THE ROLE OF CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP IN OFFICE TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT (OTM)
ABSTRACT
Over the last decade, too many organizations have assumed that their products or services were so superior that customers would automatically keep coming back for more. But in order to compete effectively in today’s marketplace, organizations must change their strategy to become more customer focused, not product focused. Customer Relationship is the best way to integrate this customer-facing approach throughout an organization. Aimed at understanding and anticipating the needs of an organization’s current and potential customers, this innovative book shows how Customer Relationship links people, process, and technology to optimize an enterprise’s revenue and profits by first providing maximum customer satisfaction. Covers developing a secretarial-oriented strategy, innovation in products and services, sales and channels transformation, customer relationship secretarial, and customer care
CHAPTER ONE
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
1.0Â Â Â Â Â Â Â INTRODUCTION
This chapter gives an introduction to Customer Relationship Management practices and how it is practiced amongst Office technology and management in Nigeria. It highlights the research objectives, relevance of the research, and scope of the study and the rationale for the study.
1.1Â Â Â Â Â Â Â BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The contemporary business environment is confronted with many challenging issues. Providing clients with the best and thus maintaining the relationships rank among top issues in most organization especially service providing companies. Contemporary clients are enlightened and therefore face a growing range of choices in the products and value addition. Companies need to understand the determinants of client value and satisfaction. Clients delivered values are the difference in the total clients cost.
1.2Â Â Â Â Â Â Â STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The Office Technology and management(OTM) in Nigeria has seen a steep increase in entrants over the past decade. This rapid increase in the number of players has boosted competition and increased the focus on competitiveness and core service values. Each of these companies is battling for a common market share using the latest technology, secretarial and experience to retain their customers’ loyalty. It is in the light of this that, the research seeks to address the following questions.
1.3Â Â Â Â Â Â Â OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH
The rationale of the study is to provide information on how customer relationship management practices affect the Office Technology and management(OTM) in Nigeria as well as clients who patronize these companies. The main objective of the research includes the following.
1.3.1Â Â Â Â To find out and discuss the interpretation attitudes towards the Customer Relationship concepts.
1.3.2Â Â Â Â To ascertain and evaluate the extent of Customer Relationship adoption and interpretation into the overall organizational planning of Ofiice technology and management.
1.3.3Â Â Â Â To examine the various Customer Relationship strategies, programmes and methods that underpins Customer Relationship implementation amongst Ofiice technology and management.
1.3.4Â Â Â Â To understand and discuss the facilitating and /or inhibiting the factors that influence Customer Relationship practices.
1.4Â Â Â Â Â Â Â RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The following are research questions formulated for the study.
1.4.1Â Â Â Â What are the structures put in place to enhance Customer Relationship?
1.4.2Â Â Â Â What types of strategies are employed to help in Customer Relationship?
1.4.3Â Â Â Â Do the Ofiice technology and management use Customer Relationship strategies and methods to enhance profitability?
1.4.4Â Â Â Â To what extent do employees seek to build a strong relationship with customers?
1.5Â Â Â Â Â Â Â RESEARCH METHODS
The three main sections that helped in the implementation of the research were the research strategy and approach, data collection procedure and data analysis techniques. The methods used to achieve the objectives of the study include data collection and an in-depth interview. The methodology used, answers questions on the population size, and data collection process. Qualitative research was mainly used, since it is an inquiry process of understanding based on distinct methodological traditions of inquiry that explore a social or human problem. The idea was to build a complex, holistic picture, analyzed words, report detailed views of informants, and conducts the study in a natural setting.
1.6Â Â Â Â Â Â Â THE SCOPE AND LIMITATIONSÂ OF THE STUDY
The scope of this study covers an efficient and effective customer-seller relationship from the service provider. It’s also an assessment of the extent to which Office technology and management have developed their relationship with customers and how best to coordinate a customer relationship management programme. Customer Relationship is a strategic business and process issue, not merely a technology solution as most often conceived in practice. The Customer Relationship process is a continuous learning process where information about individual customer is transformed into a customer relationship. A theoretical model on which future empirical analysis should be based when conceptualizing Customer Relationship. Financial constraints made the work very challenging and successful. Gathering information from respondents was difficult, as some of the respondent were not willing to divulge information to the researcher. The research was not conducted in all branches of Nigeria Commercial Bank, but in fifteen Branches of the Bank in the Ashanti Region.
