New Trends in Customer Relationship Management and their Application in Slovak Enterprises

Abstract

Get new customers at a time of economic downturn is a challenge. For organizations whose goal is not only be succeed but also to ensure the survival, a CRM is a solution which provides a quick view of the market and brings value to the business in the longer term. Not all businesses know about the CRM opportunities and new trends in this area. The aim of this article is charting of new trends in CRM (as Mobile CRM, Social CRM, Customer Data Management...) and how to use them during the economic crisis. Analysis of scientific literature, comparative analysis and inductive method were main methods of the research. The analysis of scientific literature allowed revealing new trends in CRM area. From March 2007 to February 2009 we carried out the research specialized in diagnostics of the level of Slovak companies in the CRM area. The purpose of the research was also to find and analyse the current level of Slovak businesses in CRM area. Data gathering was running by two main ways – by personal questioning and by electronic questioning. 230 top managers of Slovak medium and large businesses participated in the research. The results of the survey show the status of using the CRM at relatively high level. Almost half respondents said that CRM is in full operation in the company. But understanding of the term CRM is relatively poor. Respondents have considered the most important preconditions for successful implementation of CRM into the enterprise strategy and planning, effective work with information and high-quality customer base.