How does CRM technology transform into organizational performance? A mediating role of marketing capability

Abstract

Customer relationship management (CRM) technology has attracted significant attention from researchers and practitioners as a facilitator of organizational performance. Even though companies have made tremendous investments in CRM technology, empirical research offers inconsistent support that CRM technology enhances organizational performance. Given this equivocal effect and the increasing need for the generalization of CRM implementation research outside western context, the authors, using data from Korean companies, address the process concerning how CRM technology translates into business outcomes. The results highlight that marketing capability mediates the association between CRM technology use and performance. Moreover, a customer-centric organizational culture and management system facilitate CRM technology use. This study serves not only to clarify the mechanism between CRM technology use and organizational performance, but also to generalize the CRM results in the Korean context. © 2009 Elsevier Inc.