The Management of CRM Information Systems in Small B2B Service Organisations: A Comparison between French and British Firms

Abstract

The new communication and information systems have significantly increased the possibilities offered to professional companies for developing and maintaining long-term customer relationships. However, technology alone cannot ensure the success of CRM strategies. The implementation of a customercentred culture, shared by the entire professional organisation, requires the combination of human resources, expertise and technology in order to identify and satisfy the needs of the existing customers. Considering a sample of French and UK professional SMEs, this chapter investigates the type of CRM strategy implemented by these firms, as well as the usage intensity of various communication channels, both by companies and clients. The satisfaction of client organisations is analysed from a multi-level perspective and a diagnostic procedure is proposed in order to identify the gap between the perceptions service provider firms and clients on various dimensions of the CRM process.