Factors affecting customer relationship management practices in Thai academic libraries

Outline

• Abstract
• Highlights
• Keywords
• Introduction
• Research Objective
• Literature Review
• Knowledge & Understanding of Crm of Library Staff and Leadership of Library Administrators
• Organizational Culture and Communication
• Customer Management Processes
• Technology for Supporting Customer Management
• Channels for Library Services and Communications
• Research Methodology
• Results
• Impacts on Crm in Academic Libraries As Seen by the Library Personnel
• Impacts on Crm in Academic Libraries As Seen by the Library Customers
• Analysis of Factors Affecting Crm in Academic Libraries
• Conclusions and Discussions
• References

Conclusions

The nature of Thai academic libraries presently has significantly changed due to the impact from the advancement of information technology and communication, economic competitiveness and educational marketing, production and dissemination of technical knowledge, and people’s learning behaviors. All of these necessitate academic libraries to become aware of various challenges and make organizational adjustments in order to keep pace with the changes.

Library visions and administration have to be refocused with an emphasis placed on customers or users. A library is a service organization and as such, its existence depends on service quality and customer satisfaction. It is observed that in academic library quality accreditation, notwithstanding whether it is based on Thai or foreign criteria such as LibQUALþ, importance is placed on service quality and customer satisfaction which affects the overall quality implementation (CHE, 2001; Green & Kyillidou, 2011). Research on factors affecting the use of CRM in the adjustments of academic library organizations in order to improve service quality and customer service reflect that library staff and customers who are also university lecturers believe that technology is no longer a factor affecting CRM.

Technology already existed or can be obtained without any difficulty. Most academic libraries have been performing their customer management with technology such as contacting and communicating with customers through erequest that enables customers to retrieve the library’s information with librarian assistance. There is also the esuggestion service that allows customers to voice their opinions and suggestions about library services (Siriprasoetsin, Tuamsuk, & Vongprasert, 2010). However, the important issue is the understanding of CRM by library administrator leadership, especially the acceptance and support for the introduction of CRM in libraries. This may be analyzed in terms of the alteration of academic library staff vision. This organization is non-profit; the change from user services to customer services may contradict organizational values. Nevertheless, although the concept of customer services is in the scope of a marketing perspective, it accents the importance of attracting and maintaining customers in order to develop loyal customers who value the services and will become repeat customers (Gronroos, 2000; Kotler, 2003). The concept, therefore, can be applied in library service from a marketing perspective.

As far as organizational culture and communication is concerned, the multivariate analysis revealed that these two factors were second in affecting CRM in libraries. It should be noted that the important sub-factor was communication among staff. It can be said that Thai academic libraries possess a strong and clear structural culture, i.e., establishment of teamwork, operational agreements, and roles and responsibilities of all team members. However, there are shortcomings in inter-communication and cross library function. From most of the personnel’s perspectives, organizational culture and communication are not the important factors affecting CRM. This indicates that the potential for organizational change is high. From the customers’ perspectives, on the contrary, inter-communication among personnel and cross library functional integration are the most important factors (over 55 percent). Thus, libraries should review the perception of people in the organization since the internal and external perspectives are essential.

The multivariate analysis revealed that the service channels and communication are the factors with the least effects on the use of CRM in academic libraries. This was contrasted with the results from the analysis of staff and customers in which most respondents believed that service channels and communication had great impact. The answers in this category were widely distributed, from high levels of impact to no impact. Hence, the descriptive statistical data and advanced statistical information differ.

However, service channel provisions and communication is vital for CRM. Perhaps, it may not be necessary to stipulate the multiplicity of patterns and channels, but more importantly, appropriate communication channels should be provided for different customers (Kotler et al., 2002). Therefore, it is necessary for libraries to select suitable communication channels and propose their services through these channels for their customers.

The findings from the analysis of the impact from CRM use in academic libraries enabled us to determine the major and minor factors affecting CRM based on CRM organizational management. The answers were obtained from those who were directly involved in the operation of academic libraries, i.e., administrators, personnel, and customers.

The factors will be useful for library administration since they denote key conditions that promote or drive CRM in academic libraries toward success and at the same time, show important conditions or weaknesses in the libraries that need to be amended. The factors affecting CRM also show the situations of each library and should be further studied in order to design the strategies and means for CRM administration in academic libraries. Suggestions for academic libraries on the development and implementation of CRM in libraries are: (1) CRM must be included in the library strategic plan; (2) CRM must be a key strategy for the improvement of library service quality; (3) library administrators must have strong leadership for achieving the effectiveness of CRM practices in the library; (4) library staff must have good knowledge and understanding of CRM and its link to library service quality improvement; (5) the working cultures for CRM effectiveness such as teamwork, cross functional work, and good communication between staff must be encouraged and practiced in the library; and (6) technology must be fully supported by CRM in the library.