Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Evaluation: Diffusing CRM Benefits into Business Processes

Although CRM is one of the fastest growing management approaches being adopted across many organizations and particularly tourism and hospitality firms, the deployment of CRM applications has not always delivered the expected results while many CRM initiatives have failed. Consequently, the inability of CRM applications to deliver expected benefits has not only intensified the validity of previous findings and claims regarding the ICT productivity paradox, but it has also boosted current research. However, although the latter provides anecdotal evidence of the impact of ICT management practices on CRM effectiveness, there is a lack of empirical studies examining the relationship between CRM management and performance aspects. This study aims to fill in this gap by investigating the relation between firms’ CRM applications and exploitation with their ICT management practices and CRM benefits. The investigation and validation of the former are valuable, since it would enable managers to maximize CRM benefits by identifying and allocating the appropriate resources, time and efforts to CRM implementation. Relations are tested by gathering data from Greek tourism and hospitality companies. Findings provide useful practical suggestions for CRM evaluation and implementation strategies, while implications for future research are analyzed

e-Customer Relationship Management in the hotel sector: Guests\u27 perceptions of perceived e-service quality levels

The notion of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) has been shown to be a worthwhile strategy in many service industries. This coupled with Internet advances means that it is now possible and even beneficial to extend CRM practices on the Internet (eCRM) and integrate them with the offline CRM programme. eCRM has can boost guests\u27 satisfaction and patronage in the hospitality industry, as Internet business models have empowered guests with a great amount of information which, in turn, makes them more price sensitive, less brand loyal and more sophisticated. However, although research has concentrated so far on CRM and eCRM implementation and its operational requirements, CRM implications from the customer perspective have been ignored. This paper aims to fill in this gap by examining the impact of eCRM on guests\u27 perceptions of service quality on the Internet (e-service quality). It is advocated that eCRM enhances e-service quality by allowing guests to participate in service processes (e.g. service production, delivery, design) and so improving guests\u27 cognitive and emotional evaluations of service quality performances. Research propositions were tested by applying Critical Incident Analysis and conducting in-depth interviews with nine international hotel guests using eCRM. In general, findings mainly stressed the need to integrate eCRM with off line hotel strategies and operations providing several guidelines for further development and improvement of eCRM hotel practices. Future directions of research are also proposed

Unravelling the Impact of Information Communication Technology (ICT) on Restaurant Productivity

Despite the continuous increase of investment in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), research has not persuasively established corresponding productivity increases. In contrast, many studies investigating the ICT impact have found no significant relationships between productivity and ICT. However, several shortcomings have been identified in past studies, e.g. measurement errors, redistribution of impacts and mismanagement of ICT. This study proposes a methodology for assessing the ICT productivity impact that overcomes these shortcomings. The methodology is tested in a dataset of hotel restaurants in the UK by using a non-parametric technique called Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Findings revealed that productivity gains do not accrue from ICT investments per se, but from the exploitation of ICT “informate” and networking capabilities. Suggestions for enhancing the productivity impact of ICT are provided

Geocollaborative Portals And Trip Planning: Users’ Perceptions Of The Success Of The Collaborative Decision Making Processes

As more and more travelers wish to create their personalised trip itineraries, the provision of geographical information and services on travel websites is an unavoidable necessity. The evolution of geoportals, geocollaborative portals and web 2.0 present numerous opportunities and services for making the trip planning process less complex and time consuming, more efficient and more social and collaborative for travelers and their travel companions. This paper aimed at exploring the use and impact of geocollaborative portals on the success of collaborative trip planning processes. To that end, the literature was reviewed for analyzing the functionality of geoportals and geocollaborative portals and demonstrating how these can support and facilitate the collaborative decision making processes for trip planning purposes. A framework for measuring the impacts of geoportals’ use on travellers’ collaborative decision making processes was developed and tested by collecting primary data through an experimental study based on students’ perceptions using Yahoo! Trip Planner for planning a group trip. The paper provides useful practical guidelines for designing the functionality of geoportals and/or geocollaborative portals for trip planning purposes

Investigating the impact of e-customer relationship management on hotels ´website service quality

As online tourists are becoming more price sensitive, less brand loyal and more sophisticated, e- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) becomes a strategic necessity for attracting and increasing guests’ patronage. Despite the vital role of eCRM for e-commerce success, its deployment frequently fails or it does not always deliver the expected results. The latter has boosted research, but studies have been primarily focused on investigating eCRM implementation from a company’s perspective ignoring its customer perspective. In this vein, the purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of eCRM on hotels’ website service quality as perceived by their guests. To achieve that, first the concept of eCRM is analysed and then, a customer-centric eCRM model that directly identifies eCRM impact on e-services is proposed and used for measuring hotels’ eCRM practices. Later, a literature review synthesizes the concept and dimensions of website service quality providing a scale of website service quality measurement. Data from eCRM hotels guests were gathered and findings provide useful implications for successful implementing eCRM and enhancing website service quality. Finally, the limitations of the study and directions for future research are discussed

e-Customer Relationship Management in the hotel sector: Guests\u27 perceptions of perceived e-service quality levels

The notion of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) has been shown to be a worthwhile strategy in many service industries. This coupled with Internet advances means that it is now possible and even beneficial to extend CRM practices on the Internet (eCRM) and integrate them with the offline CRM programme. eCRM has can boost guests\u27 satisfaction and patronage in the hospitality industry, as Internet business models have empowered guests with a great amount of information which, in turn, makes them more price sensitive, less brand loyal and more sophisticated. However, although research has concentrated so far on CRM and eCRM implementation and its operational requirements, CRM implications from the customer perspective have been ignored. This paper aims to fill in this gap by examining the impact of eCRM on guests\u27 perceptions of service quality on the Internet (e-service quality). It is advocated that eCRM enhances e-service quality by allowing guests to participate in service processes (e.g. service production, delivery, design) and so improving guests\u27 cognitive and emotional evaluations of service quality performances. Research propositions were tested by applying Critical Incident Analysis and conducting in-depth interviews with nine international hotel guests using eCRM. In general, findings mainly stressed the need to integrate eCRM with off line hotel strategies and operations providing several guidelines for further development and improvement of eCRM hotel practices. Future directions of research are also proposed

Internal Snd e-Sales Information Systems: Impact On Innovation And Business Performance In The Tourism Sector

The relation between information systems, innovation and business performance is a critical question for both researchers and practitioners. This paper provides an empirical investigation of this issue in the tourism sector by conducting an analysis of the relations between: I) the exploitation level of two widely adopted types of IS, namely internal and e-sales systems (first level); II) the extent of business innovation and benefits from ICT (second level); and III) business performance (third level). This study has been based on firm-level data from 2665 European tourism firms, which have been used for constructing a structural equation model (SEM) and estimating the interrelationship amongst these constructs. The model provided evidence of a positive impact of the exploitation level of both IS (internal and e-sales) on innovation, with the former being a stronger driver of innovation than the latter. The exploitation levels of the internal and e-sales IS were also found to have both a positive impact on the business benefits that the tourism firms achieve from their ICT infrastructures, which impact is also mediated by innovation; internal IS were found to have a higher impact on ICT business benefits than the e-sales IS. Furthermore, these ICT benefits and innovation (both directly and indirectly through the ICT benefits) were found to have an ultimate positive impact on business performance. Consequently, the findings suggest that tourism firms should combine the development of internal ICT and e-sales IS with innovation if they wish to get more IS driven business benefits and ultimately increase their business performance

DEVELOPING HUMAN RESOURCES’ SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE IN TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY THROUGH THE DETERMINATION OF QUALITY OF TRAINING PROGRAMS

Research into tourism and hospitality training field has been focused on the subjects of training need assessments, training evaluation models, training within organizational frameworks and useful training techniques. Despite the significance of the above aspects, less afford has been made in the field of training quality and particularly in defining those factors that the quality of a training program consists of. Taking into account that training is a service which the organization, the producer, delivers to its employee, the consumer, this research is going one step further and not only exams SERVQUAL in the training field, but tries to examine inductively at distinctive training quality dimensions from the perspective of trainees point of view that are not subject of other service industry. The definition of training quality dimensions can lead those who develop a new training program to use those dimensions as a framework for greater training outcomes. Moreover, this research tests how the GAP model is compared with the measurement of perceptions merely and the measurement of expectations lone of training quality, as defined by the trainees

Examining the Relationship between Emotions, Customer Satisfaction and Future Behavioral Intentions in Agrotourism

Marketers have been working tirelessly to determine the factors that lead to customer satisfaction presuming that customer satisfaction automatically leads to repeated customers. Service quality, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and repeat business are issues well recognized and investigated by researchers. Recent theory however suggests that service quality alone doesn’t necessarily encourage customers to repeat their choices, but rather, “complete” customer satisfaction does Thus, the main research question addressed in this paper is how to complete the relationship between “complete” customer satisfaction and repeat business. The customer’s emotions have been proved to be a key determinant to turn a satisfied customer into a repeated one. The research was conducted in 2009, addressed to customers of agrotourism businesses on Lesvos Island and Florina – Greece