usage behavior. Implications for both researchers and practitioners are discussed, especially for companies expecting to exploit knowledge sharing in the Chinese business environment.     

IT系统管理中多应用综合性能优化的建模研究

概要分析了影响应用程序服务水平的两个方面因素;重点综述了基于非线性目标规划算法的,通过调整系统服务资源分配来进行性能优化建模方法,并给出算例验证其算法可行性;最后讨论了该模型目前仍存在的问题、改进的思路和将来的发展趋势。     

Modelling electronic customer relationship management success: functional and temporal considerations

Previous information systems satisfaction research predominantly focused on generic technological attributes, failing to account for the specificity of the artefact. Furthermore, viewing satisfaction as a static evaluation state, the prevalent cross-sectional approach could not account for the dynamic nature of satisfaction. In this study, we address these gaps by following a functional approach and taking a temporal view in developing and testing a model explaining the effects of various types of electronic customer relationship management (eCRM) functions on customer satisfaction in the context of online shopping. A framework based on the transaction cycle is used to classify eCRM functions into pre-, at-, and post-purchase eCRM. Two distinct temporal phases, i.e. attraction and retention, are identified. The results of a longitudinal survey involving 670 customers of hardware retailers demonstrate the appropriateness of the functional approach in investigating eCRM success and the necessity of the temporal conceptualisation of customer satisfaction. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.     

Early mover advantage in e-commerce platforms with low entry barriers: The role of customer relationship management capabilities

This research investigates whether early mover advantage (EMA) exists among entrepreneurial e-tailers operating on third-party e-commerce platforms. Contrary to traditional wisdom, the current research hypothesizes that e-tailers may enjoy early mover advantages because of the consumer demand inertia amplified by the nature of the Internet and the system design characteristics of e-commerce platforms. We also argue that customer relationship management capabilities help enhance early mover advantages in an online setting. We employ panel data on 7309 e-tailers to perform analyses and find empirical evidence that strongly supports the abovementioned hypotheses.     

基于呼叫中心的客户关系管理系统服务流程优化研究

针对钢铁企业物流公司客户关系管理现状,及其客户服务请求处理流程中的不足,提出了基于呼叫中心的钢铁企业最优化客服请求处理流程及其技术实现,给出了平台功能设计,探讨了平台实现的关键技术。该系统充分满足客户满意度以及服务请求处理的及时性,快速性,确切性,可操作性等方面要求。     

Implementing Information Technologies and Operational Excellence: Planning,emergence and randomness in the survival of adaptive manufacturing systems

We explore the why and how of synergies and dysfunctions between Information Technologies (IT) and Operational Excellence (OE). Moving away from the type of analyses that focus on the starting-point and the final stage, we address the evolution of the complex factors involved in the joint deployment of IT and OE that try to transform manufacturing systems. Evidence stems from a longitudinal case study over a period of 11 years (2003–2014) in one of the world’s largest canning factories. Combining quasi-experiments at the systems level with time series data, we compare the evolution of IT implementation in a Lean environment with 17 different assembly lines and 1,100 workers. Thus, building on an evolutionary framework, the paper highlights the simultaneity of planned, random and emergent components in mutations; the influence of the rhythm and sequence of reforms in the construction of capabilities; and the effect of environmental evolution on the type of mutations passed on over time.     

Strategic dependence on the IT resource and outsourcing: A test of the strategic control model

Using resource dependency theory (RDT), this research analyzes how organizations control their information technology resources to improve organizational performance. According to RDT, organizations must manage their dependency on external organizations and limit external dependencies when resources are considered critical. The current study proposes and tests a portion of a Strategic Control Model positing that managers seek to control important, strategic resources in order to create value for the firm and to avoid dependency on external entities. Utilizing a research design that captured extensive quantitative data on the control of IT functions and services, the research team gathered 5 years of data on 54 business units (BUs) in 27 global companies located in seven countries. Study examined the linkages of these 54 BUs to firm performance. Locating the Extent of Control within the firm in cases where the firm depends on IT as a strategic resource proves to be a good explanation for effective decisions leading to higher performance. Viewing IT as a strategic resource alone does not lead to positive business unit outcomes, but the moderating influence of Extent of Control is found to establish the complex statistical relationship with business unit performance. For these reasons, it is critical that a theoretically grounded firm-wide process for decisions on locating IT control is in place to capture business value.

IT centrality,IT management model,and contribution of the IT function to organizational performance: A study in Canadian hospitals

The characterization of the IT function in organizations represents a central topic of investigation in the information systems field. The main purpose of this study was to predict the contribution of the IT function to organizational performance by focusing on the centrality of IT and the IT management profile as primary determinants. A cross-sectional survey of CIOs working in Canadian hospitals reveals that IT centrality positively influences the strategic orientation of the IT management model. In turn, the stronger the strategic orientation of the IT management model in place, the greater is the IT function’s contribution to organizational performance.     

Information systems management and strategy formulation: the 'stages of growth' model revisited

Abstract. The original 'stages of growth' model, as applied to the field of Information Systems (Gibson & Nolan, 1974), may be viewed as seminal, given the influence it has had on both theory and practice (Nolan, 1984; Sullivan, 1985; Ward, et al., 1990). This is so, despite the model's lack of substantiation based on empirical evidence, the overly simplistic assumptions on which it is based, and the limited focus of the original concept (Benbasat, et al., 1984; King & Kraemer, 1984).
Since its first appearance, the model has been refined following many applications (Nolan, 1979, 1984). In addition, others have developed 'stages of growth' models of their own. For example, Somogyi & Galliers, (1987a, b)provide a model depicting the move from basic data processing systems to strategic information systems, tracing the early days of commercial applications of computing through to the present day (Ward et al. 1990). Earl (1983, 1986, 1988, 1989) proposes a stages-model for information systems planning, as does Bhabuta (1988), while Hirschheim, et al. (1988) have developed a more broadly focused model associated with the development of the information-systems management function.
As a result of a review of the above and of a case study research undertaken in Perth, Western Australia, a revised model was developed, which takes account of current thinking and past experience in the application of the various 'stages of growth' models (Sutherland & Galliers, 1989).
This paper sets out to review some of these models and proceeds to describe the process of developing, testing and applying the revised 'stages of growth' model. The model is more broadly focused than the original concept, incorporating strategic, organizational, human resource and management considerations. As a result, it is argued that this model has greater utility than its predecessors.     

How information-sharing values influence the use of information systems: An investigation in the business intelligence systems context

Although the constituents of information systems (IS) success and their relationships have been well documented in the business value of information technology (IT) and strategic IS literature, our understanding of how information-sharing values affect the relationships among IS success dimensions is limited. In response, we conduct a quantitative study of 146 medium and large firms that have implemented a business intelligence system in their operations. Our results highlight that in the business intelligence systems context information-sharing values are not directly linked to IT-enabled information use, yet they act as significant moderators of information systems success dimensions relationships.     

系统聚类在客户关系管理中的研究与应用

提出了一种基于粗糙集联系度的聚类分析新方法,首先用粗糙集和集对分析理论对信息系统进行知识约简,然后用聚类的方法对约简后的信息系统进行聚类分析,论述了该方法的聚类过程,并给出了聚类分析的实例。     

A model of information systems development project performance

abstract. Performance in information systems development (ISD) projects can be critical to business success. But, while project performance has been the subject of much debate, there has been little empirical research into its determinants. A survey of IS projects in the UK and New Zealand is analysed to test hypotheses concerning performance in terms of both project completion and budget (time-cost) variances. Subsequently, a secondary analysis of the findings is used to build a more complete empirical model of project performance. The paper helps to develop the theory of IS development project performance and also has significant implications for practice. Discussion of the findings highlights the importance of project team dynamics, risk management, senior management support for strategic projects and user participation in ensuring successful IS project performance.     

Assessing and managing the benefits of enterprise systems: the business manager's perspective

This paper focuses on the benefits that organizations may achieve from their investment in enterprise systems (ES). It proposes an ES benefit framework for summarizing benefits in the years after ES implementation. Based on an analysis of the features of enterprise systems, on the literature on information technology (IT) value, on data from 233 enterprise systems vendor‐reported stories published on the Web and on interviews with managers of 34 organizations using ES, the framework provides a detailed list of benefits that have reportedly been acquired through ES implementation. This list of benefits is consolidated into five benefits dimensions: operational, managerial, strategic, IT infrastructure and organizational, and illustrated using perceived net benefit flow (PNBF) graphs. In a detailed example, the paper shows how the framework has been applied to the identification of benefits in a longitudinal case study of four organizations.     

The architecture and business value of a semi-cooperative, agent-based supply chain management system

Multi-agent systems have the potential to improve supply chain management. The adoption of such systems has been limited, as their design often neglects existing organizational realities and the business value for the various stakeholders is not clear. In this paper, a multi-agent system improving supply chain management is designed and its business value is evaluated. We present the semi-cooperative architecture and evaluate the benefits using agent-based simulation. We found that the multi-agent system increases the level of flexibility in the supply chain and enables supply chain members to become more responsive. This has a positive impact on the ordering lead-time, human processing time, the inventory levels and number of stock-outs.     

Aligning the IT portfolio with business strategy: Evidence for complementarity of corporate and business unit alignment

Research on alignment between business strategy and information technology (IT) strategy has generated extensive insights over the last three decades. That research has focused primarily on the fit between business and IT strategies, while cross-domain alignment, i.e., alignment between business strategy and IT infrastructure components, has received far less attention. Further, previous studies have focused on the implications of alignment for firm performance while the effects of cross-domain alignment on business unit performance in multi-business organizations (MBOs) are yet to be examined. This issue is important as IT infrastructures are evolving rapidly. Specifically, MBOs are increasingly turning to corporate IT platforms to support a common set of shared IT needs, while still allowing individual business units to manage unique aspects of their own IT needs through local IT applications. Extending prior research, this study proposes that performance of business units in MBOs is influenced by two complementary forms of cross-domain alignment, viz., alignment between the corporate IT platform and the corporate business strategy, and alignment between the business unit’s portfolio of IT applications and its business strategy. Using data from a global survey of 120 organizations, we find evidence that complementarity between these two forms of cross-domain alignment creates a joint positive effect on business unit performance. We also find that this effect varies with the extent of process digitization within business units. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.