Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTACT: Many organisations implement customer relationship management (CRM) systems and processes but very few are able to obtain noticeable successes or even measure the successes. The successful implementation of CRM can have a very positive effect on customer service. Not only will it improve customer satisfaction, but it will increase customer loyalty and also lead to repurchases. Improved customer relationships will have a positive effect on profitability since it will reduce costs and the longer the relationship the higher the profits will be. Firms should know the long-term value of their clients and the lifetime value of their customers should be calculated, otherwise the value of existing customers will not be appreciated, and the loss of value that follows from departing customers will not be fully understood. It is critical for any organisation to employ highly professional and trained staff who can interact with customers in such a manner that their needs are satisfied and that value is optimised. In Absa‟s case the relationship executives need to have regular contact with their customers and they need to understand the industries within which the customers operate. They also need to have a very good product and service knowledge. In the research done for this report, the author researched CRM, customer service and relationship marketing. The CRM model which was implemented in the medium business segment of Absa Corporate and Business Bank in the Western Cape was analysed as was the new operating model which was implemented in April 2007. Customers and relationship executives were presented with questionnaires which had to be completed. These questionnaires dealt with the implementation of CRM and the impact, if any, it had on customer service. Conclusions and recommendations were made based on the research and findings. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Baie organisasies implementeer kliënteverhoudingsbestuur in een of ander vorm maar baie min van hierdie organisasies slaag daarin om enige merkbare verskil aan hul kliëntediens te maak. Geen of weinig suksesse word behaal en word in die meeste gevalle nie eers gemeet nie. Die suksesvolle implementering van 'n kliënteverhoudingsbestuursproses kan 'n baie positiewe uitwerking op kliëntediens teweegbring en kan ook veroorsaak dat kliënte baie meer lojaal teenoor organisasies word en sodoende ook herhaalde aankope maak. Sterker kliënteverhoudings kan 'n positiewe uitwerking op winsgewendheid veroorsaak aangesien dit kostes sal verminder en hoe langer die verhouding, hoe hoër sal die winsgewendheid wees. Organisasies behoort die waarde wat in langtermyn verhoudings gesetel is, te verstaan en hierdie waarde behoort bereken te word. Die berekening van die waarde van langtermyn verhoudings sal organisasies in staat stel om die waarde van bestaande kliënte te waardeer en die impak van die verlies van hierdie kliënte te kan begryp. Dit is krities belangrik vir enige organisasie om hoogs professionele en opgeleide personeel aan te stel wie aan kliënte se behoeftes kan voldoen op so 'n wyse dat die maksimum waarde van die verhouding ontgin word. In Absa se geval moet die verhoudingsbestuurders gereelde kontak met hulle kliënte hê en moet hulle die industriëe waarin hulle kliënte funksioneer, ten volle verstaan. Hulle moet ook 'n baie goeie produkkennis en 'n begrip van kliëntediens hê. Die navorsing wat vir hierdie verslag gedoen is, fokus op kliënte verhoudingsbestuur, kliëntediens en verhoudingsbemarking. Die verhoudingsbestuurmodel wat in die medium segment van Absa Korporatiewe en Besigheidsbank in die Weskaap geïmplementeer is asook die nuwe bedryfsmodel wat in April 2007 geïmplimenter is, is volledig ontleed. Verhoudingsbestuurders en kliënte het vraelyste voltooi wat gehandel het oor verhoudingsbestuur en die impak, indien enige, wat dit op kliëntediens gehad het . Gevolgtrekkings en aanbevelings is gedoen, gebaseer op die navorsing en bevindings wat gemaak is.

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Science in Information Technology in Education

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2010. / The necessity for organisations to deliver exceptional service to customers remains a primary factor for sustainability. Organisations continuously seek differentiation from their competition to realise their strategic goals. The main aim of organisations is to satisfy their employees, customers, stakeholders and regulators, and in doing so they would continue to prosper and reflect a positive return on equity. Organisations strive to be market leaders in the area of customer service by ensuring that employees remain engaged and motivated at all times to ensure that a competitive advantage is evident. This study was conducted in the retail banking environment of Nedbank which investigated the link between employee motivation and how this would affect external customer service. The research results were illustrated by means of qualitative and qualitative measurement frameworks, thereby illustrating the effects of employee motivation on the levels of customer service. The study displays that employee motivation determines the outcome of service levels and the delivery of exceptional customer service by satisfied and informed employees.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTACT: Many organisations implement customer relationship management (CRM) systems and processes but very few are able to obtain noticeable successes or even measure the successes. The successful implementation of CRM can have a very positive effect on customer service. Not only will it improve customer satisfaction, but it will increase customer loyalty and also lead to repurchases. Improved customer relationships will have a positive effect on profitability since it will reduce costs and the longer the relationship the higher the profits will be. Firms should know the long-term value of their clients and the lifetime value of their customers should be calculated, otherwise the value of existing customers will not be appreciated, and the loss of value that follows from departing customers will not be fully understood. It is critical for any organisation to employ highly professional and trained staff who can interact with customers in such a manner that their needs are satisfied and that value is optimised. In Absa‟s case the relationship executives need to have regular contact with their customers and they need to understand the industries within which the customers operate. They also need to have a very good product and service knowledge. In the research done for this report, the author researched CRM, customer service and relationship marketing. The CRM model which was implemented in the medium business segment of Absa Corporate and Business Bank in the Western Cape was analysed as was the new operating model which was implemented in April 2007. Customers and relationship executives were presented with questionnaires which had to be completed. These questionnaires dealt with the implementation of CRM and the impact, if any, it had on customer service. Conclusions and recommendations were made based on the research and findings. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Baie organisasies implementeer kliënteverhoudingsbestuur in een of ander vorm maar baie min van hierdie organisasies slaag daarin om enige merkbare verskil aan hul kliëntediens te maak. Geen of weinig suksesse word behaal en word in die meeste gevalle nie eers gemeet nie. Die suksesvolle implementering van 'n kliënteverhoudingsbestuursproses kan 'n baie positiewe uitwerking op kliëntediens teweegbring en kan ook veroorsaak dat kliënte baie meer lojaal teenoor organisasies word en sodoende ook herhaalde aankope maak. Sterker kliënteverhoudings kan 'n positiewe uitwerking op winsgewendheid veroorsaak aangesien dit kostes sal verminder en hoe langer die verhouding, hoe hoër sal die winsgewendheid wees. Organisasies behoort die waarde wat in langtermyn verhoudings gesetel is, te verstaan en hierdie waarde behoort bereken te word. Die berekening van die waarde van langtermyn verhoudings sal organisasies in staat stel om die waarde van bestaande kliënte te waardeer en die impak van die verlies van hierdie kliënte te kan begryp. Dit is krities belangrik vir enige organisasie om hoogs professionele en opgeleide personeel aan te stel wie aan kliënte se behoeftes kan voldoen op so 'n wyse dat die maksimum waarde van die verhouding ontgin word. In Absa se geval moet die verhoudingsbestuurders gereelde kontak met hulle kliënte hê en moet hulle die industriëe waarin hulle kliënte funksioneer, ten volle verstaan. Hulle moet ook 'n baie goeie produkkennis en 'n begrip van kliëntediens hê. Die navorsing wat vir hierdie verslag gedoen is, fokus op kliënte verhoudingsbestuur, kliëntediens en verhoudingsbemarking. Die verhoudingsbestuurmodel wat in die medium segment van Absa Korporatiewe en Besigheidsbank in die Weskaap geïmplementeer is asook die nuwe bedryfsmodel wat in April 2007 geïmplimenter is, is volledig ontleed. Verhoudingsbestuurders en kliënte het vraelyste voltooi wat gehandel het oor verhoudingsbestuur en die impak, indien enige, wat dit op kliëntediens gehad het . Gevolgtrekkings en aanbevelings is gedoen, gebaseer op die navorsing en bevindings wat gemaak is.

Marketing scholars question the ability of the 4Ps to explain higher order phenomena in modern marketing. Scholars contend that marketing's historical framework, based in product centric economic theory, constrains the 4Ps ability to form a foundation for a general theory of marketing. The focus on value embedded in product fails to explain knowledge-based intangible sources of competitive advantage. In response to this concern a new dominant logic for marketing called service-dominant logic (S-D Logic) has been proposed. However, not all scholars are supportive of S-D Logic. Still nescient, S-D Logic lacks a theoretic model, operationalized constructs, and relationships between those constructs. This study addresses those deficiencies by: (1) generation of a grounded theory of a performance-oriented network; (2) empirical assessment of the S-D Logic literature; and (3) development of an inductively generated theory of S-D Logic to include constructs, relationships, outcomes, and hypothesis. This investigation provides an important set of research findings. The resultant service-oriented network theory suggests a theoretic structure for S-D Logic. Use of grounded theory provides a strong empirical foundation based in a leading edge multi-national market segment composed corporations and programs worth hundreds of billions of dollars. The analysis drew upon 44 field interviews and follow-up exchanges. Multiple member checking sessions generated practitioner confirmation of the research conclusions. The work provides actionable theoretical and practical implications. This investigation provides a link between S-D Logic as a foundation for a general theory of marketing and initial model of suggestive of such theory. For the practitioner the service-oriented network model provides actionable constructs. The antecedents identified are largely influencable by inter-firm leadership and provides them a mechanism to tailor the specific service-oriented strategy to support the desired network value propositions.

Service quality defined by the customer is an important element in satisfying customers and may determine retail survival. The SERVQUAL instrument measured desired and minimum expectations and perceptions of service quality in a small apparel specialty store. Factor analysis with varimax rotation resulted in three dimensions of service quality for both desired and minimum levels of expectations and perceptions: (a) Personal Attention, (b) Reliability, and (c) Tangibles. Regression analyses determined the relationship between overall service quality (OSQ) and various predictor variables. Based on gap scores between desired expectations and perceptions, the Personal Attention and Tangibles dimensions were significant in predicting OSQ. SERVQUAL is a managerial tool that small apparel retailers may use to improve service quality.