Social Crm Applications And Impact In Small Businesses

The present study explored the effect social customer relationship management (CRM) on. Small businesses typically have limited resources and thus use an informal CRM system causing them to not realize the full sales potential or customer engagement that could occur. The qualitative study consisted of 10 small businesses that utilize social media to engage with customers. The agency theory and resource based view served as the theoretical foundation for the study. One-on-one interviews were conducted with the employee responsible for managing the social media content. From the interviews, three themes emerged that are critical for social CRM success: visibility, interactivity, and being relational. If the social media posts are customer-oriented then those themes should be a direct result from social media engagement. Each of the participating small businesses stressed the fact that social media provides two-way communication, bringing value to both the business and the customer through direct feedback and the creation of an online community. The more frequent the interaction, the stronger the loyalty the customer develops for the business.