PDF The Impact of Social Media as a Customer Relationship ...

Olga Buss Gabriel Begorgis

The Impact of Social Media as a Customer Relationship Management Tool

A B2B Perspective

Business Administration Master's Thesis

30 ECTS

Term: Supervisor:

Spring 2015 Bo Rundh

Abstract

This study explores the association between the Customer Relationship Orientation of a company, their Social Media Use through Social Customer Relationship Management Capabilities, with Customer Relationship Performance in order to determine if Social Media can be used as an effective Customer Relationship Management tool in a business-to-business context. In addition, the research will explain if the company's expectations conform to the customer's experience. Four digital managers within Swedish small and medium sized enterprises were interviewed and 34 of their corresponding customers took part in an online survey. The findings indicated due to companies limited Social Customer Relationship Management Capabilities the positive impact on Customer Relationship Performance was not achieved through Social Media Use. Furthermore the online surveys revealed that Social Media is not the most effective Customer Relationship Management tool, nevertheless a weak relationship was found and thus Social Media can be used in addition to the companies' already established Customer Relationship Management activities. Future research will focus on increasing the sample size, revisiting the study in a few years, and why certain intermediaries were significant.

Keywords: Customer Relationship Orientation, CRM, CRM in b2b, Social Media, Social media in b2b, Social CRM, Social CRM in b2b, Customer Relationship Performance

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List of Abbreviations

b2b b2c CRM CRO CRP eWOM SCRM SM SNS

Business-to-business Business-to-consumer Customer Relationship Management Customer Relationship Orientation Customer Relationship Performance Electronic Word-of-Mouth Social Customer Relationship Management Social Media Social Network Sites

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Contents

1. Introduction ..................................................................................................... 5

1.1. Problem Formulation/Research Gap ........................................................ 5

1.2. Research Purpose...................................................................................... 7

2. Theoretical Background .................................................................................. 8

2.1. Specific characteristics of business-to-business (b2b) ............................. 8

2.2. Social Media ............................................................................................. 8

2.3. Social Media in b2b context ..................................................................... 9

2.4. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) ........................................ 11

2.5. CRM in b2b context ............................................................................... 11

2.6. Social CRM in b2b ................................................................................. 12

2.7. Conceptual Framework........................................................................... 13

2.7.1. Customer Relationship Orientation ................................................. 14

2.7.2. Social Media Use ............................................................................ 15

2.7.3. Social CRM Capabilities ................................................................. 16

2.7.4. Customer Relationship Performance............................................... 17

3. Method .......................................................................................................... 17

3.1. Research Method Strategy...................................................................... 17

3.2. Reliability ............................................................................................... 20

3.3. Validity ................................................................................................... 21

4. Empirical Data............................................................................................... 21

4.1. Semi-structured Expert Interviews (Qualitative research approach) 22

4.1.1. Customer Relationship Orientation ................................................. 22

4.1.2. Social Media Use ............................................................................ 23

4.1.3. Social CRM Capabilities ................................................................. 26

4.1.4. Customer Relationship Performance............................................... 28

4.2. Online Surveys

(Quantitative research approach) ........... 30

4.2.1. Customer Relationship Orientation ................................................. 30

4.2.2. Social Media Use ............................................................................ 30

4.2.3. Social Customer Relationship Management Capabilities ............... 33

4.2.4. Customer Relationship Performance............................................... 36

5. Discussion and Analysis................................................................................ 37

5.1. Customer Relationship Orientation ........................................................ 37

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