Mobile customer relationship management: underlying issues and challenges

Purpose - The purpose of this study is twofold. First, in order to guarantee a coherent discussion about mobile customer relationship management (mCRM), this paper presents a conceptualization of mCRM delineating its unique characteristics. Second, the authors develop the empirically grounded framework of the underlying issues in the initiation of mCRM. Design/methodology/approach - A single-case-study method is used for the empirical component of the study in order to gain a holistic view of the case and access to latent and confidential information of the company under scrutiny. Semi-structured interviews of the key informants of the company form the main data source through which the issues are identified and the proposed framework is built. Findings - The proposed framework identifies issues that can be divided into three categories (exogenous, endogenous and mCRM-specific) the company has to take into account when moving towards mCRM. Research limitations/implications - Since, this is a single-case study the findings cannot be generalized and used in other contexts without reservation. Practical implications - When planning to initiate mCRM, the illustrated framework includes all the vital issues that should be considered and serves as a preliminary guideline from which to approach mobile CRM. Originality/value - This paper shed light on the emerging phenomenon known as mCRM.