An Investigation of the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Technology Acceptance Model in Small Business in Golestan Province in Iran

Customer relationship management (CRM) applications are no longer expensive softwares that only big companies could afford. Recently, small businesses have increasingly begun to take advantage of this technology. However, results have been reported far short of expectations. Even though there are numerous reasons for unsatisfactory outcomes, inadequate user acceptance or usage emerges as one of the most critical factors. The purpose of the study is to develop and empirically test an extended technology acceptance model that explains or predicts utilization of CRM applications implemented in small businesses. Grounded in the technology acceptance model theory, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), and behavioral intention to use (BIU) in small businesses. Methods: Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was performed to investigate relationships between variables criterion. Data were analyzed using SPSS and Lisrel software. The regression analysis results of ۳۲ questions from a survey of ۱۵۰ customer relationship management unit users in ۵ small companies across in Golestan Province in Iran indicated that the model is effective at explaining usage. Results: After reviewing and analyzing the data, all research hypotheses were accepted, among which the highest correlation coefficient was between the perceived ease of CRM technology and the perceived usefulness of CRM technology (۰.۹۸), and the minimum value between the appropriateness of mental norms of managers and employees was with ease of perceived use of CRM technology (۰.۴۸). Discussion: Participation and cooperation of users in CRM software design and In-service training have a very important effect on the acceptance of CRM technology for users to become more familiar with CRM software.

Keywords:

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Technology , Perceived Usefulness (PU) , Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) , Behavioral Intention to Use (BIU)