Customer Relationship Management and the Customer Lifecycle: Measurement and Performance Outcomes

The shift from a transactional marketing approach to a relational marketing approach has prompted many firms to implement customer relationship management (CRM) programs. Little is known about the factors of successful CRM implementations and even present research has only a diffuse picture of what constitutes CRM performance outcomes. This study provides three models for the explanation of CRM performance separated according to the lifecycle phases initiation, maintenance, and retention. We identify the drivers that affect implementation success for each phase the most. We also find several drivers mentioned in literature with no impact.