Using electronic customer relationship management (e-CRM) practices to retain business customers: a French BMW car dealership case study

Abstract

The emergence of the Internet has conducted to a large amount of possibilities for both businesses and customers since the last years. One of them is related to customer relationship management, which became “e-CRM” by including new electronic solutions. The objective of these new programmes for businesses is to provide adapted and personalised product or services that will satisfy the customer, increase its satisfaction and loyalty towards the company. In this paper, the literature review aimed to set the basis on the different e-crm features and their efficiency depending on the purchase moment. Business people characteristics are developed and finally e-satisfaction is discussed. Then, the primary research part aimed to test and validate or not the different e-CRM features that could be used by a car dealership towards business people by examining their online behaviours and expectations from a car dealer. The results from this study is, for the researcher to show the great contribution that online features could bring to an automobile car dealer in building strong and long term relationship bonds with their business customers. This researcher also contributes to increase general knowledge of business people behaviour and expectations and make recommendations globally to the automobile industry, to the BMW car dealership and Angoulême and finally to marketing practices.