Customer relationship management and customer experience management using business online communities

Abstract

This research thesis focuses on studying the contribution of the internet tool - Online newlinecommunities to the dual organizational processes of Customer Relationship Management and Customer Experience Management. The study commences by studying the dynamics of the newlineonline community, followed by a study of the existing literature in the domain. Customer newlineRelationship Management and Customer Experience Management are twin organizational newlineprocesses which form the backbone of Marketing, by using IT enabled processes for enhancing organizational collaboration, improving customer profitability and lifetime value and increasing the Return on Investment. In this context, business enterprises have increasingly taken advantage newlineof the power of the internet tool-online communities to build relationships with the customers in the electronic marketplace, to build Structural, Financial, Social and Customization Bonds with consumers and to reduce Consumer Defection, increase Consumer Retention by increasing consumer trustworthiness and for taking the consumers ahead on psychological steps across newlinerelationship stages between the organization and consumer. The web appeared to be a useful domain in the light of new age developments and Online Communities appeared to be significant in the context of Operational, Analytical and Collaborative CRM. This thesis traces the usage of online communities for various CRM functionalities like campaign management, consumer segmentation, response management and response modelling, and further demonstrates how consumers interacting with organizations can newlinebe segmented on the basis of their Individual Network Values, their Degree of Participation, their Emotional Attachment or even with respect to their profit or relationship potential. The research thesis focuses on developing four specific models for response modelling/prediction/consumer profiling.