به سوی یک دیدگاه جامع پیاده سازی مدیریت ارتباط با مشتری (CRM): یک مطالعه موردی از هیئت مدیره مسکن سازی و توسعه، سنگاپور

Organizations have increasingly recognized the importance of managing customer relationships, and many organizations are turning to customer relationship management (CRM) to better serve customers and facilitate closer relationships with them. This paper examines the implementation of CRM at the Housing and Development Board (HDB) in Singapore. The CRM architecture (comprising operational CRM, collaborative CRM and analytical CRM) deployed at HDB reflects a holistic approach to CRM implementation that integrates three key perspectives of CRM, namely, the business, technology and customer perspectives. Drawing from the case study, we present a holistic framework for CRM that binds information technologies with business processes for the delivery of high service quality.

As companies' business strategies become more customer-oriented with the evolution of mass customization and personalized services, information technologies (IT) are used not only to serve various departments within an organization, but also to serve end-users of the organization's products and services. Specifically, the use of IT adds a new dimension to relationship marketing, known as customer relationship management (CRM) [23] and [31]. At its core, CRM is about acquiring customers, knowing them well, providing services and anticipating their needs [10]. However, a problem with CRM is that it means different things to different people [40] and organizations approach CRM differently, e.g., some may view CRM as a technology tool while others may view it as an essential part of business. Hence, there is a need for a holistic approach by organizations to integrate IT with its business processes and customer service delivery. A holistic approach helps ensure that different perspectives of CRM are explicitly considered, and that operational CRM, analytical CRM and collaborative CRM complement each other. The Housing and Development Board (HDB) is regarded in Singapore as one of the government agencies most receptive to IT. The appointment of a senior executive as Chief Information Officer (CIO) in 1999 signaled the commitment of the agency to utilize IT strategically. Since then, HDB has consistently leveraged IT to streamline its business processes and provide better services to its customers. Indeed, HDB is recognized as a model organization in IT implementation (evident in its many IT-related awards), having successfully carried out business process reengineering, data warehouse implementation, knowledge management implementation and CRM implementation, among many other IT projects. As a pioneer in IT implementation among public sector organizations in Singapore, HDB presents an ideal case study from which other organizations may draw useful lessons. In particular, HDB's progressive development of its CRM systems and various other IT tools for the aim of providing customers with service excellence is worth examining. This is especially so as previous research has shown that the success rate of CRM varies between 30% and 70% [37], and there is currently a lack of successful CRM case studies (especially on public organizations) reported in academic journals. In this paper, we examine HDB's success in CRM implementation as a case study, and propose a framework for CRM encompassing business, technology and customer perspectives. We also discuss the CRM architecture as operational, collaborative and analytical systems to address the need for CRM to be approached as an integrated organizational strategy encompassing both front office and backend business operations. The paper is organized as follows. Following this introduction, we review the literature on CRM. In the process, we lay the foundation for a holistic framework of CRM that integrates the technology, business and customer perspectives of CRM. Next, we present the background description of HDB, followed by the evolution of CRM at HDB. Subsequently, we describe the components of the CRM architecture at HDB. We then analyze CRM implementation at HDB through the holistic framework and discuss its impact on the agency.

The importance of developing an integrated strategy towards CRM has long been emphasized in the literature [39]. However, researchers have emphasized the importance of business processes in CRM [10], or technology as an enabler in CRM [24]. In this paper, we have presented a holistic framework integrating all three perspectives of CRM, namely, business, customer and technology. Drawing on the successful CRM experience of a government agency in Singapore, we have shown how a holistic approach to CRM delivers remarkable results. HDB, the organization in our case study, approached CRM in a manner that encompasses operational CRM, collaborative CRM and analytical CRM. HDB invested much time and funds in its goal to better serve its customers, and this has led to the implementation of an integrated CRM architecture to support its corporate objective of providing quality services to its customers. The end result has been the successful implementation of CRM. The achievement is reflected in the numerous awards that HDB has won: In January 2002, HDB was one of the 20 organizations selected for the Intelligent20 Award for the innovative use of technology. In March 2002, the CIO of HDB was named IT Person of the year by the Singapore Computer Society in recognition for his leadership in the use of IT within HDB and promoting IT certification within the industry. HDB thus serves as an instructive case of successful IT and CRM deployment. However, other viable approaches to CRM may also exist. Future research can examine the different approaches used by various organizations in implementing CRM and improve on the holistic framework proposed in this study. Previous CRM research has generally focused on the private sector. Though public sector organizations are not profit oriented and are more concerned with cost reduction, the objective of CRM as a means to achieving superior service quality is relevant to both private and public sector organizations. Future research can examine differences in CRM practices among private and public sector organizations. This case study contributes towards better understanding of CRM implementation and expands the paradigm of customer service to include integration with business processes and technology adoption. Overall, this case study should be useful in helping researchers and practitioners better understand the importance of a holistic approach to CRM as well as the potential impact of CRM on the organization. The study also fills a void in the literature as there are few cases of successful CRM implementation in the public sector published in academic journals. By examining successful cases of CRM implementation, practitioners can adapt and learn from other firms' experiences.