Loading...
Please wait, while we are loading the content...
Similar Documents
New Books in Review Customer Relationship Management: a Fad or a Field?
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Donthu, Naveen Gardner, M. Krishnamurthy, Sandeep H. Noble, Stephanie |
| Copyright Year | 2005 |
| Abstract | Evidence that customer relationship management (CRM) is a field could be derived from the American Marketing Association's Faculty Consortium, which, in 2004, focused on CRM. Approximately 80 scholars from around the world took part in the event, and interest was generated from many more. In addition, the market for CRM software and applications is projected to double over the next few years. Evidence of CRM's faddish life cycle, however, could be derived simply from the difficulty in defining CRM. Is it a technology, strategy, or philosophy? Is it a subfield of marketing , statistics, or information systems? For example, Prentice Hall lists CRM books under the category Management and Information Technology. There is little doubt that CRM as a field (or fad) of study and practice suffers from a lack of scope and definition. A person need only to peruse the opening chapter of any of the myriad books on CRM to learn that CRM is a technology , a strategy, a philosophy, and more; indeed, to some people, CRM is a new religion, and what could be more faddish than that? Furthermore, there is the counterfad, or counterreligion. For example, in his book, Why CRM Doesn't Work, Freder-ick Newell argues that the practice of CRM is simply all wrong. Only 25%–30% of companies that have implemented CRM believe that they are getting their money's worth. Readers are not told what flavor of CRM the companies implemented (i.e., technology, strategy, or philosophy), only that it does not work, at least in terms of how it is implemented. Newell quotes (p. 7) John Benson (1937), who nearly 70 years ago in the first issue of Journal of Marketing wrote, " as you well know, the customer is king. Perhaps hereafter we shall use less ingenuity in the way of fanciful appeal and more in finding out what people really want. The consumer himself is boss. " Newell argues that CRM is no different than traditional marketing in failing to live up to Benson's call. As Newell states (p. 7), " Customers have shown they don't want to be hunted like prey. " Why CRM Doesn't Work is not a diatribe against CRM, however. After the reader works past the argument that the customer should be in control of the relationship, Newell offers a fairly standard set of topics and practices that are expected in any CRM book. For example, after four … |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://www.marketingpower.com/ResourceLibrary/Documents/JMRBook/jmkr.42.2.240.pdf |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
