The Role of Gender in Shaping CRM Perception: Evidence from Insurance Sector

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is central to service delivery in private health insurance, yet employee perceptions of CRM practices may vary by gender. This study examined gender-based differences in CRM perceptions among employees of standalone private health insurance companies in Karnataka, India, while also assessing employee satisfaction, CRM improvement strategies, and implementation challenges. A quantitative research design was used, with a structured questionnaire administered to 175 employees. The instrument was pre-tested with 20 employees, and internal consistency exceeded the Cronbach's alpha threshold of 0.70. Gender differences were analysed using the independent-samples Mann–Whitney U test, supported by descriptive statistics. Significant gender-based differences were observed for gathering customer information to improve product personalisation (p = 0.013), timely and responsive service delivery (p = 0.001), understanding the positions of employees and customers (p = 0.001), and practising innovation (p = 0.003). No significant difference was identified for managing rejection and identifying sales opportunities (p = 0.06). Descriptive findings indicated relatively strong support for building meaningful customer relationships and developing effective sales strategies, while employee satisfaction with CRM roles was moderately positive. Respondents also highlighted cost, training, software mismatch, data use, social listening, and workforce alignment as important implementation considerations. The findings indicate that gender is a relevant dimension in employee perceptions of several CRM practices and should be considered alongside organisational implementation factors.