eThesis - Kauppakorkeakoulun sähköiset gradut

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY:

The purpose of the study is to find out how the company is able to increase the given value for their small sized business-to-business (B2B) customers and entrepreneurs with a new customer relation management (CRM) service and how B2B customers accept and adopt the new service method. Since the mobile cloudbased CRM service is a new business area, acceptance and adoption of mobile cloud-based CRM service is a domain requiring further academic research. On the basis of the literature review a research framework of acceptance and adoption of cloud and mobile-based CRM service was constructed.

METHODOLOGY:

Research data was collected in co-operation with a Finnish ICT company during May-October 2014. The B2B data consisted of two samples. The primary sample was received by interviewing five of the six B2B companies who attended the pilot project testing the new mobile cloud-based CRM service. The online questionnaire was sent to total of 9400 small size B2B customers, and the response rate was 1,45%. After the data collection phase the data was subjected to various statistical analyses to test the hypotheses presented in the research framework.

FINDINGS:

The results of the study highlight the importance of technological and organizational factors that are influencing the acceptance and adoption of mobile cloud-based CRM service. Especially the innovation characteristics concerning cost-savings, mobility, comprehensiveness, security, and personalization are influencing as technological features towards acceptance. Also, simplicity, compatibility, and triability are seen as important features to acceptance and adoption of mobile cloud-based service. When the service provider is able to answer these factors, acceptance of mobile cloud-based CRM service is likely to be positive. Anyhow, service providers should note that organizational issues such as company's resources and personnel's IT capabilities are also influencing to the adoption decision.