Refine
Year of publication
- 2017 (2) (remove)
Document Type
- Book chapter (2) (remove)
Language
- German (2)
Has full text
- no (2) (remove)
Is part of the Bibliography
- yes (2)
Institute
Publisher
- Springer Gabler (2) (remove)
Customer prioritization is a common marketing activity in business practice. It aims at an increase in average customer profitability and return on sales by treating important customers more intensively. After a short introduction highlighting the importance of customer prioritzation, the present article provides an overview of key aspects of customer prioritization. First, companies need to select a prioritization criterion, determine the method to identify important customers, and decide on how to treat these customers in a particular way. Second, companies face challenges and need to address key requirements for implementing customer prioritization within a company. Finally, the article emphasizes positive and negative consequences of customer prioritization.
While the topic of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) has generated an increasing amount of research attention in recent years, still lacking is a comprehensive overview that helps to explain how companies can implement CRM successfully. To address these issues, this article identifies and discusses factors that are associated with a greater degree of CRM success. More specifically, we identify and discuss determinants on strategy, human resources, information management, structure and processes as well as specific factors within the implementation phase which help to improve CRM success. First, our results indicate that the implementation of CRM processes is associated with better company performance, especially at the relationship initiation and maintenance stage. Second, the findings emphasis a predominant influence of firm-based factors vis-à-vis structural industry, and customer-based factors. Furthermore, cross-functional CRM teams and a top management feeling responsible for CRM projects help to improve CRM success. In addition, internal processes which are related to customer contact points have to be redesigned to enhance the interaction between employees and customers. The current article sheds more light on what really drives CRM success.