Unlocking the value of CRM : from the perspective of a global IT-company

For companies to be able to compete in the market environment of today it is important to care for their customer relationships. To keep the customer satisfied and loyal to the company, while the customers require more and better service and quality. The strategy of using Customer Relationship Management(CRM) has been developed recently and is spreading among organizations. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to provide a better understanding in how companies use CRM to create value. In order to reach this overall purpose, three research questions have been stated. The first research question focuses on the objectives of CRM: the second research question considers the CRM strategy used and the components which could be included in it: the final research question looks at the measurements of CRM. A review of previous research related to each of the research questions was conducted, resulting in a conceptual framework. This framework then guided this study's data collection. Methodologically, qualitative,single case study approach was used. Data was collected primarily through in-depth interviews of key respondents, as well as via documentation made available by the company. The collected data was then analysed against the theory to form the conclusions of this study. The findings point out the importance of having a customer-centric view, where the customer and the customer relationship are the focus. The research shows that having this customer-centric view throughout the entire organization is essential. The findings also indicate that the different areas where CRM has significant importance in terms of contact with customers includes the front office and back office operations, as well as technology. All in all, this company has many developed parts of CRM and how they should work. The company is global and only in Sweden is it one of the largest which makes it more important with integration within the company. Their processes are well defined and easy to follow, but the different processes are not always connected to each other. With more integration the flow of information that will help strengthen customer relationships would be more efficient and satisfying.Validerat; 20101217 (root