Encouraging CRM systems usage: a study among bank managers

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to seek to understand service providers and their intentions to use their organization's customer relationship management (CRM) technology. The paper identifies perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use as key elements that are critical in encouraging service providers' intention to use CRM systems. Design/methodology/approach - The research is grounded in the theory of reasoned action and the technology acceptance model. These are used as a basis for developing hypotheses of the relationships between the variables pertaining to the intention to use CRM systems, among a sample of service providers. Data are collected from a sample of managers in a community bank. Findings - Results indicate that the higher the perceived ease of use, the greater the perceived usefulness and the higher the intention to use CRM. Moreover, perceived usefulness is also found to act as a partial mediator between perceived ease of use and intention to use CRM. Research limitations/implications - The study was limited to a single entity and consequently the results should be generalized with caution. Replication studies, that could possibly include additional variables, across other countries and contexts are desirable. Practical implications - The effect of Perceived Ease of Use on employees' intention to use CRM is supported, highlighting the need for management to devote adequate resources toward developing this aspect. This study is also helpful because it highlights the need for senior management to create the right environment to enhance systems adoption. Originality/value - This paper investigates the interaction among these key elements and their effect on CRM systems adoption within a banking context, thereby contributing to better understanding of the underlying links.