How Do Organisational Members Perceive CRM? Evidence from a U.K. Service Firm

The purpose of this study is to explore how organisational members perceive Customer Relationship Management (CRM) as this process unfolds in the firm. CRM has been an emerging research theme in the marketing literature, yet how it has been received and viewed by organisational members has been essentially unexplored, and forms the key contribution in this paper. Drawn from a case study in the U.K. automotive services sector, the findings illustrate the formation of collective perceptions of CRM, which involves information seeking, meaning ascription and action based on the perceptions shaped at different phases of the CRM process: adoption, development and use. Specifically, in each of the three phases organisational members in the investigated firm approach CRM as a strategic decision; view it with concern; and consider it as a customer value driver. The paper concludes with research recommendations and implications for marketing theory and practice.