Customer Relationship Management As A Business Process
Customer relationship management as abusiness processDouglas M. LambertDepartment of Marketing and Logistics, Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USAAbstractPurpose – Increasingly, customer relationship management (CRM) is being viewed as a strategic, process-oriented, cross-functional, value-creating forbuyer and seller, and a means of achieving superior financial performance. However, there is a need for a more holistic view of cross-functional as itrelates to CRM. The purpose of this paper is to describe a macro level cross-functional view of CRM and provide a structure for managing business-tobusiness relationships to co-create value and increase shareholder value.Design/methodology/approach – In order to identify the sub-processes of CRM at the strategic and operational levels as well as the activities thatcomprise each sub-process, focus group sessions were conducted with executives from a range of industries. The focus groups were supplemented withvisits to companies identified in the focus groups as having the most advanced CRM practices.Findings – The research resulted in a framework that managers can use to implement a cross-functional, cross-firm, CRM process in business-tobusiness relationships. Also, it should be useful to researchers interested in broadening their view of CRM.Research limitations/implications – The research is based on focus groups with executives in 15 companies representing nine industries andmultiple positions in the supply chain including retailers, distributors, manufacturers and suppliers. While all companies had global operations, only onewas based outside of the USA. Nevertheless, the framework has been presented in executive seminars in North and South America, Europe, Asia andAustralasia with very positive feedback.Practical implications – The framework can be used by managers. The view of CRM presented involves all business functions which extends thecurrent thinking in the marketing literature.Originality/value – The most common view of CRM involves fewer business functions than the one identified in this research.Keywords Customer relations, Buyer-seller relationships, Competitive advantage, Cross-functional integrationPaper type Research paperAn executive summary for managers and executivereaders can be found at the end of this article.potential profitability of individual customers (Turnbullet al., 1996). Often it is assumed that the marketingfunction is responsible for creating, maintaining andstrengthening relationships with business-to-businesscustomers because it does this with consumers. However,for two large organizations to be able to coordinate theircomplex operations, all corporate functions must be involvedand actively participate in the relationship in order to aligncorporate resources with the profit potential of eachrelationship (Ryals and Knox, 2001). For example, incomplex business relationships such as the one between TheCoca-Cola Company and Cargill, Incorporated there is volvement. The collaborative activities worked on by theteams have included: joint research and development on anew, natural, zero-calorie sweetener; logistics managers fromthe two companies working to reduce global transportationfootprints; and, joint communication and cooperation onsustainability issues (Buffington et al., 2007). The benefits foreach company are substantial. For example, in the case of thenew sweetener; “The Coca-Cola Company has exclusiverights to develop and market the partnership’s product inbeverages, and Cargill has exclusive rights to develop andmarket it in foods” (Buffington et al., 2007).CRM can be viewed as a macro-level process. A macrolevel process is highly aggregated and is comprised ofIntroductionIn a business-to-business environment, customer relationshipmanagement is the business process that provides thestructure for how relationships with customers aredeveloped and maintained. Increasingly, customerrelationship management (CRM) is being viewed asstrategic (Lambert, 2004; Payne and Frow, 2005; Zablahet al., 2005), process-oriented (Lambert, 2004; Payne andFrow, 2005; Zablah et al., 2005), cross-functional (Lambert,2004; Payne and Frow, 2005; 2006), value-creating for buyerand seller (Lambert, 2004; Boulding et al., 2005; Payne andFrow, 2005), and a means of achieving superior financialperformance (Lambert, 2004; Boulding et al., 2005; Bohlinget al., 2006; Payne and Frow, 2005). Management identifieskey customers (Pels, 1992) and customer groups to betargeted as part of the firm’s business mission (Sanchez andSanchez, 2005). The decision regarding who represents keycustomers includes evaluation of the profitability andThe current issue and full text archive of this journal is available atwww.emeraldinsight.com/0885-8624.htmThis paper is based on Chapter 2, “The customer relationshipmanagement process”, in Lambert (2008a). See: www.scm-institute.orgJournal of Business & Industrial Marketing25/1 (2010) 4–17q Emerald Group Publishing Limited [ISSN 0885-8624][DOI 10.1108/08858621011009119]Accepted: February 20094
Customer relationship management as a business processJournal of Business & Industrial MarketingDouglas M. LambertVolume 25 · Number 1 · 2010 · 4 –17numerous sub-processes (Srivastava et al., 1999). These subprocesses can be separated into micro-level processes. CRM isone of the eight macro business processes identified by theGlobal Supply Chain Form research team of academics andexecutives (Lambert and Cooper, 2000) (see Figure 1 and theAppendix for a brief description of each) and it must interfacewith each of the other seven. Each process to be properlyimplemented requires the active participation of members ofevery business function, as well as customers and suppliers.The processes shown in Figure 1 and the supporting materialsdescribed in Lambert (2008a) were developed over a periodof 16 years, starting in 1992, with a team of researchersworking with executives from 15 multi-national companiesthat support the Global Supply Chain Forum at The OhioState University.In this paper, CRM is described as a macro-businessprocess and then the research methodology is presented.Next, a description of the strategic and operational processesthat comprise CRM is provided along with the sub-processesand the activities that comprise each sub-process. Limitationsand opportunities for future research are considered. Finally,conclusions are presented.and strong relationships between profit growth; customerloyalty; customer satisfaction; and, the value of goodsdelivered to customers (Heskett et al., 1997). “Relationshipmarketing concerns attracting, developing, and retainingcustomer relationships” (Berry and Parasuraman, 1991).CRM has become a critical business process as a result of:competitive pressures; the need to achieve cost efficiency inorder to be a low-cost, high-quality supplier; a recognition ofthe fact that customers are not equal in terms of theirprofitability; and, knowledge that customer retention cansignificantly affect profitability. CRM and supplierrelationship management provide the critical linkagesthroughout the supply chain (see Figure 2). For eachsupplier in the supply chain, the ultimate measure ofsuccess for the CRM process is the growth in profitability ofan individual customer or segment of customers over time. Inaddition to trends in past profitability, “current and projectedprofits of customers (existing and potential) need to beanalyzed and forecast” (Turnbull et al., 1996). For eachcustomer, the most comprehensive measure of success for thesupplier relationship management process is the impact that asupplier or supplier segment has on the firm’s profitability.The goal is to increase the joint profitability through the coproduction of value (Ramirez, 1999; Lusch and Vargo, 2006).A potential roadblock is failure to reach agreement on how tosplit the gains that are made through joint processimprovement efforts. The overall performance of the supplychain is determined by the combined improvement inprofitability of all of its members from one year to the next.While there are a great number of software products thatare being marketed as CRM (Reinartz et al., 2004), theseCRM as a macro-business processTypically, large sums of money are spent to attract newcustomers; yet management is often complacent when itcomes to nurturing existing customers to build and strengthenrelationships with them (Berry and Parasuraman, 1991).However, for most companies, existing customers representthe best opportunities for profitable growth. There are directFigure 1 The eight macro-business processes: integrating and managing relationships across the supply chain5
Customer relationship management as a business processJournal of Business & Industrial MarketingDouglas M. LambertVolume 25 · Number 1 · 2010 · 4 –17Figure 2 CRM and supplier relationship management form the links in the supply chaintechnology tools should not be confused with the relationshipfocused, macro-business, CRM process (Kale, 2004; Payneand Frow, 2005). CRM software has the potential to enablemanagement to gather customer data quickly, identify themost valuable customers over time, and provide thecustomized products and services that should increasecustomer loyalty (Rigby et al., 2002). When it works, thecosts to serve customers can be reduced making it easier toacquire more, similar customers. However, according toGartner Group, 55 per cent of all CRM (software solutions)projects do not produce results (Rigby et al., 2002). In a BainSurvey of 451 senior executives, 25 per cent reported thatthese software tools had failed to deliver profitable growth andin many cases had damaged long-standing customerrelationships. One firm spent over 30 million only to scrapthe entire project (Rigby et al., 2002). There are four majorreasons for the failure of CRM software projects:1 implementing software before creating a customerstrategy;2 rolling out software before changing the organization;3 assuming that more technology is better; and4 trying to build relationships with the wrong customers(Rigby et al., 2002).broad strategic context and be consistently implementedthroughout the organization (Swift, 2000). According toPayne and Frow (2005), CRM must be viewed as strategic,cross-functional and process-based in order to avoid thepotential problems associated with a narrow technologyoriented definition. However, the functions that they includedappear to be limited to executives working in sales, marketing,and information technology. There was no indication thatmanagers from finance, research and development,production/operations, purchasing, logistics, or otherfunctions are involved in complex, high-value businessrelationships. Without the involvement of all functions,promises may be made to customers that cannot beprofitably fulfilled. For example, sales people may sell involumes the plants can not profitably produce. As identified inThe Service-dominant Logic of Marketing, knowledge is thefundamental source of competitive advantage, the customer isa co-producer, and a service-centered view is customeroriented and relational (Lusch and Vargo, 2006). In order togenerate knowledge of the customer that will lead to the coproduction of value, internal skills, activities and resourcesmust be linked to those of the customer (Awuah, 2001). Formaximum results all business functions should be involved inthe relationship.While there is recognition in the marketing literature that across-functional approach to customer relationships isdesirable, it seems that this, in many cases is, limited tohaving the “functions” of marketing, such as marketingcommunications and personal selling, become integrated(Grönroos, 2004). But this view of cross-functional should bebroadened: “customer value and satisfaction cannot bedelivered by one function alone and it is not only theresponsibility of those with direct customer contact. Forexample, production workers rarely have a direct contact witha customer, yet interruptions in the production schedule canhave detrimental effects on customer satisfaction” (TzokasTo be successful, management must place its primary focuson the CRM process and the people and the procedures thatmake the technology effective. The technology is simply atool. Relying on the technology by itself will most often leadto failure (Turchan and Mateus, 2001).Unfortunately, there are a wide range of views as to whatconstitutes CRM (Zablah et al., 2005). At one extreme, it isabout the implementation of a specific technology solutionand, at the other, it is a holistic approach to selectivelymanaging relationships to create shareholder value (Payneand Frow, 2005). It is the former perspective that results in somany failures. In order to develop mutually beneficialbusiness relationships, CRM should be positioned in a6
Customer relationship management as a business processJournal of Business & Industrial MarketingDouglas M. LambertVolume 25 · Number 1 · 2010 · 4 –17and Saren, 2004). This example builds the case for havingproduction represented on cross-functional customer teams.The more business functions that are involved in keycustomer relationships, the more useful the knowledge thatwill be generated (Enz, 2009).of other customers. The goal is to segment customers based ontheir value over time and increase customer loyalty by providingcustomized products and services (Selden and Colvin, 2003).Customer teams tailor product and service agreements(PSAs) to meet the needs of key accounts and segments ofother customers (Seibold, 2001). PSAs come in many forms,both formal and informal, and may be referred to by differentnames from company to company. However, for best results,they should be formalized as written documents. Performancereports are designed to measure the profitability of individualcustomers as well as the firm’s financial impact on thosecustomers.Teams calling on key customers who are competitors shouldnot have overlapping members since it will be very hard for theseindividuals to not be influenced by what has been discussed aspart of developing a PSA for a competitor of the customer. It isimportant to reach agreement on what data to share and there isa fine line between using process knowledge gained versus usingcompetitive marketing knowledge gained from a customer. Theaccount teams will have day-to-day responsibility for managingthe process at the operational level. Firm employees outside ofthe team might execute parts of the process, but the team stillmaintains managerial control.Research methodologyIn order to identify the sub-processes of the eight macrobusiness processes and the specific activities that compriseeach sub-process, executives were engaged in focus groupsessions (Calder, 1977; Krueger and Casey, 2000; Morgan,1997). The executives were from several industries includingagriculture, consumer packaged goods, energy, fashion, foodproducts, high-technology, industrial goods, paper products,and sporting goods. The companies represented multiplepositions in the supply chain including retailers, distributors,manufacturers and suppliers. The executives representedvarious functions and their titles included manager, director,vice president, senior vice president, group vice president, andchief operations officer.The executives were involved in a total of eight meetingsover a period of 28 months from July 2001 to October 2003.In the first three meetings, the executives provided theresearch team with input on the sub-processes that shouldcomprise each of the eight business processes, includingCRM, that had been identified in our research. The last fivemeetings reported here were specifically devoted toidentifying the detailed activities and implementation issuesrelated to CRM. The first session for the CRM process washeld in July, 2002 and 22 executives participated. The goalwas to determine the specific activities that comprised each ofthe strategic and operational sub-processes of CRM. Duringthe second session, in October, 2002, in which 18 executivesparticipated, slides were presented which summarized theresults of the previous session and the learnings fromcompany visits. Following the presentation, the executivesparticipated in an open discussion providing suggestions forclarification. Based on the executives’ feedback and additionalcompany visits to document practice, a manuscript wasproduced for the following meeting. In the final threemeetings, 16, 17, and 21 executives respectively participatedin open discussion and after each session, the manuscript wasrevised. Additional revisions have been made to the materialas experience has been gained working with membercompanies of The Global Supply Chain Forum onimplementation of the CRM process.The strategic CRM processAt the strategic level, the CRM process provides the structurefor how relationships with customers will be developed andmanaged. An objective is to align functional expertise fromthe supplier and the customer to support implementation ofthe other seven macro-business processes. This alignment isnecessary in order to identify and achieve improvementopportunities. The strategic CRM process is comprised of fivesub-processes (see Figure 3).Review corporate and marketing strategiesThe CRM process team reviews the corporate strategy andthe marketing strategy in order to identify markets and targetsegments that are critical to the organization’s success nowand in the future (Freytag and Højbjerg Clarke, 2001).Strategies are directional statements that provide guidance interms of:.the markets to serve and customer segments to target;.the positioning theme that differentiates the business fromits competitors;.the channels used to reach the market; and.the appropriate scale and scope of activities to beperformed (Day, 1990).The CRM processIdentify criteria for segmenting customersIn the second sub-process, the team identifies the criteria thatwill be used to segment customers within the markets and targetsegments identified in the first sub-process. For example,grocery retail may be viewed as an important segment, but allgrocery retailers will not be of equal importance to theorganization’s success. This second level of segmentationprovides guidelines for determining which customers qualify fortailored PSAs and which customers will be grouped intosegments and offered a standard PSA that is developed toprovide value to the segment and meet the firm’s profit goals forthat segment. Potential segmentation criteria include:profitability, growth potential, volume, competitivepositioning issues, access to market knowledge, market shareThe CRM process has been divided into two parts, the strategicprocess, in which management establishes and strategicallymanages the process, and the operational process in whichimplementation takes place (see Figure 3). The strategicprocess is led by the chief executive officer and a managementteam that is comprised of executives from the typical businessfunctions such as: marketing, sales, finance, production,purchasing, logistics and research and development. Theteam is responsible for identifying which customers are key tothe company’s success now and in the future and for makingdecisions about how relationships with customers will bedeveloped and maintained. At the operational level, there willbe a customer team for each key account and for each segment7
Customer relationship management as a business processJournal of Business & Industrial MarketingDouglas M. LambertVolume 25 · Number 1 · 2010 · 4 –17Figure 3 CRM8
Customer relationship management as a business processJournal of Business & Industrial MarketingDouglas M. LambertVolume 25 · Number 1 · 2010 · 4 –17goals, margin levels, level of technology, resources andcapabilities, compatibility of strategies, channel of distributionand buying behavior (what drives their buying decision). As partof this sub-process, the team develops the firm’s strategy fordealing with segments of customers who do not qualify forindividually tailored PSAs.improving the mix, that is, aligning services and the costs toserve.Cost of goods sold can be reduced, as a result of the betterplanning that comes from collaboration with customers. Costsavings occur due to fewer last-minute production changesand, less expediting of inbound materials and shipments tocustomers. For wholesalers significant cost savings can occuras a result of fewer order changes.CRM leads to better targeting of marketing expenditures(Turnbull et al., 1996). A number of expenses can be reducedas a result of better tailoring of the firm’s marketing andlogistics programs to customer needs while giving fullconsideration to the profitability of each customer. Tradespending also can be improved. Services to low profitcustomers can be eliminated or reduced and reallocated tomore profitable customers to drive revenue growth. Betterknowledge of customer requirements and the reduction ofservices to low-profit customers can lead to a reconfigurationof the physical network of facilities resulting in cost savings.Less profitable customers may be served using wholesalers/distributers, which may represent a new channel ofdistribution (Lambert and Sterling, 1990). Reductions arealso possible in the costs of customer service and ordermanagement, human resources, and general overhead andadministrative. In addition to reducing expenditures, there isthe opportunity through CRM to better allocate resources tocustomers which can be measured in terms of increasedrevenue.Properly implemented, CRM can result in reductions incurrent assets such as inventories and accounts receivable aswell as fixed assets. Inventories can be reduced as a result ofimproved demand planning, lower safety stocks, and/or theshift to a make-to-order manufacturing environment.Accounts receivable can be reduced as a result of fewerdisputed invoices that typically are caused by incompleteorders, missed deliveries, incorrect pricing, and/or productsshipped in error. Finally, successful CRM can lead to lowerfixed assets as a result of improved utilization/rationalizationof plant and warehousing facilities, and improved investmentplanning and deployment.Once the team has an understanding of how CRM affectsthe firm’s financial performance as measured by EVA, metricsmust be developed for each of the individual activitiesperformed and these metrics must be tied back to the firm’sfinancial performance. Management should focus on thoseactivities that increase the profitability of the total supplychain not just the profitability of a single firm. Management’sgoal should be to encourage actions that benefit the supplychain network while at the same time equitably sharing in therisks and the rewards. If the management team of a firmmakes a decision that positively affects that firm’s EVA at theexpense of the EVA of customers or suppliers, every effortshould be made to share the benefits in a manner thatimproves the financial performance of each firm involved soall involved parties have an incentive to improve overall supplychain performance.The development of customer profitability reports enablesthe process team to track performance over time. If calculatedas shown in Figure 5, these reports reflect all of the cost andrevenue implications of the relationship (Lambert andSterling, 1990; Mossman et al., 1978). Variablemanufacturing costs are deducted from net sales to calculatea manufacturing contribution. Next, variable marketing andProvide guidelines for the degree of differentiation inthe product and service agreementsIn the third sub-process, the team develops guidelines for thedegree of differentiation in the PSA. This involves developingthe differentiation alternatives and considering the revenue andcost implications of each. The output is the degree ofcustomization that can be offered to customers based on thepotential of the customer(s). The goal is to offer PSAs thatenhance the profitability of the firm and its customers. For somecustomers, resources will be increased and in other cases theywill be trimmed. It is a matter of matching the company’sresources to the customers’ short-term and long-term value tothe firm. Profitability reports by customer are a key input whenmaking these decisions (Lambert and Sterling, 1990; Turnbullet al., 1996). In order to find and understand the opportunitiesto customize the PSAs, in this sub-process the team willinterface with the other seven process teams.At 3M, PSAs contain: the contacts including name, title,telephone, e-mail for both 3M and the customerrepresentatives; details related to transportation includingdeliveries, order minimums, driver instructions, will calls andappointments; bills of lading (combine or do not combinepurchase orders); pallets to be used; purchase orderconfirmations; order status including names of contactindividuals, Internet order status web site with user name andpassword; details related to pricing inquires; availability ofmarket development funds; marketing promotional allowances;acceptability of backorders and how they will be handled; andcontract items. PSAs also may include goals with regard to jointdevelopment of new products or joint marketing programs. Forkey customers, the PSAs are customized and for segments ofother customers standard values are provided for eachparameter. For customers who are not meeting profit goals,services may be offered but at a price.Develop framework of metricsDeveloping the framework of metrics involves outlining themetrics of interest and relating them to the customer’s impacton the firm’s profitability as well as the firm’s impact on thecustomer’s profitability (Lambert and Burduroglu, 2000;Zablah et al., 2005; Payne and Frow, 2005). The CRMprocess team has the responsibility for assuring that themetrics used to measure performance of the other processesare not in conflict. Management needs to insure that allinternal and external measures are driving consistent andappropriate behavior (Lambert et al., 1998).Figure 4 shows how the CRM process can affect the firm’sfinancial performance as measured by economic value added(EVA). It illustrates how CRM can impact sales, cost of goodssold, total expenses, inventory investment, other currentassets, and the investment in fixed assets. For example, CRMcan lead to higher sales volume as a result of strengtheningrelationships with profitable customers, selling higher marginproducts, increasing the firm’s share of the customer’sexpenditures for the products/services sold, and/or9
Customer relationship management as a business processJournal of Business & Industrial MarketingDouglas M. LambertVolume 25 · Number 1 · 2010 · 4 –17Figure 4 How CRM affects economic value added (EVAw)Figure 5 Customer profitability analysis: a contribution approach with charge for assets employed10
Customer relationship management as a business processJournal of Business & Industrial MarketingDouglas M. LambertVolume 25 · Number 1 · 2010 · 4 –17logistics costs, such as sales commissions, transportation,warehouse handling, special packaging, order processing anda charge for accounts receivable, are deducted to calculate acontribution margin (Lambert and Sterling, 1990; Mossmanet al., 1978). Assignable non-variable costs, such as salaries,customer-related advertising expenditures, slotting allowancesand inventory carrying costs, are subtracted to obtain asegment controllable margin. The net margin is obtained afterdeducting a charge for dedicated assets. These statementscontain opportunity costs for investment in receivables andinventory and a charge for dedicated assets. Consequently,they are much closer to cash flow statements than a traditionalprofit and loss statement. They contain revenues minus thecosts (avoidable costs) that disappear if the revenuedisappears (Lambert, 2008a).At Sysco, a 23.4 billion food distributor, profitabilityreports by customer were implemented in 1999. Thesereports enabled management to make strategic decisionsabout the allocation of resources to accounts including whichcustomers receive the preferred delivery times and whichcustomers must pay for value added services if they want toreceive them. The results are illustrated in Figure 6. The fiveyear cumulative annual growth rate for the period 1999 to2003 was 11.3 per cent for sales and 19.1 per cent for netearnings. Net earnings growth improved sharply after theprofitability reports were implemented. In addition tomeasuring current performance, these reports can be usedto track the profitability of customers over time and to providea foundation for generating pro-forma statements thatestimate the impact of potential process improvementprojects. Decision analysis can be performed to considerwhat-if scenarios such as best case, worst case and most likelycase.Develop guidelines for sharing process improvementbenefits with customersIn the final sub-process, the team develops the guidelines forsharing process improvement benefits with customers. Thegoal is to make process improvements win-win solutions forboth the firm and the customer. If all of the parties involveddo not gain from process improvement efforts, it will bedifficult obtain their full and sustained commitment. TheCRM team must quantify the benefits of processimprovements in financial terms.For example, in a project that involved Cargill and a keycustomer, representatives from the two firms decided that a50/50 split would motivate both parties to maximize theopportunities and would acknowledge that neither partycould achieve the savings without the other party. The teamsagreed that benefits should be explicitly recognized and be inexcess of a predetermined “baseline”. The costs to beconsidered should be directly related to the recommendedinitiatives (capital costs, transaction costs, system rela
In a business-to-business environment, customer relationship management is the business process that provides the structure for how relationships with customers are developed and maintained. Increasingly, customer relationship management (CRM) is being viewed as strategic (Lambert, 2004; Payne and Frow, 2005; Zablah
Customer satisfaction has identified as an important influencer on customer loyalty. Further, customer trust impacted by customer satisfaction which proved that customer satisfaction is an antecedent of customer trust. Moreover, an indirect relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty through customer trust was observed.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System Market by Players 2022: UserVoice, Microsoft Dynamics, Zoho, NetSuite Customer Relationship Management Global Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System Market is esteemed at USD 52.4 billion in 2022 and is growing at a CAGR of 13.3% between 2022 to 2029. NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, August
b2c Business-to-consumer CRM Customer Relationship Management CRO Customer Relationship Orientation . customer engagement and the value created from these engagements. (Trainor 2012) As a result, the slow SM adoption of b2b companies (Järvinen et al. 2012; Swani et al. 2014) and current tendency to utilize SM for customer relationships in .
Sales forecasting 136 Lifetime value estimation 141 Data mining 143 CPM in the business-to-business context 147 Additional customer portfolio management tools 154 Strategically signifi cant customers 157 The seven core customer management strategies 158 Summary 160 References 160 6 Customer relationship management and customer
The understanding and practicing of supplier relationship management has become an essential part of an organization in ensuring profitability, (Gold, Seuring and Beske, 2010). Supplier relationship management is the relationship between company buyers and its suppliers. It is a mirror image of customer relationship management in the aspect .
the ME Customer Relationship Process and tools. The ME Guide to Customer Relationship Management is based on the principles contained in the CANSO Global Guide CRM and tailored to the need and regional specifics of the ME Region. The 'CANSO Global Guide to Customer Relations Management'3, which is one of the
orientation, customer retention and superior customer value created through process management". Customer retention is an essential part of customer relationship management and organizations must take this into account (Watkins, 1999). The longer a customer stays with an organization the more utility the customer generates to the organization.
4 Rig Veda I Praise Agni, the Chosen Mediator, the Shining One, the Minister, the summoner, who most grants ecstasy. Yajur Veda i̱ṣe tvo̱rje tv ā̍ vā̱yava̍s sthop ā̱yava̍s stha d e̱vo v a̍s savi̱tā prārpa̍yat u̱śreṣṭha̍tam āya̱
