eCRM in B2B market

Traditional B2B customers are usually seeking ways in order to

decrease the firms expense. Customizing the specific product
and reducing the repeated routine cost products for them can
expense least. Due to information technology developing,
websites information has been becoming an important medium
to reduce collecting cost and time, and it becomes a long-term
relationship eventually. At the same time, more complex
collaboration can 3
be implemented on networking platform. After businesses
collaborate as supply chain partners, it takes the mutual
benefits can give both sides an equal position to increase co-
work confidence.
CRM Initiative at IBM
In January 2000, IBM, the $86 billion IT company, embarked on
the largest Customer Relationship Management (CRM) project
known at that time. Termed CRM 2000, the project aimed at
ensuring that any point of interface between the customer and
IBM, through any of its channels, in any country, was dealt with
uniformly, providing the same service level, applying the same
tools and information.
In other words, IBM wanted to present a unified interface to its
customers across the world. In 2004, four years after the
project, the company was well on its way towards fulfilling its
objective, reporting significant improvement in customer
satisfaction levels.
Review of Literature
The goal of this review is to identify research and articles
published over the past ten years related to CRM. It
encapsulates the rise to prominence of CRM and much of the
technology that aids in implementation of CRM concepts. The
review includes both empirical studies and conceptual articles.
Fournier, Dobscha, and Mick 1998; Day (2000). Utilizing a case
analysis, espouses that by properly implementing information
technology throughout an organization, effective relationship
management can become an organizational capability.
Clemons (2000) says that a tiny proportion of a company's
customers will generate the bulk of its profits. Identifying,
collecting and keeping these clients is the very essence of
customer relationship management.
Leigh and Marshall (2001) highlights that the sales function will
increasingly be viewed as the firm's means of "partnering" with
customers. This redefines the sales function whereby strategic
account management will be the objective, which will require
CRM-related processes and technologies such as lifetime
customer value analysis. Ingram, LaForge, and Leigh (2001)
specifically call for research on this aspect of CRM.
Charles W. Jaeger (May 2005) says that, in today's business
environment companies cannot afford to lose a single
profitable customer. By effectively leveraging results from a
customer satisfaction survey an organization can respond to
their customer's needs in ways that increase revenue as well as
improve customer and employee, satisfaction and loyalty.
Tariq Mohiuddin Ahmed (2005) says that CRM builds
especially on the principles of relationship marketing; the
formal study of which goes back 20 years. CRM builds on the
philosophy of relationship marketing. This emphasis on
relationships, as opposed to transactions, is redefining how
companies are interacting with their customers. Customer
relationships have received considerable attention from both
academicians and practitioners. The increasing emphasis of
relationship marketing is based on the assumptions that
building committed customer relationships results in greater
satisfaction, loyalty, positive word of mouth, business referrals,
references, and publicity. Intense competition for market share
in todays market requires managers to attend to customer
retention and the hows or whys of a patron returning and
continuing to repurchase.
Bob Thompson, founder of CRMguru.com (2007) says that
relationship management (CRM) is a business strategy to select
and manage the most valuable customer relationships. CRM
requires a customer-centric business philosophy and culture to
support effective marketing, sales, and service processes. CRM
applications can enable effective customer relationship
management, provided that an enterprise has the right
leadership, strategy, and culture". 4
Tim Fargo (CRM project) A sales force or customer service
system can identify high-value customers to sales and service
forces so these customers will benefit from individualized
retention activities.
Rationale of the study
All companies are facing massive challenges in todays highly
competitive market and strive to acquire the maximum possible
market share in an overcrowded market. There are certain
threats which companies are facing such as:



loyal


markets.


Research Objectives
1. Understand the importance of implementing a CRM solution
in a large multi-product, multinational company.
2. Study the implementation process of a mega CRM project in
a leading IT company in the world.
3. Examine the rationale for implementing a CRM solution.
4. Study the challenges faced in a CRM project and identify
ways to overcome them.
5. Appreciate the benefits which a company could reap after
implementing a CRM solution.

Research Methodology
Type of Research
Exploratory Research
Sample Element IBM, Gurgaon
The Population All managers and CRM
consultants of IBM. IBM
Documentations etc.
Sampling Frame CRM Consultants, Documents
etc.
Sample Size Around 2-3 CRM consultants.
IBMs internal and external
documents, reports etc.
Data Collection To collect the Primary data
an interview was conducted
of the CRM consultants of
IBM.
For Secondary data will be
collected from various
sources like Books, Internet,
Statistical handbooks,
Experts, periodicals, journals,
research publications etc.